Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root-forming plant in the Brassicaceae family native to the high Andes of Peru. It grows as a low rosette in harsh alpine conditions, producing a swollen underground storage root, and the dried root is the part traditionally used as both a food and a tonic ingredient.

In Andean traditions, maca has long been eaten as a nourishing staple and prepared as porridge, roasted root, flour, or powder. Its reputation comes from its long use as a hardy mountain crop rather than from aromatic or strongly bitter herbal qualities.