Does maca boost exercise performance or sex drive?

Short answer

Not for exercise performance: in human trials, results were no different from a placebo. For sex drive, desire and erection scores rose a little more than with a placebo, but testosterone did not go up.

Does maca boost exercise performance or sex drive?
'Maca → more testosterone → more strength and libido' — does this formula hold?
Maca, a root vegetable from the Peruvian highlands, is sold as a 'natural libido booster' and an 'endurance supplement.' The usual explanation is that it raises testosterone. We checked exercise performance, testosterone and sexual function one by one.
The big exercise effects came from animals
17 of 21 studies were animal experiments
A 2024 analysis of 21 studies on maca and physical performance found that 17 were in animals and only 4 in people. The large effects showed up in animal tests such as how long rats swim in water or stay on a rotating rod.
In people, performance did not change
No difference compared with a placebo
8 people took maca for 14 days and rode a 40 km cycling time trial: they were faster than before taking it, but no different from after taking a placebo. In a 2025 trial where 10 people took it for 2 weeks, jumping, shooting accuracy, repeated sprints and fatigue were all no different from a placebo.
Testosterone did not go up
No difference from a placebo even after 12 weeks
In a trial where people took maca or a placebo for 12 weeks, testosterone and estrogen levels did not differ between groups. In a 2023 trial of 80 people with male menopause symptoms who took it for 12 weeks, the change in testosterone was again no different from a placebo. The first link in the formula breaks here.
But sex-drive scores rose
A difference from a placebo from week 8
In the same 12-week trial, the maca group reported better sexual desire from week 8. The change was not explained by mood or hormone levels. The 8 people in the 14-day cycling trial also scored higher for sexual desire than when they took a placebo.
Erection scores rose a little too
Maca 1.6 points, placebo 0.5 points
In 50 people with mild erection problems who took it for 12 weeks, erectile function scores rose 1.6 points with maca and 0.5 points with a placebo. In the trial of 80 people with male menopause symptoms, erectile function scores also improved more than with a placebo. Sperm concentration did not rise in an analysis pooling 5 trials.
Bottom line: not an exercise supplement
A small effect on desire and erection scores, hormones unchanged
Maca did not change exercise performance in people and did not raise testosterone. Desire and erection scores improved a little more than with a placebo. So it is best read not as a performance aid but as a food that made a small difference to desire scores, unrelated to hormones.