Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable from the Peruvian Andes, eaten for centuries as a food and now sold worldwide as a powder or extract. It has built a reputation as an energy and sport ingredient, and brands abroad ask for a Japan-made maca product on the strength of that reputation.
This guide is for brand owners planning an own-brand maca product made in Japan. It covers what human trials on exercise performance and fatigue actually show, how Japan’s own labelling system frames the ingredient, how maca is formulated in raw and gelatinised forms, and what to fix before asking for a quotation.
Health supplements are foods, not medicines, and are not a substitute for medical treatment. Nothing here is a claim that any product prevents, treats or cures a disease.
💬 Planning a maca product made in Japan? We check the full formula against Japanese food law first. See Japan-made supplement OEM.
What the research shows
Most of the evidence for maca and physical performance comes from animal studies, and the one placebo-controlled human trial designed to test exercise performance found no benefit.
| Study | Design | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Systematic review and meta-analysis, Nutrients 2024, 17(1):107 (PMID 39796542) | 21 studies on maca and physical performance (17 animal, 4 human); 16 pooled in a meta-analysis | Large pooled effect sizes for performance and lactate measures, driven mainly by animal data; the four human trials were small, and the authors said human evidence was too limited to draw firm conclusions; a dose-response pattern was seen across studies |
| Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, Journal of Physiological Investigation 2025, 68(5):297-304 (PMID 40960048) | 10 well-trained college male basketball players; 2,000 mg/day maca or placebo for 2 weeks | No significant difference between maca and placebo in jump height, jump-shooting accuracy, repeated-sprint performance, fatigue index or blood lactate clearance rate |
A few points worth weighing:
- Species gap. The strongest performance results — large effects on forced-swim time, grip strength and lactate clearance — come from mice and rats, not people. Whether those effects carry over to humans is unproven.
- Small human base. The 2024 review found only four human trials, ranging from about 8 to 55 participants, testing different doses and outcomes. That is too small and varied a base for a confident performance claim.
- A direct test came back negative. The one trial built specifically around basketball performance and fatigue markers found no advantage over placebo after two weeks.
- Publication bias. The review’s own analysis flagged evidence of publication bias across the pooled outcomes, which tends to inflate apparent effect sizes.
Checked against the published abstracts on 25 September 2026.
What Japanese products say
Maca has recently entered Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system through a maca extract, notified for a function tied to everyday tiredness and sleep quality, not to exercise or sport performance.
Under the Foods with Function Claims system, the notifying business is responsible for the scientific evidence behind its stated function, submitted to the Consumer Affairs Agency before sale. The notified wording for the maca extract product describes support for sleep quality — a longer sense of sleep duration — for people concerned about temporary tiredness in daily life. It does not describe athletic or exercise-related performance.
Two points for a brand abroad:
- The Japanese notification and the sport-performance research are separate stories. One is a regulatory notification about sleep and everyday tiredness; the other is a small and mixed research base on exercise performance. Do not blend the two into a single claim.
- A Japanese notification is not a global endorsement. It is a mechanism for products sold in Japan. Your own market’s rules govern your label abroad.
💬 Need an evidence summary for your regulatory adviser that separates Japanese notifications from independent research? We prepare it with the manufacturing documents. Tell us your market.
Wording that stays on safe ground
Describe maca by what has actually been studied and by whom, not by the reputation the ingredient carries.
| Safer wording | Wording to avoid |
|---|---|
| ”Studied in trials on exercise performance and post-exercise fatigue markers" | "Proven ergogenic aid” or “boosts performance" |
| "A traditional Andean root food, used as a powder or extract” | Any claim about sexual function, libido or fertility |
| ”Contains [amount] of maca root powder or extract per serving" | "Clinically proven” without naming the study and its limits |
How maca is formulated
Maca is dosed in grams rather than milligrams, so the format usually follows the daily amount — powders and sachets for larger doses, capsules or tablets for convenience.
| Dosage form | Why brands choose it | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Powder or sachet | Matches maca’s traditional food use; suits gram-level daily amounts | Taste is earthy and strong; mixing instructions matter |
| Hard capsule | Masks the taste; familiar format | Several capsules may be needed to reach a gram-level dose |
| Tablet | Compact, easy dosing | Large tablets at higher doses; binder choice affects size |
Decisions that shape the specification:
- Raw or gelatinised. Raw maca is the dried root, milled to powder. Gelatinised maca is the dried, milled root put through an extrusion process with short-term high pressure, heat and moisture, which gelatinises its relatively high starch content rather than removing it. The process is described as aiding digestibility, but it can leave a more moisture-absorbing, less stable powder, and raw maca may be about 20% higher in glucosinolates. Both forms are sold as ingredients; ask the supplier which one you are buying and why.
- Root colour. Maca root is naturally yellow, red or black, and suppliers sell all three. Decide whether your concept calls for a specific colour or a standard yellow material.
- Amount per serving. Human trials have used roughly 2 to 3 grams a day. Match the amount to any study you intend to cite, and be aware that the trial testing exercise performance most directly found no advantage at 2,000 mg/day.
- Companion ingredients. Maca is often combined with other ingredients aimed at energy or exercise support, such as branched-chain amino acids or vitamin B-complex formulas. Each companion needs its own check against Japanese food law.
- Your market’s status for maca. Its status as a food or supplement ingredient differs between countries. Confirm it before you commit to a formula.
The check that comes first
Every ingredient must be permitted in foods in Japan, or a Japanese factory cannot make the product.
Maca itself is used as a food ingredient in Japan. The risk in an energy or sport formula usually sits in companion ingredients — some botanical or amino-acid materials sold freely elsewhere are treated differently under Japanese food law, and one such ingredient can stop a whole formula. See the Japan-made supplement OEM page, and our creatine and HMB guides for other examples in the energy and sport category.
Before you ask for a quotation
A factory can quote accurately once the form, the amount, the companions and the packaging are fixed.
- Raw or gelatinised maca, and root colour if specified
- Amount per serving and servings per pack
- Dosage form
- Companion ingredients and their amounts
- Packaging
- Countries you will sell in, and first order and annual volume
💬 Ready to design a Japan-made maca product? Send us the concept — form, amount, companion ingredients and the countries you will sell in.
Frequently asked questions
1. Does maca improve exercise performance?
The evidence is mixed and mostly comes from animal studies. A 2024 systematic review found large effects in animals but said human evidence was too limited for firm conclusions, and the one trial built specifically to test basketball performance and fatigue found no advantage over placebo.
2. What is the difference between raw and gelatinised maca?
Raw maca is the dried root milled into powder. Gelatinised maca is processed with heat, pressure and moisture so that its starch is gelatinised, not removed; this is described as aiding digestibility, but the powder can absorb moisture more readily. Both are used as food ingredients.
3. Does Japan recognise maca for energy or fatigue?
A maca extract has been notified under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system, but for a function tied to sleep quality and everyday tiredness, not exercise or sport performance. Treat the two bodies of evidence separately.
4. Which maca colour should I use — yellow, red or black?
All three are sold as food ingredients. Yellow is the standard commercial material; red and black are used where a formula specifically calls for them. Confirm availability and specification with your supplier.
5. What can stop a Japanese factory making my maca product?
Usually a companion ingredient in an energy or sport formula. Every ingredient must be permitted in foods in Japan, so we check the full formula first.
Sources: “Effects of Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) on Physical Performance in Animals and Humans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”, Nutrients 2024, 17(1):107, doi 10.3390/nu17010107 (PMID 39796542); “The Impact of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) Supplementation on Basketball-related Performance and Antifatigue Ability: A Double-blind Crossover Study”, Journal of Physiological Investigation 2025, 68(5):297-304, doi 10.4103/ejpi.EJPI-D-25-00037 (PMID 40960048); “Exploring the chemical and pharmacological variability of Lepidium meyenii: a comprehensive review of the effects of maca”, Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024, 15:1360422, doi 10.3389/fphar.2024.1360422 (PMID 38440178); “Not All Maca Is Created Equal: A Review of Colors, Nutrition, Phytochemicals, and Clinical Uses”, Nutrients 2024, 16(4):530, doi 10.3390/nu16040530 (PMID 38398854, PMC10892513); Consumer Affairs Agency notifications for Foods with Function Claims. Checked on 12 October 2026.