Supplement Recipe Check
Maca Ingredient Notes
Maca is Lepidium meyenii, a plant grown in the Peruvian highlands whose underground part is used as food and in supplements. Products differ in color and processing, including powders and extracts.
Maca is Lepidium meyenii, a plant grown in the Peruvian highlands whose underground part is used as food and in supplements. Products differ in color and processing, including powders and extracts.
Community experiences
Selected positive personal experiences from external communities, edited and summarized. These accounts do not establish effectiveness.
A contributor who added maca powder to smoothies for more than two months wrote that their energy, mood and sleep quality improved and that they felt calmer. They also reported an increased appetite and some weight gain, and planned to take a break around the time they posted the review. Their interpretation of menstrual-cycle changes as increased fertility was not confirmed by testing, so the account does not establish normalized hormones or an improved chance of pregnancy.
Experience shared by external community contributor A
A contributor who said they had used maca for several years wrote that it helped them manage hot flashes and emotional sensitivity. They described symptoms returning during two or three months when they forgot to take it, alongside changes in eating habits or stress. The duration stated in the text differed from the duration selected in the review form, and lifestyle changes also occurred; stopping use and seeing symptoms return does not, by itself, establish maca's effectiveness.
Experience shared by external community contributor B
This page is for general reference only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or prescription. Ask a qualified professional if you need medical advice or diagnosis.
What is Maca?
Maca is Lepidium meyenii, a plant grown in the Peruvian highlands whose underground part is used as food and in supplements. Products differ in color and processing, including powders and extracts.
On Supplecipe, you can search iHerb products that mention Maca and compare single-ingredient products against broader supplement blends.
Evidence and limitations
In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in healthy adult men, subjective sexual desire improved from week eight. Testosterone and estradiol levels did not differ from placebo, so this should not be described as a testosterone-boosting effect.
Forms and other names
Check the botanical name and preparation. Black, red or other colors and raw or gelatinized forms do not by themselves establish superior effects.
Related ingredients
Related reading, not a recommendation to combine supplements.
Side effects and cautions
Digestive symptoms or headaches can occur; stop use if adverse effects develop. Persistent fatigue or changes in sexual desire need assessment rather than an assumption of low testosterone. Discuss pregnancy, breastfeeding, medicines or hormone-related conditions with a professional.
How to compare iHerb products
- Distinguish extract weight from root-equivalent weight; an extraction ratio is not a multiplier of benefit. Check the individual maca amount and whether it is per capsule or per serving.
- Look for form, serving size, extra ingredients, allergens, and whether the product is a single ingredient or a blend.
- Compare brand, price per serving, ingredient form, and single-ingredient versus complex products.
- Use the search button below to compare iHerb products that mention this ingredient.
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