PlainPill

Maca vs Tongkat Ali for libido

Short answer: For libido, more users report improvement with Maca — 88% of 112 reports, versus 77% of 199 for Tongkat Ali.

Maca has 13 meta-analyses and 13 randomized trials on PubMed; Tongkat Ali has 7 and 6.

Based on 299 reports about Maca and 704 about Tongkat Ali. Not medical advice.

Maca
Supplement
Tongkat Ali
Supplement
User score5140
Verdict
Mixed
Mixed
Positive
of reports that state an outcome
52%44%
Reports299704
ResearchAResearch: StrongBResearch: Moderate
Meta-analyses / RCTs13 / 137 / 6
Mainly used for
Weight loss
% reporting improvement
—78% (9)
Appetite
% reporting improvement
—60% (5)
Focus
% reporting improvement
90% (10)77% (22)
Energy
% reporting improvement
82% (40)68% (98)
Sleep
% reporting improvement
40% (5)31% (32)
Anxiety
% reporting improvement
43% (7)69% (32)
Mood
% reporting improvement
87% (30)68% (93)
Performance
% reporting improvement
100% (4)92% (50)
Recovery
% reporting improvement
—100% (12)
Pain & inflammation
% reporting improvement
—0% (16)
Digestion
% reporting improvement
0% (2)0% (3)
Libido
% reporting improvement
88% (112)77% (199)
Hormones
% reporting improvement
73% (15)66% (127)
Heart & lipids
% reporting improvement
—33% (3)
Skin & hair
% reporting improvement
—33% (6)
Immunity
% reporting improvement
100% (2)—
Common side effectsanxiety, stomach issues, insomnia, acnefatigue, joint pain, insomnia, nausea
Typical dose reporteddaily300 mg / daily
Maca
Latest review conclusion

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 ↗
What a user said
“The better experiences were with gelatinized maca powder, 20g or so in a cup and my cock was hard as El Peñón de Gibraltar.”
Full Maca profile →
Tongkat Ali
Latest review conclusion

longifolia supplementation for enhancing testosterone production. Although more research is required before its use in clinical practice, this may represent a safe and promising therapeutic option, particularly in hypogonadal men.

Medicina (Kaunas), 2022 ↗
What a user said
“I decided to go cold turkey and quit (although I did take a natural supplement, Tongkat Ali, to boost). I am absolutely shocked by my results.”
Full Tongkat Ali profile →

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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