Maca may offer a small mood or sexual-wellbeing signal, but the research does not show that it changes hormones or reliably handles hot flashes.

Maca for perimenopause: useful signal, thin evidence

Maca may help some mood, anxiety or sexual-function scores. That is a signal, not a verdict. The menopause evidence comes from a handful of small trials, and the best-known studies did not find a change in estradiol, FSH, LH or SHBG. A 2011 systematic review found only four randomized trials and judged the evidence too limited for firm conclusions.[1]

That distinction matters. “You feel different” and “your hormones changed” are different claims. A supplement can score well on a symptom questionnaire without raising estrogen. This is an evidence read, not medical advice.

What the small trials actually tested

In 2008, 14 postmenopausal women finished a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. They took 3.5 g of powdered maca daily for six weeks, then placebo for six weeks, or the reverse. Anxiety, depression and sexual-dysfunction scores on the Greene Climacteric Scale improved. Estradiol, FSH, LH and sex hormone-binding globulin did not.[2] Fourteen completers is tiny, so this is a preliminary signal.

A second crossover study involved 29 postmenopausal women in Hong Kong. They took 3.3 g daily for six weeks per phase. Depression and anxiety measures improved, while estradiol, FSH, TSH, SHBG, glucose, lipids and cytokines did not differ from placebo. The Utian quality-of-life measure did not find differences either.[3] A possible blood-pressure signal is not a reason to use maca for blood pressure.

Earlier work used a specific gelatinized preparation, often sold as Maca-GO. A 20-woman perimenopause pilot used 2 g/day for two months per phase and reported better Kupperman Index scores alongside changes in several measured hormones. But the authors also recorded a strong placebo effect, and the sample cannot settle cause and effect.[4] An eight-week Japanese study used a different concentrated extract, just 300 mg/day standardized to at least 1.2% benzylglucosinolate. Its overall estradiol result was not statistically significant; subgroup findings were only “marginal.” That is not a clean win.[5]

So the pattern is not “maca changes hormones.” Some preparations produced marker changes in small studies. Others produced symptom scores without marker changes.

Does it help hot flashes, mood or low desire?

The fairest answer is maybe for mood or sexual wellbeing; not established for hot flashes. The most-cited pilot pooled psychological and sexual-function subscales, rather than proving a large, durable effect on any one symptom.[2] The 2015 pilot produced modest psychological signals, but also improvements in several measures in both maca and placebo groups.[3]

For a food-first review, see our guide to supplements for mood during perimenopause. Maca should not be the sole response to new or severe symptoms.

Dose and form: do not flatten unlike studies

There is no standard “maca dose” that matches every menopause trial. The studied products ranged from a 300 mg concentrated extract to 2–3.5 g of powdered or gelatinized root, taken for roughly 6–12 weeks.[2][3][4][5] Those are study descriptions, not dosing instructions.

A label such as “500 mg maca” does not mean it matches a 3.5 g trial. A concentrated extract, gelatinized powder and ordinary powder cannot be swapped milligram for milligram. For a supplement stack, our perimenopause supplement-stack guide explains why matching the tested preparation matters.

If someone chooses to test maca with a clinician or qualified health professional, the sensible receipt is the species, colour, part of plant, extraction, daily milligrams, standardization and batch-testing. If the label cannot answer those, the product has not earned confidence.

Macaides, colour and “standardized” claims

Maca contains carbohydrate and protein, plus smaller compounds including macaenes and macamides, long-chain fatty-acid amides also called N-benzylamides.[6] They are biologically active candidates, not a proven explanation for perimenopause symptom relief. Human trials rarely test whether a symptom response depends on a particular macamide profile.

Colour is not a dose. Black, red, yellow and other phenotypes can differ in location, growing conditions, processing and chemistry. A 2024 review says common supplements often do not specify standardised active compounds, so two jars called maca may not be comparable.[6] A colour-specific study in adults reported mood and energy signals for red or black maca, but it was not a menopause trial and cannot tell us which colour fits perimenopause.[7]

“Black maca for hormones” or “red maca for energy” is marketing shorthand, not a clinical finding. Maca-GO is a particular gelatinized preparation used in several studies. Maca-BG1.2 is a different standardized extract. Neither name is interchangeable with generic “maca powder.”

Safety: the negative case first

Short-term trials generally reported mild effects, including stomach upset and headache, but do not establish long-term safety.[8] Ask a clinician before adding maca if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have hormone-sensitive cancer or a thyroid condition, take blood-pressure or antidepressant medication, or have surgery planned. Interaction studies are sparse.

The NIH notes that supplements are not checked by the FDA for effectiveness before sale and that “natural” does not mean safe.[9] LiverTox found no convincing pattern linking maca to liver injury, but notes limited real-world use.[8]

Maca is not a replacement for medical care. If hot flashes, bleeding after menopause, breast changes or severe mood symptoms are new, get them checked rather than stacking supplements over them.

The verdict

Maca has a plausible short-term signal for psychological or sexual symptoms and an incomplete evidence base. It has not been shown to reliably reduce hot flashes, raise estrogen, or work like hormone therapy. If the goal is mood or libido, the product’s exact form and standardization matter more than a colour claim. Keep maca in the optional column and judge it against the rest of the stack, not a marketing promise.

Maca for Perimenopause: Small Trials, Big Caveat