Maca Root and Ashwagandha Together

Quick answer

No trial we found gave maca root and ashwagandha together. The amounts studied differ greatly: 2 to 3 g a day of maca and 600 mg a day of ashwagandha extract. Our Ashwagandha Complex lists both, but its 150 mg of maca is under a tenth of the amounts in the maca trials cited here.^1,2,3

Key facts

Maca trials cited here used 2 to 3 g a day, and most ashwagandha trials used 600 mg of root extract a day, so the two are not dosed alike.^1,2,3
Ashwagandha has one moderate finding, on stress scores. Both of maca's findings are graded early, and the one on self-rated mood and energy rests on a single trial.^2,3
Ashwagandha Complex already contains both roots. Its 150 mg of maca root powder is far below the 500 to 3,000 mg daily amounts that NIH's liver database says maca products recommend.⁴
NIH's liver database rates maca an unlikely cause of liver injury and ashwagandha a likely cause of rare liver injury.^4,5
The official sources we check list no medicine for maca. That reflects how little it has been tested alongside medicines, and is not a finding that none matters.⁴

Two roots, and one capsule that holds both

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root of the mustard family that grows above about 4,000 m in the Peruvian Andes.⁴

The root is mostly carbohydrate and protein, and it also contains iron and calcium.⁴

Ashwagandha is the root of a shrub from India, used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and sold as an extract. Maca grows in a different part of the world and has been eaten as a food. The two are sold side by side in capsules because both are roots with a long history of use, and our own Ashwagandha Complex combines them. A shared shelf is not a shared trial, though.^3,4

What the searches for men and for women can cover

Searches for this pair often add "for men" or "for women". Most of the research behind those searches, especially for maca, looks at outcomes this site does not cover, so this page leaves it out. It sticks to what both ingredient files can back up: the grades, the amounts studied, timing, forms and safety.⁴

Two women-specific items do appear in the files. The ashwagandha file has a menopause-related finding graded early, which is quoted in the next section. The maca file has one of its own, also graded early, and its details are on the maca guide page.^6,7

What each is graded for

Helps the body handle occasional stress, with lower cortisol levels measured in trials*^3,8,9

Moderate evidence

Two placebo-controlled trials of a branded root extract at 600 mg a day (64 adults for 60 days; 60 adults in three groups for 8 weeks) found lower stress questionnaire scores and lower blood cortisol than placebo; in the larger trial cortisol fell 27.9% against 7.9% on placebo. NIH's summary of seven trials (491 adults, all in India) points the same way, but the trials were small and short and the maker supplied the extract.

Amount studied: 600 mg a day of root extract, as 300 mg twice a day, for 8 weeks to 60 days

May support self-rated mood and energy*²

Early evidence

One randomized trial gave 175 adults in Peru 3 g a day of red or black maca extract or a placebo for 12 weeks. Among those living at low altitude, more people on either maca rated their mood higher from week 1 and their energy higher from week 2. Among highlanders, mood on red maca differed from placebo only in the first month. Each outcome was a single self-rated question, and one of the authors manages a company that makes nutraceuticals.

Amount studied: 3 g a day of red or black maca extract, for 12 weeks

May ease some self-rated discomforts around menopause*^6,10,11,12

Early evidence

Four small randomized trials in India gave women around or after menopause 250 to 600 mg a day of ashwagandha extract for 8 to 24 weeks, and each reported lower scores on menopause rating questionnaires than placebo. One, in 100 women, used 300 mg twice a day for 8 weeks; another, in 60 women aged 45 to 55, also counted fewer hot flashes. Two of the trials found higher estradiol and lower FSH and LH, a sign the extract can act on reproductive hormones.

Amount studied: 250 to 600 mg a day of root or root and leaf extract, for 8 to 24 weeks

The ashwagandha stress finding rests on several trials that mostly agree. The maca finding rests on a single randomized trial in Peru with one self-rated question for each outcome. Neither file has a trial of the two taken together, so there is no graded finding for the pair.

Amounts studied and what our label gives

Maca root and ashwagandha: amounts^1,2,3,4,8
Item	Amount	Note
Maca in the trials cited here	2 g a day of a branded gelatinized maca, or 3 g a day of red or black extract	Women after menopause, and adults in Peru
Maca on products	About 500 to 3,000 mg a day	Range given by NIH's liver database
Ashwagandha in most trials	600 mg of root extract a day, as two doses	Trials NIH reviewed
Ashwagandha Complex, maca	150 mg of maca root powder per serving	Our label
Ashwagandha Complex, ashwagandha	600 mg of a branded root extract per serving	Our label

What’s in ours

Ashwagandha Complex: Maca Root Powder, 150 mg per serving, from the label

What’s in ours

Ashwagandha Complex: KSM-66 Ashwagandha Extract, 600 mg per serving, from the label

The ashwagandha amount matches what most trials used. The maca amount does not: it is under a tenth of the trial amounts, and below the low end of what maca products usually give. We therefore make no maca claim for the capsule, and the maca findings above describe the root at trial amounts only.^1,2,4,8

Timing and forms

No trial of either root compared times of day. Maca was usually split across the day, for example two 500 mg capsules twice a day with meals in the 4-month trial of 168 women. Ashwagandha trials usually split 600 mg into two 300 mg doses taken after food. Both patterns spread the amount across the day, with food, and neither is tested against another schedule.^1,8,9

In the 2016 trial, at low altitude, self-rated mood on maca differed from placebo from the first week and energy from the second week.²

Maca roots vary in color, mainly yellow, red and black. In one trial, red and black extracts differed in their chemistry, and red gave larger changes in self-rated mood and energy.^2,4

Concentrated extracts, such as the spray-dried red and black maca extracts given at 3 g a day in a 2016 trial. Extracts differ from maker to maker, so a result for one does not carry over to another.²

Ashwagandha has the same problem in a different shape. Extracts differ in the plant part used and in their withanolide content, so 600 mg of one extract is not a known match for 600 mg of another.³

Cautions for each, and for using both

Side effects reported with maca are uncommon and usually mild, mostly stomach upset and headache.⁴

LiverTox rates maca an unlikely cause of liver injury. It describes one published case of jaundice in a man who drank 300 mL of a maca liquor, which cleared over 1 to 3 months.⁴

In a 90-day trial in adults with metabolic syndrome, 0.6 g of maca powder a day moderately raised the liver enzyme AST and diastolic blood pressure.¹³

Ashwagandha carries the heavier liver warning of the two. NIH's liver database rates it a likely cause of rare liver injury, usually 2 to 12 weeks after starting, with jaundice and itching. Maca is rated an unlikely cause. If both are taken and liver signs appear, the doctor needs to hear about both.^4,5

Ashwagandha might raise testosterone levels, so experts say it might not be safe for men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.^3,14

NIH's complementary health center says ashwagandha should be avoided during pregnancy and not used while breastfeeding. Some reports suggested it could cause miscarriage, although the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia says its own report on the root has been misrepresented.^3,14

Hormones come up for both, in different ways. A pooled analysis of 23 ashwagandha trials found estradiol unchanged, though two menopause trials reported higher estradiol and lower FSH and LH. One trial of a branded pre-gelatinized maca reported higher estradiol and lower FSH in women in early postmenopause. Ask first if you have a hormone-sensitive condition.^1,6,15

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

NIH says ashwagandha might interact with thyroid hormone medicines, such as levothyroxine. The concern comes from studies in which ashwagandha raised thyroid hormone levels, and from case reports of an overactive thyroid in people taking it.^3,14,16,17

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

The official sources we checked do not list maca for any medicine. That reflects how little it has been studied beside medicines, not proof that none matter, so the usual advice to tell a pharmacist about every supplement holds.⁴

FDA told consumers in 2019 not to buy or use a product sold as Peru Maca, after its laboratory found sildenafil, a prescription drug ingredient, that was not on the label.¹⁸

Do not use ashwagandha if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Maca's safety has not been studied in either situation, so ask first.^4,14
Ask first if you have liver disease, a thyroid condition, high blood pressure, or take thyroid hormone, sedatives or blood pressure medicines.^3,13
Ask first before giving either to anyone under 18. The trials enrolled adults.^2,3

Questions people ask

Can I take maca root and ashwagandha together?

No source we use documents a problem with the combination, and no trial tested the pair. Our Ashwagandha Complex contains both, with a small amount of maca. If you take thyroid medicine or have a liver or thyroid concern, read the safety section first.^3,4

What is the best time to take maca root and ashwagandha?

No trial compared times of day for either root. Maca trials usually split the amount across the day with meals, and ashwagandha trials split 600 mg into two doses after food.^1,8

Which has more evidence, maca or ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha. Its stress finding is graded moderate and rests on several trials, while maca's best finding is graded early and rests on one trial. Both sets of studies are small and short.^2,3

How long do maca trials last?

Most of the controlled trials we cite ran for 12 weeks or less, and the longest ran about 4 months, so the effects of longer use are unknown.^1,2

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Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.