Maca for Female Libido: Does It Work?

What Is Maca?

Maca is a plant native to the high Andes of Peru.

Its scientific name is usually given as Lepidium meyenii or, in some botanical literature, Lepidium peruvianum.

It belongs to the same broad plant family as vegetables such as:

• broccoli;
• cabbage;
• mustard;
• radish.

The underground portion of the plant has traditionally been consumed as food and has also become popular as a powdered supplement.

Modern supplement marketing associates maca with:

• sexual desire;
• energy;
• fertility;
• mood;
• menopause;
• “hormone balance.”

The problem is that those claims do not all have the same level of evidence.

Maca has enough human research to be interesting. It does not have enough to justify every claim printed on a libido supplement bottle.

Does Maca Actually Increase Female Libido?

Possibly for some women.

But that is different from saying:

yes, maca is an effective female libido treatment.

The best-known systematic review looked at randomized clinical trials of maca for sexual function.

Only four trials met its inclusion criteria.

Some showed positive results.

Others did not.

The review concluded that there was limited evidence suggesting maca might improve sexual function, but the total number of participants and quality of the studies were not strong enough for firm conclusions.

What Have the Human Studies Actually Found?

That is enough evidence to justify further research.

It is not enough evidence to support claims like:

maca clinically proven to restore women's libido.

Does Maca Help Libido After Menopause?

One of the most interesting female studies involved postmenopausal women.

Fourteen women completed a randomized double-blind crossover trial.

They used:

3.5 grams of powdered maca per day for six weeks

and placebo for another six-week period.

Researchers reported improvement in measures involving:

• sexual dysfunction;
• anxiety;
• depressive symptoms.

That sounds promising.

But fourteen participants is an extremely small study.

It cannot tell us how reliably maca works across thousands or millions of postmenopausal women.

See Menopause, Low Libido and Relationship Intimacy.

Does Maca Increase Estrogen or Testosterone in Women?

This is where marketing often gets ahead of the evidence.

You will frequently see maca described as:

hormone balancing.

But the postmenopausal crossover trial measured:

• estradiol;
• follicle-stimulating hormone;
• luteinizing hormone;
• sex hormone-binding globulin.

Researchers did not find significant changes between maca and placebo.

The study also tested maca extracts for estrogenic and androgenic activity and did not find physiologically significant activity in those assays.

The small human study that found possible sexual benefits did not show that maca worked by raising estrogen or testosterone.

That means claims such as:

maca raises female testosterone naturally

or:

maca restores estrogen balance

go beyond what this evidence demonstrates.

If you are specifically researching testosterone and low desire, see Testosterone and Female Libido.

Can Maca Help Sexual Dysfunction From SSRIs or Other Antidepressants?

This is another area where maca has been studied.

A 12-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial included women whose depression had remitted but who were experiencing sexual dysfunction associated with SSRIs or SNRIs.

The maca dose was:

3 grams per day.

Researchers reported some encouraging improvements in sexual-function measures.

But the trial was small.

Another earlier pilot trial compared:

1.5 grams per day

with:

3 grams per day.

Some measures improved in the higher-dose group.

Again, however, the participant numbers were tiny.

If sexual desire changed after starting antidepressants, see Antidepressants and Low Libido and SSRIs and Low Libido.

How Much Maca Was Used in the Libido Studies?

The trials frequently cited in discussions of sexual function used doses in roughly the following range:

These numbers describe research protocols.

They are not a personal dosing recommendation.

The exact supplement matters too.

Powdered maca is not necessarily equivalent to:

• an extract;
• a concentrated capsule;
• a gummy;
• a multi-ingredient libido blend.

Is Red, Black, or Yellow Maca Best for Female Libido?

Maca is sold in different colour varieties, commonly including:

• yellow maca;
• red maca;
• black maca.

You may find highly specific commercial claims:

red maca is best for women.

black maca is best for male performance.

yellow maca balances hormones.

The clinical evidence for female libido is nowhere near strong enough to rank maca colours this confidently.

A colour-coded marketing claim is not the same thing as a randomized trial showing one variety works better for female libido.

Until comparative clinical evidence is stronger, the more useful questions concern:

• product quality;
• actual maca content;
• extract type;
• dose transparency;
• independent testing.

How Long Does Maca Take to Work for Libido?

There is no established universal answer.

The studies that reported possible benefits evaluated maca over weeks.

They did not demonstrate that:

take maca one hour before sex and your libido switches on.

That makes “instant maca libido” claims questionable.

If maca does influence sexual function, the available research suggests it should be thought about as something studied over a sustained period rather than as an immediate arousal product.

Could Maca Improve Libido Indirectly?

Possibly.

This is an important distinction.

Sexual desire is influenced by:

• mood;
• energy;
• stress;
• sleep;
• physical comfort;
• relationship context.

In the small postmenopausal study, psychological symptom scores also improved.

So even if sexual function improved, we cannot simply assume maca was acting as a direct aphrodisiac.

For example:

less anxiety;

better mood;

or improved general wellbeing;

could make sexual interest easier to access.

Is Maca Safe for Women?

Maca has been consumed as food traditionally, and short clinical trials have generally not suggested major safety problems.

But that does not mean every maca supplement is risk-free.

Important uncertainties remain around:

• long-term high-dose supplement use;
• different concentrated extracts;
• multi-ingredient blends;
• use alongside prescription medication;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• people with complex medical conditions.

Supplement quality also varies.

NCCIH notes that dietary supplements do not have to demonstrate safety and effectiveness before reaching the market in the same way prescription medicines do.

There can also be problems with:

• contamination;
• incorrect labelling;
• undeclared ingredients;
• drug interactions.

Does Maca Cause Weight Gain?

There is no strong clinical evidence establishing maca as a reliable cause of weight gain in women.

Likewise, it should not be marketed as a proven weight-loss product.

Claims that maca specifically:

increases curves;

redistributes body fat;

or causes female weight gain in desirable places;

are not supported by good human evidence.

Does Maca Increase Testosterone?

Not on the evidence we have from women.

The small postmenopausal randomized trial did not find significant changes in measured reproductive hormones.

That matters because supplement advertising sometimes explains maca's alleged libido effect by saying:

it naturally raises testosterone.

That mechanism has not been demonstrated convincingly in women.

If testosterone treatment is relevant to persistent low desire, that is a separate clinical issue.

See Testosterone and Female Libido: What Does the Evidence Say?.

How to Choose a Maca Supplement More Carefully

If you decide to try maca despite the limited evidence, the label should make it possible to understand what you are actually buying.

Look for the amount of maca

Avoid products where the dose is hidden inside a proprietary blend.

Know whether it is powder or extract

The distinction matters when trying to compare a commercial product with research.

Do not be impressed by huge ingredient lists

A “female libido complex” containing twelve herbs may contain very little of any one of them.

Look for independent quality testing

Testing does not prove the supplement works, but it can add confidence about identity and quality.

Ignore unsupported hormone claims

Be cautious with statements such as:

• balances estrogen;
• raises testosterone;
• restores female hormones;
• resets menopause hormones.

Change one thing at a time

If you start maca, ashwagandha, saffron, and a multi-herb gummy simultaneously, you will not know what helped or caused a side effect.

Maca Powder, Capsules, or Gummies?

The form mainly affects convenience.

For the gummy issue specifically, see Libido Gummies: Do They Work?.

When Maca Is Probably the Wrong Answer to Low Libido

Maca cannot diagnose why sexual desire changed.

It is unlikely to be the most useful first step when:

• sex has become painful;
• you have significant vaginal dryness;
• your libido changed immediately after starting an SSRI or another medication;
• you are severely sleep-deprived;
• you have untreated depression or anxiety;
• relationship conflict or resentment is making sex unappealing;
• sexual contact feels pressured or obligatory;
• you have unexplained medical symptoms;
• the change in desire was sudden and significant.

In those situations, maca may distract from the more important question.

What changed?

See When a Change in Sexual Desire May Need Medical Support.

How Does Maca Compare With Other Female Libido Supplements?

Maca is neither the best-proven nor the least-researched ingredient in the market.

For the full comparison, see Best Libido Supplements for Women.

So, Is Maca Worth Trying for Female Libido?

That depends on how you define worth trying.

If you mean:

Is there enough evidence that maca is guaranteed to increase my sex drive?

No.

If you mean:

Is maca one of the herbal supplements with enough human evidence to make further research reasonable?

Yes.

The sensible middle ground is:

• recognise that there are encouraging small studies;
• recognise that the total evidence is still weak;
• avoid treating study doses as automatic personal recommendations;
• avoid claims that maca raises female hormones without evidence;
• check for medication or health considerations;
• make sure you are not using maca to treat the wrong cause of low desire.

Maca is plausible enough to study and uncertain enough to stay skeptical about.

This article is part of the Sexual Intimacy and Desire in Relationships: Complete Guide.

For supplement comparisons, see Best Libido Supplements for Women.

For the broader supplement guide, see Female Libido Supplements: What to Know Before Buying.

For ashwagandha, see Ashwagandha and Sexual Desire.

For menopause-specific libido changes, see Menopause, Low Libido and Relationship Intimacy.

And for the core cluster question, see Why Have I Lost Interest in Sex With My Partner?.

FAQ: Maca for Female Libido