Accurate exploration of the clinical efficacy of maca based on characteristic metabolites

• The treatment of fatty liver disease will become a new clinical indication for Maca. • Maca can intervene fatty liver disease by regulating fatty acids. • The changes of fatty acids can be used as a marker for the early diagnosis of AFLD. Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a food and traditional herbal medicine derived from the roots of perennial plants cultivated at high altitudes in the Andes Mountains. Although many studies have shown the potential clinical value of maca, its integration into the existing clinical medical system remains a challenge. Therefore, this study used a combination of metabolomics and bioinformatics to accurately explore the characteristic metabolites of maca, which were verified in alcoholic fatty acid disease (AFLD) and nonalcoholic fatty acid disease (NAFLD) rat models, revealing the potential clinical efficacy of maca. Through subsequent quantitative analysis, we identified a new marker that may provide new ideas for subsequent clinical diagnosis of fatty liver.