Horny Goat Weed vs Maca for libido
Short answer: For libido, more users report improvement with Maca — 90% of 152 reports, versus 75% of 65 for Horny Goat Weed.
Horny Goat Weed has 3 meta-analyses and 0 randomized trials on PubMed; Maca has 13 and 13.
Based on 217 reports about Horny Goat Weed and 405 about Maca. Not medical advice.
| Horny Goat Weed Supplement | Maca Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 51%helped85 reports · medium confidence | 53%helped190 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mixed |
| Research | BResearch: Moderate | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 3 / 0 | 13 / 13 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Libido % reporting improvement | 75% (65) | 90% (152) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 83% (12) | 83% (41) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 67% (3) | 85% (48) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 80% (10) | 74% (19) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 88% (8) | 100% (6) |
| Common side effects | libido loss, soreness, increased body, gyno | anxiety, stomach issues, acne, headache |
| Typical dose reported | 1000 mg / 2x daily | 1 rounded tbsp (~9 g) / 3 days on / 2 days off, then a week off |
Our investigation revealed that human studies evaluating the efficacy of ED-S ingredients are limited and have yielded no definitive findings of the effects on ED. Patients considering ED-S use should receive appropriate counseling, given the prevalence of disingenuous reviews and the ready availability of Food and Drug Administration-approved drug therapies. Balasubramanian A, Thirumavalavan N, Srivatsav A, et al. An Analysis of Popular Online Erectile Dysfunction Supplements. J Sex Med 2019;16:843-852.
J Sex Med, 2019 ↗“Lately I've been alternating days between black ginger and HGW and I really feel a difference in mood, libido and blood flow.”
Conclusion: The evidence from the included studies suggests unclear effects of maca on semen quality parameters in both men experiencing infertility and healthy men. However, the total number of RCTs and the total sample size were too small to draw firm conclusions.
Front Pharmacol, 2022 ↗“The better experiences were with gelatinized maca powder, 20g or so in a cup and my cock was hard as El Peñón de Gibraltar.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate