Short answer: In trials, tongkat ali raised total testosterone and maca did not. A meta-analysis of 5 tongkat ali trials found higher testosterone.1 A 12-week maca trial in healthy men found no change in testosterone or other reproductive hormones.2 Maca's claim is libido, with limited evidence from 4 small trials.3 No trial compared them.
| Maca | Tongkat ali | |
|---|---|---|
| Plant | Lepidium meyenii, an Andean root in the mustard family3 | Eurycoma longifolia root from Southeast Asia4 |
| Testosterone | No change vs placebo over 12 weeks at 1.5 or 3 g a day2 | Higher total testosterone in a meta-analysis of 5 trials1 |
| Libido or sexual function | 4 small trials, limited evidence3 | Not the focus of the sources checked |
| Stress hormones | Not studied in the sources checked | 4 weeks lowered salivary cortisol 16% in 63 stressed adults4 |
| Evidence size | Small trials3 | Small trials; more research needed before clinical use1 |
| FDA approval | Supplements are not approved before sale5 | Same5 |
Maca: in a 12-week trial, men aged 21 to 56 took 1,500 or 3,000 mg a day of gelatinized maca or placebo. Testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH and other hormones did not change.2 A 2010 review found 4 small trials on sexual function: two positive in healthy people, one with no effect in cyclists, one positive in erectile dysfunction, and too few and small to be firm.3
Tongkat ali: a 2022 meta-analysis pooled 5 randomized trials and found higher total testosterone in healthy men and men with low testosterone; the authors said more research is needed before clinical use.1 In 63 moderately stressed adults, 4 weeks of a root extract lowered salivary cortisol by 16% and raised salivary testosterone by 37%.4
These are study protocols, not personalized advice; confirm any dosing with your prescriber.
If you take testosterone, your levels come from your prescription, and a supplement aimed at testosterone will not replace monitoring. Ask your prescriber before adding either, and bring them up when you review your lab work.
More detail: Ashwagandha vs tongkat ali: how do the two herbs compare?, Tongkat ali vs Fadogia agrestis: what is the difference in evidence?, and the Maca (Lepidium meyenii) and Tongkat Ali guides.