Maxforce Maca Root: What the Desire and Energy Studies Show
Maca is the second ingredient in the Maxforce blend. A review of four small trials found only limited evidence that maca helps sexual function, at 1.5 to 3.5 g a day for 2 to 12 weeks. Energy benefits are not established. The Maxforce maca amount is not published; the whole blend is 82 mg.
What is the maca root in Maxforce?
A Peruvian root with small desire studies at gram doses.
Maca is a root vegetable from the high Andes of Peru. Maxforce lists maca extract as the second of nine blend ingredients.
Maca is one of the best-known herbs sold for desire. It is also one of the few in this blend with any placebo-controlled trials in people.
The catch is the amount. The trials used grams of maca a day. A gummy has, at most, a small slice of 82 mg.
- On the jar
- #2of nine
- Trial doses
- 1.5–3.5 gper day
- Maxforce amount
- Not published82 mg blend
Where does maca come from?
A high-altitude food crop turned into a supplement.
Maca grows at high altitude in the Peruvian Andes, where few other crops survive. The root looks a bit like a small turnip or radish. It belongs to the same plant family as cabbage and broccoli.
In Peru, people eat maca as a food. It is dried, then cooked, ground into flour or mixed into drinks. That long food history is the root of its reputation for stamina and desire.
Supplements sell it as powder, capsules or extract. An extract is concentrated, so a few milligrams stand for more of the raw root.
Maca at a glance
| Fact | Maca |
|---|---|
| Plant | Lepidium meyenii, a root crop of the Andes |
| Plant family | Mustard family, like cabbage and broccoli |
| Traditional use | Food, plus folk use for stamina and desire |
| Supplement forms | Powder, capsules, extract |
| In Maxforce | Maca extract, second blend ingredient |
Does maca help desire? What the studies found
Four small trials, mixed results, limited evidence.
Maca's best evidence is for sexual desire and function. A 2010 systematic review pulled together four randomized trials. They used 1.5 to 3.5 g of maca a day for 2 to 12 weeks (Shin et al., 2010).
Some of those trials reported better desire scores than placebo. Others did not. The trials were few and small. The authors concluded there was only "limited evidence for the effectiveness of maca in improving sexual function."
The maca review in five lines
| Question | What the review shows |
|---|---|
| How many trials? | 4 randomized controlled trials |
| How big? | Small; few participants |
| Dose | 1.5–3.5 g of maca a day |
| Length | 2–12 weeks |
| Verdict | Limited evidence for sexual function |
MSK's herb monograph agrees: only a few small human trials exist, mainly on sexual function (MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023).
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Does maca help energy? The honest answer
Sold for energy, studied for desire.
Maca is often sold for energy and stamina. The human trials in our sources focused on sexual function instead, so energy benefits are not established.
If you notice a lift after a Maxforce gummy, there are other candidates. The gummy has 5 mg of caffeine and some green tea extract. That caffeine is small, about a few sips of tea (MedlinePlus, Caffeine in the diet, 2025), but it is a stimulant.
Tiredness that lingers deserves a closer look. Poor sleep, stress, thyroid problems and some medicines are common causes, and a doctor can check them.
Sleep first
Regular, full nights of sleep do more for daytime energy than any herb in a gummy.
Count your caffeine
The 5 mg in Maxforce adds to coffee, tea and energy drinks.
Ask about fatigue
Fatigue and low desire can have medical causes, so a checkup helps (MedlinePlus, 2025).
How does the maca in Maxforce compare with trial doses?
Trials used grams. The whole gummy blend is 82 mg.
The jar does not say how much maca is inside. We can still set the ceiling. The whole blend is 82 mg, and caffeine takes 5 mg of it, so maca is at most part of 77 mg.
Maca amounts compared (bar = share of 3,500 mg)
Even the label's "567 mg of dry powders" figure covers all nine herbs together. That is still less than the smallest daily maca dose in the trials.
Our Maxforce supplement facts page explains the 567 mg footnote in detail.
How long did maca studies last, and how does that fit the Maxforce guarantee?
Two to twelve weeks in studies, sixty days to ask for a refund.
The trials ran from 2 to 12 weeks. The Maxforce money-back window is 60 days from purchase. Here is how those line up.
- Day 14
Shortest maca trials end
About 2 weeks at 1.5–3.5 g a day.
- Day 30
First jar finishes
30 gummies at 1 a day.
- Day 60
Guarantee window closes
Request and approval are due within 60 days of purchase.
- Day 84
Longest maca trials end
About 12 weeks.
The guarantee is a purchase policy, not a result promise. Read the Maxforce guarantee terms before you order so the dates do not surprise you.
Is maca safe? Two cautions worth knowing
Mostly gentle, with a test-result and a pregnancy note.
Maca has a long record as a food. MSK flags two points for supplements.
Maca cautions
| Caution | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| May interfere with testosterone tests | Tell your doctor before a hormone blood test | MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023 |
| May not be safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding | The product is for adult men; keep it away from a pregnant partner | MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023 |
The other Maxforce ingredients carry their own cautions. See Maxforce side effects for the full list.
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How does maca compare with the other Maxforce drive ingredients?
Maca leads a weak field.
Four ingredients in the blend are pitched for desire. Maca has the most human data of the four, which says more about the others than about maca.
Desire evidence across the blend
| Ingredient | Human evidence for desire | Studied dose | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maca | 4 small RCTs; limited evidence | 1.5–3.5 g a day | Shin et al., 2010 |
| Muira puama | Older uncontrolled reports only | 1–1.5 g a day | Drugs.com, Muira puama, 2026 |
| Catuaba | Limited; benefits not defined | None established | WebMD, Catuaba, 2026 |
| Horny goat weed | No human trials | None | MSKCC Epimedium, 2023 |
| L-arginine | Desire scores did not change | 1.5–5 g a day | Rhim et al., 2019 |
For the barks, see muira puama and catuaba. All nine are on the Maxforce ingredients page.
Maca in Maxforce: the bottom line
Best-studied drive herb in the blend, at a sampler amount.
- Maca is on the jar label, second of nineShown
- Desire: limited evidence from four small trials at gram dosesWeak
- Energy: not established in the human trialsNot shown
- Amount of maca per Maxforce gummyNot published
- Two cautions: testosterone tests and pregnancyKnown
Maca is the most researched drive herb in the gummy, but Maxforce holds far less than the trials used. If desire has dropped, talk with a doctor too. ED and low desire can point to health problems that need care (NIDDK, Symptoms & Causes of ED, 2024).
Maca root questions
Does maca root increase libido in men?
It might, a little, but the proof is weak. A review of four small trials concluded there is only "limited evidence" that maca improves sexual function (Shin et al., 2010). Those trials used 1.5 to 3.5 g a day.
How much maca is in Maxforce?
The amount is not published. Maca is the second ingredient in an 82 mg blend shared by nine ingredients, so it is at most part of 77 mg.
How much maca should a man take a day?
The sexual-function trials used 1.5 to 3.5 g a day (Shin et al., 2010). That is a research range, not a proven dose. Talk to your doctor before taking concentrated maca if you have a medical condition.
How long does it take for maca to work?
The trials ran from 2 to 12 weeks. No reliable timeline exists for any single person, and no study has tested the small amount in a gummy.
Does maca give you energy?
There is no solid proof. The human trials of maca focused mainly on sexual function (MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023), not on energy. Energy claims mostly come from maca's history as a food in the Andes.
Does maca raise testosterone?
Maxforce makes no testosterone claim, and neither does this site. MSK notes that maca may interfere with testosterone tests (MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023), so tell your doctor if you take it before a blood test.
What are the side effects of maca?
Maca is eaten as a food in Peru and is usually well tolerated. MSK says it may not be safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding and may affect testosterone tests (MSK About Herbs, Maca, 2023).
Is maca safe to take every day?
Small food-like amounts are usually well tolerated, but long-term data on concentrated extracts are limited. Ask your doctor first if you take medicine or have a hormone-related condition.
Is black, red or yellow maca better for men?
Maca roots come in several colors, and the jar does not say which type it uses. Our sources do not show that one color works better for men.
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Keep reading
Ingredients
All nine jar-label ingredients, the gummy base and an honest look at the doses.
Read more →Brazilian barks
Muira puama and catuaba: folk use, thin evidence, blend amounts and cautions.
Read more →Side effects
Side effects by ingredient, blood pressure, liver, thyroid, interactions and when to stop.
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