Best libido supplements for women in 2026: the buyer’s shortlist

What a libido supplement actually is (and isn’t)

A libido supplement is a dietary supplement, usually a herb, amino acid or vitamin blend, sold to improve sexual desire, arousal or satisfaction. In the US, supplements are regulated as foods, not drugs. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that the FDA does not determine whether dietary supplements are effective before they are marketed (NIH ODS). That means the dose, purity and amount of active ingredient can vary from one brand to another.

It also means some products aren’t what they claim. The FDA has repeatedly found sexual enhancement products, including some marketed to women, that contained undeclared prescription drugs (FDA). Those hidden ingredients can be dangerous with heart medicines, alcohol or other drugs.

What a supplement isn’t: a treatment for a medical cause of low desire. Pain during sex, vaginal dryness after menopause, depression, thyroid problems and side effects of medicines such as antidepressants are all common reasons libido drops, and each has its own treatment. A supplement won’t fix those, and taking one can delay getting the cause checked.

The trials below mostly measured sexual function on questionnaires such as the Female Sexual Function Index, over four to twelve weeks, in a few dozen women. Positive results from studies that size are a reason for interest, not proof. That is why we ranked supplements partly on whether later, larger studies confirmed them.

How we ranked these

We searched PubMed for placebo-controlled trials and systematic reviews of each ingredient in women, read the abstracts on October 14, 2026, and compared them on the five criteria below. We didn’t rank specific brands, use star ratings or review counts, or accept payment from anyone. Supplement prices vary too much by brand to compare fairly, so the table leaves them out.

1. Evidence in women. The number and size of placebo-controlled trials in women, and whether reviews pooling them found a benefit.
2. Consistency. Whether larger or later studies confirmed the early positive results.
3. Safety signals. Side effects or warnings reported in trials or by the NIH.
4. Clinical oversight. Whether a licensed clinician reviews your health and medicines before you start.
5. Regulation. Whether the product is reviewed by the FDA for effectiveness before sale.

The 6 best libido supplements for women, ranked

1. Blys, best for women who want a prescription instead of a supplement

Blys isn’t a supplement. It’s a compounded prescription tablet that combines three medicines: PT-141 (bremelanotide), which acts on brain pathways linked to desire; oxytocin; and tadalafil, which increases blood flow. You take it 30 to 60 minutes before intimacy, only when you want to. We put it first because, unlike every supplement on this list, it’s only dispensed after a licensed clinician has reviewed your health history and every medicine you take. It was also made with women on antidepressants in mind.

You start with an online questionnaire that takes about five minutes, and a clinician reviews it, usually within 4 hours. Amie prescribes in all 50 states. The price is $129 every 28 days, or $299 every 12 weeks, plus a $20 clinician consultation fee. You’re refunded in full if you aren’t approved, a 30-day money-back guarantee applies once you are prescribed (excluding the $20 fee), shipping is free and discreet, and you can cancel anytime.

The honest caveats: Blys is compounded, so it is not FDA-approved, and the large PT-141 trials studied the injection Vyleesi, not an oral tablet. Because it contains tadalafil, Blys must never be taken with nitrate medicines. If you’d rather compare FDA-approved prescriptions, see our guide to the best low libido treatments for women.

Best suited for

Women who have tried supplements without results, or who want a clinician to check their health and medicines before starting anything. It is not suitable with nitrate medicines, and women with heart disease or uncontrolled blood pressure need to talk to their own doctor first.

2. Saffron, best for low libido on an antidepressant

Saffron, the spice made from the crocus flower, has the most consistent supplement evidence we found, though every study is small. In a placebo-controlled trial of 38 women being treated for depression whose sexual function had dropped on the antidepressant fluoxetine, saffron for four weeks improved arousal, lubrication and pain scores compared with placebo, though desire itself didn’t change significantly (Kashani 2013).

A later three-center trial of 74 women with sexual dysfunction found saffron did better than placebo over six weeks, with benefits for desire, lubrication and satisfaction, although the overall difference between groups was borderline (2022 trial). Side effects were similar to placebo and no one stopped treatment. A meta-analysis of five studies with 173 men and women found a positive effect overall, but the results varied noticeably from study to study (2019 meta-analysis).

The weaknesses are the same as for most supplements: a few dozen women per trial, follow-up of six weeks or less, and studies mostly from a small number of research groups. If you take an antidepressant, talk to your prescriber before adding saffron, and never stop or change your antidepressant on your own. It is a reasonable supplement to try if you understand the evidence is early.

Facts from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as of October 2026.

Best suited for

Women curious about a supplement, especially those whose arousal dropped on an SSRI, who want an option with placebo-controlled trials behind it. Less suited if you are hoping for a large, reliable effect, since the trials were small and short.

3. Maca, best for women after menopause

Maca is a root vegetable from the Andes, sold as a powder or capsule. In a small crossover trial in postmenopausal women, six weeks of maca lowered scores for sexual dysfunction and for anxiety and depression compared with placebo, without changing estrogen or other hormone levels (Brooks 2008). That last point matters, because it suggests maca isn’t acting as a hormone.

A 12-week trial in 45 women with sexual problems caused by SSRI or SNRI antidepressants found higher remission rates with maca than placebo, though the numbers were small, for example 9.5% versus 4.8% on one scale. Better results were linked to being postmenopausal, and maca was well tolerated (Dording 2015).

A systematic review of maca for sexual function concluded that the evidence was limited, and that the number of trials, their size and their quality were too limited to draw firm conclusions (Shin 2010). We rank maca third because its trials enrolled the women most likely to be searching for it, including women after menopause and women whose libido dropped on antidepressants, and because the antidepressant trial found it well tolerated. But like saffron, it’s an option to try with modest expectations, not a proven treatment. Products differ in how the root is prepared, so the powder on a store shelf may not match what was tested.

Facts from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as of October 2026.

Best suited for

Postmenopausal women who want a food-based supplement with some trial evidence for sexual function and mood. Less suited if you want proof of a meaningful effect, which the existing small trials can’t provide.

4. Ginseng, best for arousal after menopause

Ginseng is one of the most studied herbs for menopause, and its early sexual-health trials were encouraging. In a crossover trial of 32 menopausal women, Korean red ginseng improved the arousal score on the Female Sexual Function Index compared with placebo. There were no serious side effects, but two women had vaginal bleeding while taking it (Oh 2010). A 2019 trial in 62 menopausal women also reported higher sexual function scores with ginseng than placebo (2019 trial).

The picture changed when researchers pooled the trials. A 2022 systematic review of 15 placebo-controlled trials of ginseng in menopausal women found that it reduced overall menopause symptoms and hot flashes, but a meta-analysis of three trials covering 491 women did not show a benefit for sexual function (2022 review). The reviewers said most of the studies had a risk of bias and that better trials are needed.

That’s why ginseng ranks below saffron and maca for libido specifically. It may make more sense for a woman bothered by hot flashes who is curious whether her desire improves as well. The vaginal bleeding reported in one trial is a reason to check with a clinician first, and any bleeding after menopause should always be checked by a doctor.

Facts from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as of October 2026.

Best suited for

Menopausal women who are also bothered by hot flashes and want to try one supplement for both. Less suited if sexual function is your main goal, because pooled trials did not show a benefit for it.

5. L-arginine blends (ArginMax), best for desire before menopause

ArginMax for Women is a branded blend of L-arginine, an amino acid involved in blood flow, with ginseng, ginkgo, damiana, vitamins and minerals. We include it because it is the only libido blend we found with several placebo-controlled trials in women. In a four-week trial of 77 women, 73.5% of those taking it reported more satisfaction with their overall sex life, compared with 37.2% on placebo (Ito 2001).

A second four-week trial enrolled 108 women who reported low desire. Premenopausal women on the blend reported more improvement in desire than those on placebo, and among postmenopausal women 51% reported improved desire compared with 8% on placebo (Ito 2006).

Then came the largest and longest trial. In 186 women who had been treated for cancer, mostly breast cancer, 12 weeks of the same blend made no difference to desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction or pain compared with placebo, though quality-of-life scores were better (2015 trial). Because the bigger, longer study was negative, and both positive trials lasted only four weeks, we rank L-arginine blends fifth. Results from one branded formula also may not carry over to other arginine blends sold under different names. Because it combines several herbs with an amino acid, check with a clinician or pharmacist first if you take regular medicines.

Facts from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as of October 2026.

Best suited for

Premenopausal women who want to try a multi-ingredient blend with two positive placebo-controlled trials. Less suited after cancer treatment, where the largest trial found no effect on sexual function.

6. Ashwagandha, best for stress-related low desire

Ashwagandha is an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine, often marketed for stress and sleep. Two placebo-controlled trials have looked at women’s sexual function. In a pilot trial of 50 healthy women, eight weeks of a standardized root extract improved arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction scores, and the number of satisfying sexual encounters, compared with placebo (Dongre 2015).

A second trial enrolled 80 women aged 18 to 50 who had low desire. After eight weeks, sexual function scores rose more with ashwagandha than placebo, with similar safety between the groups (2022 trial). Both trials came from research groups in India, each studied one branded extract, and neither has been repeated independently.

We rank ashwagandha last because of its safety profile. The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that, although rare, a number of cases have linked liver injury to ashwagandha supplements, and that it should be avoided during pregnancy and not used while breastfeeding (NCCIH). It may also interact with medicines for diabetes, blood pressure and thyroid conditions, sedatives and immune-suppressing drugs, and the NCCIH says it isn’t recommended for people with thyroid or autoimmune disorders. It can make sense for a woman who feels stress is the main thing dampening her desire, after checking with a clinician.

Facts from pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, as of October 2026.

Best suited for

Women who feel stress is dampening their desire and want a supplement with two small positive trials. It isn’t suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and rare liver injury has been reported.

Side-by-side comparison

— means the provider or label doesn’t state it publicly. Competitor prices and terms are taken from each company’s own site as of October 2026 and can change; check the linked page before you buy.

Which fits your situation