Maca Root

Maca is found in:

Norateen Gummy

Norateen Heavyweight II

Male Boost

Norateen Ageless

Norateen Diamond

Norateen Gold

Maca Root: the science of muscle, strength and stamina

Maca (Lepidium meyenii), known as Peruvian ginseng, is a cruciferous root grown above 4,000 metres in the Andes, eaten for centuries as a strength and stamina food. Its activity comes from compounds found in no other plant — the macamides and macaenes — together with triterpenes, glucosinolates and a rich profile of amino acids including leucine and arginine.

Mechanism of action: the muscle-growth pathway

Maca acts on skeletal muscle directly. In a study on C2C12 skeletal muscle cells, adding maca significantly increased myotube diameter and area, along with the cell differentiation index and multinucleation — the hallmarks of muscle fibre growth and maturation. Critically, maca elevated the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR (Yi et al., 2022), the master signalling pathway that governs muscle protein synthesis — the same pathway through which resistance training and protein intake build muscle.

The pathway can be summarised as: macamides & triterpenes → Akt/mTOR activation → ↑ muscle protein synthesis and fibre growth → greater strength and work capacity.

Strength and performance in athletes

These effects translate into measurable performance in trained humans. In a placebo-controlled crossover trial, elite athletes taking 2,500 mg per day of black maca (by iteself) for four weeks showed statistically significant improvements in isokinetic muscle function — including trunk flexor strength at 30°/s and 120°/s, and knee extensor and flexor strength at 180°/s — as well as a highly significant improvement in 20 m shuttle-run endurance (Kang et al., 2023). A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of maca and physical performance reported a large pooled effect on grip strength (SMD = 5.23) alongside reduced blood lactate, with greater effects at higher doses (Huerta Ojeda et al., 2024).

Energy, stamina and recovery

Maca also underpins the energy side of training. In exercised models it up-regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant defences, helping muscles clear blood lactate and resist fatigue (Orhan et al., 2022; Huerta Ojeda et al., 2024). Notably, maca delivers all of this without altering testosterone or other sex hormones — it is a non-hormonal, whole-food route to strength and stamina support.

Key facts at a glance

• What it is: Maca (Lepidium meyenii), a nutrient-dense Andean root rich in macamides, triterpenes and amino acids. • Muscle: activates Akt/mTOR and increases muscle-fibre diameter and area in skeletal muscle cells (Yi 2022). • Strength: significantly improved isokinetic knee and trunk muscle strength in elite athletes vs placebo (Kang 2023). • Grip strength: large pooled effect in meta-analysis (Huerta Ojeda 2024). • Stamina: improved shuttle-run endurance; increased mitochondrial biogenesis, reduced blood lactate.

• Hormones: works without altering testosterone or other sex hormones.

Full scientific references

• Yi D, Yoshikawa M, Sugimoto T, Tomoo K, Okada Y, Hashimoto T. Effects of maca on muscle hypertrophy in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022;23(12):6825. • Kang S, Ahn B-O, Park M-H, Lim S-T, Lee E. Effects of Black Maca supplement on isokinetic muscular performance of elite women's handball players: placebo-controlled, crossover study. Food & Nutrition Research. 2023;67:10250. • Huerta Ojeda Á, Rodríguez Rojas J, Cancino-López J, et al. Effects of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) on physical performance in animals and humans: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2024;17(1):107. • Orhan C, Gencoglu H, Tuzcu M, et al. Maca could improve endurance capacity possibly by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis pathways and antioxidant response in exercised rats. Journal of Food Biochemistry. 2022;46(11):e14159. • Huerta Ojeda Á, Rodríguez Rojas J, Cuevas Guíñez J, et al. The effects of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp) on cellular oxidative stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Antioxidants. 2024;13(9):1046. • Wang S, Zhu F. Chemical composition and health effects of maca (Lepidium meyenii). Food Chemistry. 2019;288:422–443.

Muscle-growth signalling has been demonstrated in skeletal muscle cells; strength and endurance improvements were measured in trained athletes. This information is educational and describes the ingredient's physiology and the findings of published research; it is not a therapeutic or medical claim. Individual results vary.