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Maca has been valued as a traditional food in the Peruvian Andes for generations and is now studied for a range of potential benefits. Human research is most promising around drive and vitality, energy, mood, quality of life, and midlife wellness, while evidence for several other popular claims remains limited or mixed.
Search for maca benefits and you will find an enormous range of claims. Some have human research behind them. Some come mainly from traditional use and customer experience. Others began with laboratory or animal research and have gradually been repeated online as though they were proven human effects.
We think those categories should be kept separate.
After more than 20 years specializing in maca, our approach is straightforward: explain where the research is genuinely interesting, where the evidence is still developing, and where popular claims have gotten ahead of the science.
Maca does not need to do everything to be worthwhile. It is a traditional Peruvian food with a distinctive nutritional and phytochemical profile, and several areas of human research are promising enough to deserve serious attention.
Human research has most consistently explored maca in relation to:
Research into exercise performance, memory, bone health, prostate biology, metabolism, skin, and other areas is also interesting, but much of that evidence is still preliminary or preclinical.
| Area | What Current Research Suggests | Evidence Level |
|---|---|---|
| Drive & vitality | Several controlled human studies have reported favorable changes in self-rated drive and related wellness measures. | Promising human evidence |
| Energy | A randomized human trial reported favorable changes in perceived energy under some study conditions. | Preliminary human evidence |
| Mood & well-being | Controlled studies have reported improvements in mood, psychological well-being, and quality-of-life measures in some populations. | Promising but limited |
| Midlife wellness | Several small clinical trials have reported favorable changes in age-related symptom and well-being scores. | Promising but limited |
| Reproductive wellness | Human studies have produced mixed results, particularly when reproductive measures are examined together. | Mixed evidence |
| Exercise & stamina | Small human studies have explored performance and stamina, but evidence is not strong enough to consider maca a proven performance enhancer. | Limited human evidence |
| Memory & learning | Interesting findings exist primarily in animal research, particularly with black maca. | Primarily preclinical |
| Bone & prostate research | Color-specific effects have appeared in animal studies, but equivalent human benefits have not been established. | Primarily preclinical |
| Testosterone | Controlled human research has not shown that maca meaningfully raises testosterone. | Not supported as a testosterone booster |
The distinction between these evidence levels matters. An interesting animal study can justify more research, but it should not automatically become a promise about what maca will do for a person.
Drive and vitality are among the longest-standing reasons people have used maca, both traditionally and in modern routines.
They are also among the better-studied areas in human maca research.
In a randomized, double-blind study of healthy adult men, participants receiving gelatinized maca reported an increase in self-rated drive after several weeks. Interestingly, the change was not accompanied by higher testosterone or estrogen levels (Gonzales et al., 2002).
A systematic review later examined controlled human trials in this general area. The authors found encouraging evidence while emphasizing that the number and size of the studies were still limited (Shin et al., 2010).
A more recent 12-week randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 80 men over age 40 also reported favorable changes in several age-related and quality-of-life questionnaire measures (Shin et al., 2023).
Simple takeaway: Drive and vitality are among the better-supported areas of maca’s human research, but individual response still varies and the research base remains relatively small.
Energy is one of the most common reasons customers tell us they begin taking maca.
Maca contains no caffeine, so it is quite different from coffee, tea, or stimulant-based products. People who respond well to it often describe the effect as steadier vitality rather than a sudden jolt.
A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 175 adults compared red maca, black maca, and placebo. Researchers measured several self-reported outcomes, including energy, mood, and health-related quality of life. Participants using maca reported favorable changes in some of these measures, although results varied by maca type and study location (Gonzales-Arimborgo et al., 2016).
A separate placebo-controlled study in women also explored maca in relation to fatigue and found an encouraging result in one subgroup (Honma et al., 2022).
These studies do not make maca a proven energy treatment. They do give some scientific support to its long-standing association with everyday vitality.
Maca is not a treatment for depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition. There is, however, human research suggesting that maca may support broader psychological well-being.
In a randomized crossover study of postmenopausal women, researchers reported favorable changes in psychological symptom scores without corresponding changes in estrogen or androgen levels (Brooks et al., 2008).
The larger 175-person study of red and black maca also reported favorable changes in mood and quality-of-life measures under some study conditions (Gonzales-Arimborgo et al., 2016).
We think mood and general well-being are fair ways to describe this research without turning early findings into medical claims.
Maca has become especially popular with people looking for food-based support during midlife.
Several small controlled studies have examined maca in peri- and postmenopausal women. Outcomes have included psychological well-being, quality of life, and broader midlife symptom scores.
A systematic review of four randomized trials found favorable results across the included studies but concluded that the overall evidence remained too limited for firm conclusions because the trials were small and varied in quality (Lee et al., 2011).
The Brooks study is also important because some favorable outcomes occurred without measurable increases in estrogen or androgen levels (Brooks et al., 2008).
The most accurate conclusion is that maca is promising for midlife wellness, but the human research is not yet large enough to justify sweeping claims.
There is considerable overlap in the way maca has been studied in men and women, but researchers have emphasized somewhat different areas.
For women, human research has focused most often on:
For men, research has focused more often on:
One important finding is that maca does not appear to work simply by increasing reproductive hormones. Controlled human research in men found no significant changes in testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH, or prolactin (Gonzales et al., 2003).
That makes the common description of maca as a straightforward “hormone booster” difficult to support.
Maca has a long traditional association with reproductive vitality, and there is extensive animal research in this area.
The human evidence is more complicated.
Some studies have reported changes in individual reproductive measures, while others have found little or no meaningful difference.
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis examined randomized controlled trials and found mixed results. Overall, the evidence did not establish a clear significant improvement in the primary measure examined compared with placebo (Lee et al., 2022).
For that reason, we describe maca as an area of ongoing reproductive research rather than a proven fertility treatment.
Maca has long been associated with strength and stamina, and it fits easily into smoothies, shakes, breakfasts, and active daily routines.
The human performance research is still quite small.
A pilot crossover trial involving eight trained cyclists examined maca extract over 14 days. Cycling performance improved from baseline, but the difference was not statistically better than placebo (Stone et al., 2009).
That is interesting, but eight people are not enough to call maca a proven performance supplement.
We see maca more realistically as a nutritious addition to an active lifestyle. Training, sufficient food, protein, hydration, recovery, and sleep remain the foundation.
The scientific literature on maca goes well beyond the areas already discussed, but much of it is not yet human clinical research.
Laboratory and animal studies have explored maca in relation to:
A comprehensive 2024 review summarizes this broad body of research and highlights an important limitation: the human clinical evidence is considerably narrower than the complete list of proposed maca effects (Ulloa del Carpio et al., 2024).
Research takeaway: A positive finding in a cell or animal study is a reason to continue studying something. It is not proof that the same benefit occurs in a person taking maca.
“Maca balances hormones” is one of the most repeated explanations online, but we do not think it accurately describes what human research has shown.
Maca does not contain human hormones. More importantly, controlled studies have reported favorable outcomes in some areas without corresponding increases in testosterone or estrogen.
A randomized study in healthy men found no significant changes in several reproductive hormones after maca supplementation (Gonzales et al., 2003). Similar observations were made in a controlled study of postmenopausal women (Brooks et al., 2008).
A better explanation is that maca may influence well-being through mechanisms that are still being studied. Current human evidence does not show that its effects can simply be explained by raising or “balancing” hormone levels.
Possibly, but this is another area where the science is still developing.
Different maca colors have different phytochemical profiles, and experimental research has found meaningful differences among red, black, and yellow maca.
The human evidence comparing colors is much smaller. The 175-person randomized study comparing red and black maca reported differences in some self-rated outcomes, including energy and mood (Gonzales-Arimborgo et al., 2016).
The broader 2024 review also emphasizes that maca chemistry can vary with color, growing conditions, and post-harvest processing (Ulloa del Carpio et al., 2024).
That helps explain why we pay attention to maca color, but it does not give us a scientifically proven rule that one color will always produce one particular result.
Maca is not generally studied as an immediate-action supplement.
Human trials reporting favorable results have commonly evaluated participants over several weeks. In the 2002 study of healthy men, differences in self-rated drive appeared after about eight weeks (Gonzales et al., 2002). Other clinical studies have followed participants for roughly 6 to 12 weeks.
That does not mean everyone needs eight weeks, and it does not mean everyone will notice the same effect.
Our practical approach is simple: start modestly, use maca consistently, and pay attention to your own response rather than constantly changing products or serving sizes.
One thing we have learned after more than two decades of working with maca is that people do not respond to it in exactly the same way.
A person’s experience may be influenced by:
Some people notice maca clearly. Others experience something subtle. Some do not notice much at all.
That is also why customer experiences can be useful but should never be treated as proof that another person will get the same result.
Research on “maca” does not mean every product labeled maca is identical.
Studies have used different colors, cultivars, processing methods, extracts, and serving sizes. Research also shows that maca’s chemical profile can vary with ecotype, growing conditions, and post-harvest processing (Ulloa del Carpio et al., 2024).
When choosing maca, we recommend looking beyond the front of the package and asking:
These questions are central to how we source maca at The Maca Team. Learn more in Our Standards and Testing and COAs.
The strongest areas of human research currently include drive and vitality, energy, mood and general well-being, quality of life, and several aspects of midlife wellness. The evidence is promising rather than definitive because many maca trials remain relatively small.
Several controlled human studies have reported favorable changes in self-rated drive or related well-being measures. This is one of the more developed areas of maca research, although individual response varies.
Some people report greater energy or vitality while using maca, and randomized human research has reported favorable changes in perceived energy under some study conditions. Maca contains no caffeine and should not be expected to feel exactly like a stimulant.
Controlled human studies have not shown a meaningful increase in testosterone from maca. Some favorable outcomes have occurred without measurable changes in testosterone.
That phrase is too broad to describe the research accurately. Human studies have not shown consistent increases or decreases in reproductive hormone levels. Maca may influence well-being through other mechanisms that are still being studied.
Several small controlled studies have reported encouraging changes in psychological, vitality, and quality-of-life measures during midlife. Systematic reviews consider the evidence promising but still limited.
Not conclusively. Maca has a strong traditional association with reproductive vitality, but human studies have produced mixed results. More research is needed.
Not universally. Different colors have different phytochemical profiles and have produced different findings in experimental research, but there is not enough human evidence to say one color is scientifically proven to be better for a specific outcome in every person.
There is no universal timeline. Clinical studies reporting favorable outcomes have generally evaluated maca over several weeks, often around 6 to 12 weeks. Individual experiences can happen sooner, later, or not at all.
No. Some popular claims are supported mainly by animal, laboratory, or very limited human research. That research can be interesting without yet establishing a proven human benefit.
Compare organic Peruvian maca by color, preparation, and format, or continue through our buying guides before choosing.
