What Is Maca? Energy, Mood, Menopause, Safety and What Research Shows

Maca is an edible Andean plant with a long history of use as both a food and a traditional botanical preparation. Today, maca (Lepidium meyenii) is commonly sold as a powder or concentrated extract and is often promoted for energy, stress, sexual health, menopause, and overall vitality.

Some of those areas have been investigated in human studies. But the evidence is much more specific—and more limited—than claims that maca “balances hormones,” lowers cortisol, treats anxiety, or automatically increases energy.

Different maca varieties, processing methods, powders, gelatinized preparations, and extracts are not necessarily equivalent. Understanding those differences is important when comparing a supplement label with a clinical study.

“Maca has an interesting history and a growing research base, but traditional use, biological mechanisms, and human clinical outcomes are three different levels of evidence.”

What Is Maca Made From?

Maca belongs to the Brassicaceae family, the same broad botanical family that includes vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage.

The part traditionally consumed is the enlarged underground hypocotyl/root-like structure.

Maca is available in several forms, including:

• Whole or dried maca
• Maca powder
• Gelatinized maca
• Concentrated maca extracts
• Capsules containing maca powder or extract

There are also different maca ecotypes commonly described by color, including yellow, red, and black maca.

These differences are not simply cosmetic. Research shows that phytochemical composition can vary according to plant variety, growing conditions, processing, and extraction method.

For that reason, a study using several grams of a particular maca powder cannot automatically establish the effect of a different concentrated extract.

What Are Macamides and Macaenes?

Macamides and macaenes are among the compounds most closely associated with maca.

Macamides are a group of fatty-acid-derived compounds that have attracted interest in laboratory research involving neurological signaling, fatigue, and other biological pathways.

However, much of the mechanistic research involving isolated macamides comes from laboratory or animal models.

The amount and profile of macamides may also vary substantially between raw maca, gelatinized preparations, and extracts.

Is Maca Really an Adaptogen?

Maca is frequently marketed as an “adaptogen.”

That term is generally used for botanicals proposed to help the body adapt to physical or psychological stress. However, “adaptogen” is a broad functional concept rather than a diagnosis or a guarantee that a botanical lowers cortisol.

Maca has been investigated in several areas that overlap with the way adaptogens are marketed, including:

• Subjective well-being
• Mood-related questionnaires
• Physical performance
• Fatigue-related experimental outcomes
• Sexual function

But the available human evidence does not establish that maca:

• Normalizes cortisol
• Treats chronic stress
• Treats anxiety disorders
• Regulates the adrenal glands
• Prevents stress-related weight gain
• Restores the nervous system to a specific “balanced” state

Those claims go beyond what clinical research can currently establish.

What Does Human Research Show About Maca and Energy?

Maca has a long traditional association with vitality and endurance, which has led researchers to investigate physical performance.

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated research on maca and physical performance in animals and humans.

The literature suggests possible effects on selected performance-related outcomes, but the human evidence base remains relatively small and heterogeneous.

Studies have differed in:

• Maca variety
• Powder vs. extract
• Daily amount
• Duration
• Training status
• Performance test used

This is very different from proving that maca reliably eliminates daytime fatigue or provides stimulant-like energy.

Maca also does not contain caffeine simply because it is marketed for energy.

What Does Research Show About Maca and Mood?

Some small human studies have evaluated psychological well-being, anxiety-related scores, or depressive symptom scores.

For example, a randomized crossover study in postmenopausal women using 3.5 g of maca per day reported improvements in selected psychological and sexual-function scores compared with placebo.

Importantly, the same study did not observe significant changes in estradiol, FSH, LH, or sex hormone-binding globulin.

That distinction matters.

A change in a questionnaire score does not demonstrate that maca:

• Treats clinical anxiety
• Treats depression
• Normalizes stress hormones
• Corrects estrogen levels
• Repairs nervous-system dysfunction

The study was small, short-term, and used a particular maca preparation and dose.

Maca therefore should not replace professional evaluation for persistent anxiety, depression, panic symptoms, severe stress, or another mental-health concern.

Does Maca Lower Cortisol?

This is one of the most overstated claims in maca marketing.

Some older maca studies have measured cortisol as one of many physiological outcomes, and particular small trials have reported changes under specific conditions.

However, the human evidence does not establish maca as a reliable cortisol-lowering treatment.

Cortisol also follows a natural daily rhythm and plays essential roles in metabolism, immune regulation, blood pressure, and the response to stress.

Feeling tired, wired, stressed, having difficulty sleeping, or gaining weight does not by itself diagnose “high cortisol.”

For these reasons, maca should not be described as:

• Breaking a cortisol cycle
• Blocking cortisol spikes
• Correcting adrenal dysfunction
• Treating cortisol-related insomnia
• Preventing cortisol-related abdominal fat

What Does Research Show About Maca and Menopause?

Maca has also been studied in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

A systematic review of randomized clinical trials identified several small studies reporting changes in menopausal symptom scores.

However, the reviewers concluded that the number of trials, sample sizes, and methodological quality were too limited to draw firm conclusions.

Some individual studies have also produced conflicting findings regarding reproductive hormone levels.

For example, one randomized study reported psychological and sexual-function improvements without significant changes in measured estrogen-related hormones, while other older studies of specific pre-gelatinized preparations reported changes in selected hormone measurements.

This inconsistency is why maca should not simply be described as a botanical that “balances female hormones.”

For a broader look at fatigue, brain fog, sleep and other changes that can occur during the menopause transition, read our guide to perimenopause fatigue and brain fog, possible causes, and when to seek support.

What About Sexual Health?

Sexual function is one of the better-studied areas of maca research, although the evidence remains limited.

A systematic review of randomized trials found some positive findings for sexual desire or dysfunction in several populations, but concluded that the number and quality of trials were insufficient for firm conclusions.

More recent clinical studies have continued to explore this area.

This does not mean maca is a proven treatment for erectile dysfunction, low libido, medication-related sexual dysfunction, or menopausal sexual symptoms.

Sexual health can be influenced by medications, cardiovascular health, hormonal changes, sleep, mental health, relationship factors, pain, and other conditions that may require appropriate evaluation.

Does Maca Change Testosterone or Estrogen?

Not in a simple or predictable way.

Some human studies have found no meaningful changes in testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH, or related hormones despite reporting changes in subjective outcomes.

Other smaller studies using different maca preparations have reported selected hormonal changes.

Because the literature is inconsistent, it is inaccurate to say that maca reliably:

• Raises testosterone
• Raises estrogen
• Replaces estrogen
• Normalizes female hormones
• Restores endocrine balance

The absence of a consistent hormonal change is also important when interpreting claims that maca works primarily by “balancing hormones.”

How Much Maca Is in RevitaPlus Stress Calm?

RevitaPlus Stress Calm has a serving size of two capsules.

Each serving provides:

• Maca Extract 10:1 — 300 mg
• Ashwagandha Extract 10:1 — 500 mg
• Magnesium from magnesium glycinate — 54 mg
• Zinc from zinc glycinate — 15 mg
• Vitamin B6 — 2 mg
• Vitamin B12 — 500 mcg
• Folate — 1,334 mcg DFE, including 800 mcg folic acid
• Black Pepper Extract standardized to 95% piperine — 5 mg

A “10:1” extract ratio also should not automatically be used to claim that 300 mg produces the exact clinical effect of 3,000 mg of maca powder.

Extraction ratio, starting material, extraction process, chemical profile, and standardization all affect how preparations should be compared.

Stress Calm also includes 5 mg of black pepper extract standardized to 95% piperine. Piperine has been studied for its effects on bioavailability and drug metabolism, but its presence does not prove that the complete formula has enhanced absorption. Learn more in our guide to piperine, bioavailability, drug interactions, safety, and what research shows.

Maca and Ashwagandha Are Not the Same Ingredient

Maca and ashwagandha are commonly grouped together in supplement formulas, but they have different botanical origins, chemical profiles, and clinical research histories.

Ashwagandha has a larger body of human research specifically involving perceived stress and selected sleep outcomes.

Maca research is more strongly concentrated around sexual function, menopause-related outcomes, subjective well-being, and physical performance.

That does not prove that combining them creates a clinically meaningful synergistic effect.

For a detailed review of the evidence and important liver, thyroid, pregnancy, medication, and sedation considerations, read our guide to ashwagandha, stress, sleep, safety, and what current research shows.

Is Maca Safe?

Maca has a history of use as a food, and available clinical research generally reports good short-term tolerance.

A 2024 review described human tolerance as generally favorable, while also noting that clinical evidence remains limited for many proposed uses.

Reported concerns in clinical or observational literature have included gastrointestinal discomfort, altered menstrual patterns, insomnia, mood changes, and other nonspecific symptoms, although causality is not always clear.

Memorial Sloan Kettering also advises additional caution for people with hormone-sensitive cancers and during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Talk with a healthcare professional before using maca or a multi-ingredient botanical supplement if you:

• Are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding
• Have a hormone-sensitive cancer or related medical history
• Take prescription medications
• Have unexplained abnormal bleeding
• Are receiving treatment for a hormonal or reproductive condition
• Regularly combine several botanical supplements

Maca has also been reported to interfere with some testosterone laboratory immunoassays, so tell your healthcare professional about supplement use before relevant testing.

The Key Takeaway

Maca is an Andean food and botanical ingredient with an interesting but still developing human research base.

Research provides reasons to continue studying maca in areas including:

• Sexual function
• Menopause-related symptoms
• Subjective well-being and mood
• Physical performance

But current evidence does not justify presenting maca as:

• A cortisol-lowering treatment
• An anxiety treatment
• A hormonal-balancing therapy
• An adrenal regulator
• A sleep treatment
• A fat-burning ingredient
• A guaranteed energy booster

When comparing a maca supplement with a clinical study, look at the exact preparation, extract ratio, amount, duration, population, and outcome measured.

Those details matter far more than simply seeing the word “maca” on both labels.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.