Maca Root, Male Energy and Sex Drive: The Herb That Raised Desire Without Touching Testosterone
Does maca root increase sex drive in men?
The best-known trial says yes, and it says so in a way that reshapes how the whole category should be read: maca improved self-reported sexual desire in men without any change in serum testosterone or oestradiol. A later systematic review found limited evidence suggestive of a positive effect on sexual function, while noting the small number and modest quality of the available trials.
- Key finding: desire improved with no measurable testosterone change.
- Study duration: the classic trial ran for twelve weeks.
- Evidence quality: limited but genuinely positive, in small trials.
Maca is the most interesting ingredient in the men’s-vitality aisle, and not for the reason it is usually sold. It is interesting because its single most famous trial produced a result that contradicts the entire marketing logic of the category: sexual desire went up, and testosterone did not move at all.
Sit with that for a moment. If desire were simply a function of testosterone, the result would be impossible. It happened anyway, and understanding why is more valuable than any dosing table.
The trial that made maca famous
The foundational study examined the effect of Lepidium meyenii on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult men. Over twelve weeks, participants reported improved sexual desire compared with placebo, with the effect emerging after around eight weeks. Serum testosterone and oestradiol were measured and were unchanged.
The title itself does the work: its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels. The authors were not hiding the finding; they put it in the headline. Any product page that cites this study as evidence of a testosterone effect has not read past the title.
What the wider maca literature adds
One trial is never enough, so it matters what followed. A systematic review of maca for improving sexual function collected the randomised evidence and concluded that there was limited evidence suggestive of a positive effect, while explicitly noting the small number of trials and their methodological limitations. That is a fair and unglamorous summary, and it is more useful than either enthusiasm or dismissal.
Other work has looked at specific populations. A study of the subjective effects of a maca extract on well-being and sexual performance in patients with mild erectile dysfunction reported improvements in self-rated measures, and a more recent trial examined the efficacy and safety of maca in patients with symptoms of late-onset hypogonadism. Small studies, consistent direction, modest effects.
| Outcome | What maca trials found | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Self-reported sexual desire | Improved versus placebo after about 8 weeks | Moderate for a small literature |
| Serum testosterone | No change | Clear, and repeatedly stated |
| Serum oestradiol | No change | Clear |
| Mood and energy scores | Improved in some studies | Low to moderate |
| Erectile function in mild difficulty | Improved subjective measures in a small study | Low |
| Tolerability | Generally good; mostly mild effects reported | Reasonable |
So how does maca work, if not through testosterone?
Honestly: nobody has established the mechanism, and it is better to say that than to invent one. The plausible candidates include central nervous system effects on mood and motivation, effects on energy and fatigue that indirectly raise interest in sex, and the ordinary contribution of feeling better in general. Maca contains distinctive compounds — macamides and glucosinolates — and their biological role in humans is not settled.
What matters practically is the reframing. Sexual desire in men is a composite of hormones, mood, energy, sleep, stress and context, and maca appears to reach it through one of the non-hormonal routes. That is the same conclusion the wider evidence points to in how to increase libido naturally.
Maca is one of nine botanicals here
Horse Boost lists maca alongside muira puama, catuaba, green tea, caffeine, ashwagandha, L-arginine, tribulus and horny goat weed inside an 82 mg blend. The per-ingredient amounts are not broken out. Read the label and pricing yourself.
Order NowColour, form and the label problem
Maca is not one material. The hypocotyl comes in yellow, red and black varieties with different phytochemical profiles, and research has explored whether the colours favour different effects — a trial on the acceptability, safety and efficacy of oral administration of extracts of black or red maca is one of the studies that took the distinction seriously. Preparation matters too: traditional Andean use involves cooking or gelatinising the root, and raw powder, gelatinised powder and concentrated extracts are not interchangeable.
A label that says only “maca” therefore tells you less than it appears to. Inside a proprietary blend, where the amount is undisclosed as well, the gap between the product and the trial material is wider still — which is the recurring problem we set out in how the testosterone-booster category holds up under audit.
Maca is a food crop with a good safety record, which is not the same as being studied in everyone. It has not been examined extensively in people with hormone-sensitive conditions, and anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or on regular medication should ask a clinician before taking a concentrated extract.
What the evidence shows, and what it does not
What it shows: a randomised trial found improved sexual desire in men over twelve weeks with no change in serum testosterone or oestradiol; a systematic review found limited evidence suggestive of a positive effect on sexual function; smaller studies report subjective improvements in mild erectile difficulty and in men with late-onset hypogonadism symptoms; tolerability is generally good.
What it does not show: that maca raises testosterone, treats erectile dysfunction, works quickly, or that any particular colour or preparation is superior. Its real contribution to this field is conceptual: it proved that a botanical can move desire without moving hormones, which is a useful antidote to the reflex of blaming testosterone for everything — and a sharp contrast with tribulus, which promised the hormone and delivered neither.
Related reading on male vitality
- Muira puama and catuaba, the other Horse Boost botanicals
- How to raise libido naturally, ranked by evidence
- Tribulus terrestris and its failed testosterone claim
- How testosterone boosters hold up under audit
Frequently asked questions
Does maca raise testosterone?
No, and the trial that made maca famous is the reason we can say that confidently. It measured serum testosterone and oestradiol alongside sexual desire and found the hormones unchanged while desire improved. That is a striking result: it means whatever maca does, it does not do it by acting as a testosterone booster, and any product marketing it as one is misreading its own primary citation.
How long does maca take to work?
The classic randomised trial ran for twelve weeks, with the improvement in sexual desire appearing after eight weeks of daily use rather than immediately. That is consistent with the rest of this category: botanicals are judged over months, not days, and a week of use tells you nothing.
Is black maca different from red maca?
The colour refers to the hypocotyl of the plant and does correspond to different phytochemical profiles, with research suggesting different colours may favour different effects. A trial assessing oral extracts of black and red maca examined acceptability, safety and efficacy in adults, and the distinction is real enough that a label naming only maca without a colour or extract specification tells you less than it appears to.
Is maca safe to take?
Maca is a Peruvian root vegetable eaten as food in the Andes, which gives it a reassuring baseline safety record, and clinical studies have generally reported good tolerability with mostly mild side effects. It is still worth normal caution: it has not been studied extensively in people with hormone-sensitive conditions, and anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or on regular medication should ask a clinician first.
References
- Gonzales GF et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Andrologia, 2002. PMID 12472620
- Shin BC et al. Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med, 2010. PMID 20691074
- Zenico T et al. Subjective effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) extract on well-being and sexual performances in patients with mild erectile dysfunction: a randomised, double-blind clinical trial. Andrologia, 2009. PMID 19260845
- Shin D et al. Efficacy and Safety of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Patients with Symptoms of Late-Onset Hypogonadism: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. World J Mens Health, 2023. PMID 36593713
- Gonzales-Arimborgo C et al. Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2016. PMID 27548190
- NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health - Herbs at a Glance
Every PubMed reference above was checked against its own PubMed record before publication. Research on an isolated ingredient is not evidence about any finished product.