Maca is a Peruvian root found in men's and women's libido supplements. We cover what the small studies suggest, what they leave unanswered and who should take care.
Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable from Peru that has traditionally been used for energy, fertility and libido. A handful of small studies have examined sexual desire and wellbeing. Some results were positive but they were inconsistent, so the evidence is limited. Maca is not a hormone, and it hasn't been proven to raise testosterone or estrogen.
Maca belongs to the cabbage (Brassicaceae) family. It grows at high altitude in the Andes and is a food in Peru. People have long used it for energy, fertility and libido, and today it turns up in many men's and women's sexual health supplements, most often as a powder or extract.
Small studies exist on maca for sexual desire and wellbeing in both men and women. Reviews call the evidence limited. The trials are few, small and short, they use different maca preparations and doses, and some have methodological weaknesses. A few found better self-rated desire than placebo, while others saw no clear effect. At most, that supports calling maca "possibly helpful for some people" and falls short of proof.
Marketing often presents maca as a hormone booster. It doesn't supply testosterone or estrogen, and we found no good evidence that it raises either. Persistent low desire that bothers you deserves a conversation with a doctor, since common causes (medications, menopause, thyroid problems, stress, relationship issues) are often treatable. Our guide to causes of low libido in women has more.
Of the products we review, only Semenax lists maca, one of its 16 ingredients, and it doesn't give the amount. Neither HerSolution nor Provestra, our women's libido picks, includes maca in its current formula.