Sliced and whole maca roots drying on a woven reed tray, with mountains in the background.

Maca Powder vs Extract: Compare Forms and Amounts

Michael Hofer

Maca powder vs extract is a comparison of two different ingredients, not two strengths of one. A maca powder label gives the weight of dried, ground root per serving, sometimes raw and sometimes gelatinized. An extract label gives the weight of the finished extract, and some add a ratio. To compare them fairly, write down the plant part, the form, the amount per serving, the colors, any added ingredients and what the brand says about testing, then line up powder with powder and extract with extract.

Key takeaways

  • Maca powder and maca extract are different ingredients. The FDA labeling guide says a dried extract is listed by the weight of the extract, so the two weights do not measure the same thing.
  • Processing changes what maca contains. A 2015 study in Phytochemistry found macamides essentially absent from fresh maca and formed during drying, and a Food Chemistry review names processing and extraction as factors that change maca products.
  • Write down each color and its amount, every added ingredient, and the brand's exact testing statement. Compare powder with powder and extract with extract.

What the label calls maca

Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), a New York hospital, describes maca as a plant related to the cabbage family that is used as food and medicine in Peru, and says maca supplements come as capsules, tablets and powders. Its scientific names on labels are Lepidium meyenii or Lepidium peruvianum.

The FDA labeling guide says a supplement must list the part of the plant an ingredient comes from in the Supplement Facts panel. For maca this is usually "root." Researchers call the same underground part the hypocotyl. Copy the Latin name and the plant part exactly as printed for each product.

Powder, gelatinized powder and extract: what changes

  • Raw root powder. Dried maca root, ground. The label gives milligrams of root powder per serving.
  • Gelatinized powder. Still maca root powder, but the label says it went through a gelatinization step. The serving is still listed as milligrams of powder.
  • Dried extract. The root is extracted and the solvent removed. The FDA labeling guide says dried extracts are listed by the weight of the dried extract.
  • Liquid extract. The FDA guide says a liquid extract is listed by the volume or weight of the total extract, and the solvent must be named on the label.

What "gelatinized" refers to

The word comes from starch gelatinization, the change starch goes through when it is heated with water. A 2017 study in Food Chemistry describes starch as a major component of maca roots and found that maca starch begins to gelatinize at about 47 degrees Celsius. A 2020 study from Hiroshima University compared freeze-dried maca powders with a commercial maca powder and found differences in browning and starch gelatinization, which the authors traced to the powders' different heat histories. So two powders that both say "maca root" may have been processed differently. Write down the word the label uses: raw, gelatinized or neither.

Why drying and extraction matter

A 2015 study in Phytochemistry, from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, found that macamides, compounds often discussed in maca research, were essentially absent from fresh, undamaged maca. Roots dried by traditional Andean methods or in ovens contained up to 800 micrograms per gram of dry weight. A 2019 review in Food Chemistry lists plant genetics, plant parts, processing, extraction and study methods as the major factors that affect what maca products contain. A label shows the form and the weight; it does not show how these steps changed the root.

How to read an extract ratio

Some extract labels print a ratio, such as 4:1 or 10:1. In the FDA guide's example for liquid extracts, the first number is the weight of the starting material. A ratio describes how much root went in, not what the finished extract contains, and the Food Chemistry review names extraction as one of the factors that change maca's makeup. Copy the ratio exactly as printed and compare it only with another ratio. Do not multiply it out to an "equivalent" powder amount, and do not count a powder with no ratio as weaker or stronger: it is a different ingredient.

How to compare the label lines

Record the same lines for each product, then compare like with like.

Label line What to write down
Name and plant part Latin name and the part, such as root, exactly as printed
Form Raw powder, gelatinized powder, dried extract or liquid extract
Amount per serving Milligrams of powder or of extract, and capsules per serving
Ratio The ratio as printed, or "none"
Colors Each color with its own amount, or one total
Other ingredients Each added ingredient with its amount, or "maca only"
Testing statement The brand's exact words about outside testing
Certificate of analysis Offered, on request, or not mentioned

Colors and added ingredients

MSK's summary names red, yellow, purple and black maca phenotypes, or color types. Some products use one color and some mix several. When a label gives an amount for each color, write each one down; when it gives one total, record the total. Some formulas also add black pepper or other ingredients. Put each on its own line with its amount, and compare maca with maca. When a label groups ingredients in a blend with one total weight, record that total. The FDA guide says a proprietary blend lists its total weight and its ingredients in order by weight; it does not require the amount of each ingredient inside the blend. Blend totals are on the label; the amounts inside each blend are not.

Testing and quality statements

A 2021 study by United States Pharmacopeia (USP) scientists in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis says that "the lack of standard testing protocols for quality control could jeopardize the immediate benefits of these products for public health." The team developed a method to measure glucosinolates, plant compounds in maca, applied it to 42 maca root powder products from 11 manufacturers, and says adding the method to USP monographs will strengthen public standards for maca powder supplements.

The label lists what a product should contain, not what a lab found in a given batch. NCCIH says a manufacturer's use of "standardized," "verified" or "certified" does not necessarily mean the product is of consistent quality. ODS names ConsumerLab.com, NSF International and U.S. Pharmacopeia as organizations whose seal shows a product passed their quality testing, and says a seal is not proof that a product is safe or effective. For each product, note what the brand says it tests for and whether a certificate of analysis (a batch test report) is posted or offered on request. A report that is not public does not show that a product was untested.

Safety: what to know before you start

MSK says to talk with your healthcare providers before taking maca supplements, and that herbal supplements are stronger than the herbs you would use in cooking. It says maca may interfere with lab tests that measure testosterone levels, so tell your healthcare provider if you took maca before your labs. It says to talk to your healthcare provider if you have a hormone-sensitive cancer, such as breast or uterine cancer, because maca may affect your treatment, and that maca may not be safe if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

MSK also notes that in rats with high blood pressure, maca enhanced the blood pressure-lowering effect of the medicine losartan, and that the clinical relevance has yet to be determined. NCCIH says dietary supplements may interact with your medications or pose risks if you have certain medical problems or are going to have surgery. Bring the label to your healthcare provider if you take other supplements or medicines.

Frequently asked questions about maca powder vs extract

Is maca extract stronger than maca powder?

A label cannot show that. Maca powder and maca extract are different ingredients, and the FDA labeling guide says a dried extract is listed by the weight of the extract, not the weight of root used. A 2019 Food Chemistry review names processing and extraction as factors that change what maca products contain, so compare powder with powder and extract with extract.

What does gelatinized maca mean?

Gelatinized maca is maca root powder that the label says went through a gelatinization step. The term comes from starch gelatinization, the change starch goes through when heated with water; a 2017 Food Chemistry study found maca starch begins to gelatinize at about 47 degrees Celsius. The label still lists it as milligrams of maca root powder.

How do I compare an extract with a ratio against a root powder?

Keep them in separate columns. A ratio such as 10:1 describes how much starting root went into the extract, not what the finished extract contains, so do not multiply it out to an "equivalent" powder amount. Compare one extract's ratio and weight with another extract's, and one powder's weight with another powder's.

Should a maca label list each color separately?

Some labels do and some do not. Memorial Sloan Kettering names red, yellow, purple and black maca phenotypes, or color types. If a label gives an amount for each color, write each one down; if it gives only one total, record the total and note that the color amounts are not stated.

Is maca safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?

Memorial Sloan Kettering says to talk to your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because maca may not be safe for you. Bring the product label to that conversation so your provider can see every ingredient and amount.

Related reading

Sources

TopCertified Supplement Analysis and CuraMyHealth share ownership through Hofer LLC. CuraMyHealth products appear in our comparisons, and we benefit when they are purchased.

If you are pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive, ask your healthcare provider before use.

This article is for education and is not personal medical advice. Individual results vary.

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.

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