Supplement · Grade B

Maca and medications.

Not yet catalogued in the Distil interactions database. We surface that distinction explicitly.

Maca is in the Distil supplement database, evidence Grade B. The page below lists every medication we have explicitly assessed it against.

Maca is a root vegetable from the Peruvian Andes, taken at 1,500 to 3,000mg a day. The gelatinised form is preferred because it absorbs better and has less of the goitrogenic glucosinolate content found in raw maca. Its evidence is Grade B for libido, fertility and menopausal symptoms, and notably it shows benefit in both men and women. Trials by Gonzales, Brooks and Dording suggest it may improve libido, ease menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and mood, support sperm count and motility, and help reverse SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. The honest limit is that maca acts on libido pathways rather than directly on erectile function, so for erectile dysfunction specifically the stronger evidence points to Panax ginseng instead. No significant drug interactions are documented at standard doses. The one caution is thyroid: anyone with a thyroid condition should use the gelatinised form only and monitor, because raw maca glucosinolates can be goitrogenic at high intake.

We have not yet completed an explicit assessment of medications for Maca in the Distil interactions database. We surface this distinction deliberately: the Distil checker tells you when we have explicitly assessed a pair and when we have not, because both are useful information. If you take Maca alongside a medication, the checker below will surface anything already in our database, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes uncatalogued pairs into our next curation pass.

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope. Use the checker below to surface any medication, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.