Decode the literature.
Plain-language breakdowns of peer-reviewed peptide research, every claim sourced — paired with a clearly-labelled look at what the wider community reports. Organised by goal, not hype.
[ Browse by goal ]
Weight Loss & Appetite Control
8Compounds studied or discussed for body weight, appetite and satiety.
View evidenceGLP-1s & Metabolic Medicines
8Incretin and metabolic medicines — what the large trials actually established.
View evidenceGrowth Hormone Axis
9GHRH analogues and growth-hormone secretagogues acting on the GH/IGF-1 axis.
View evidenceInjury, Recovery & Tissue Repair
5Compounds studied for tendon, ligament, muscle, gut and wound repair.
View evidenceSkin, Hair & Cosmetic Research
5Copper, tanning and cosmetic peptides studied for skin and hair.
View evidenceMitochondrial Health & Energy
6Mitochondrial-derived and energy-metabolism compounds and their evidence.
View evidenceBrain, Mood & Sleep
4Compounds reported to influence focus, mood, anxiety, neuroprotection and sleep.
View evidenceSexual Health
5Compounds acting on libido, arousal and sexual function.
View evidenceFertility & Reproductive Health
5Gonadotropins and reproductive-axis compounds studied for fertility.
View evidenceImmune & Inflammation
4Thymic and immune-modulating peptides studied for immunity and inflammation.
View evidenceLongevity & Healthy Ageing
6Compounds reported to influence ageing biology, senescence and healthspan.
View evidenceBlend & Multi-Compound Products
4Commonly-discussed combinations — the rationale, the (limited) evidence, honest caveats.
View evidence[ All breakdowns ]
Tesamorelin: The GHRH Analogue With Real Trial Data Behind It
Tesamorelin is an FDA-approved GHRH analogue with strong trial evidence for reducing visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, but off-label use rests on weaker ground.
Evidence gap · The strong evidence comes almost entirely from HIV-associated lipodystrophy; use for general fat loss, non-HIV fatty liver, or anti-ageing is extrapolation with no trial support. Long-term cardiovascular benefit is not established, and the effect reverses after stopping.
GHK-Cu (Copper Peptide): What the Evidence Actually Shows
A clear-eyed look at GHK-Cu: strong lab and animal mechanism data, thin human evidence, and why much of the glowing skincare literature comes with a conflict of interest.
BPC-157: What the Evidence Actually Shows
A clear-eyed look at BPC-157: a peptide with promising rodent healing data, almost no human evidence, and serious regulatory and sourcing caveats.
Evidence gap · Almost all healing evidence comes from rodent studies dominated by a single research group, with no completed human efficacy or safety trials and only one small, uncontrolled human case series. The popular recovery claims remain promising but essentially unproven in people.
The Wolverine Stack (BPC-157 + TB-500): What the Evidence Actually Shows
An evidence-first look at the BPC-157 + TB-500 "Wolverine Stack": strong mechanism, mostly rat data, and zero human trials of the combination.
VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide): Strong Biology, Weak Human Proof
VIP has compelling anti-inflammatory mechanisms in animals, but rigorous human trials have largely failed. Here's the honest evidence picture.
Tirzepatide: The Dual-Incretin Heavyweight, Examined
A clear-eyed look at tirzepatide — the dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist with one of the strongest human-trial records in metabolic medicine.
Thymosin Alpha-1: The Immune Modulator With a Real Clinical Track Record
Thymosin alpha-1 has decades of human use and 30+ trials behind it. We unpack where the evidence is genuinely strong, where it is thin, and what it actually does.
Thymalin: A Soviet-Era Thymus Peptide for Immune Rejuvenation, Examined
Thymalin is a Russian thymus-peptide immunomodulator with intriguing COVID and ageing data — but the evidence comes almost entirely from one research group.
TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4): What the Evidence Actually Shows
TB-500's actin-repair biology is solid in animals, but human evidence exists only for topical eye drops — and injectable use rests on anecdote alone.
Survodutide (BI 456906): The Glucagon/GLP-1 Dual Agonist Built for the Liver
A plain-English, evidence-first look at survodutide: how its dual GLP-1/glucagon action works, what the trials show for weight and liver, and the real-world catches.
SS-31 (Elamipretide): The Mitochondrial Peptide That Got an FDA Approval — and Failed Its Biggest Trials
SS-31 binds cardiolipin to repair mitochondrial bioenergetics. It is now FDA-approved for Barth syndrome, but its heart-failure and myopathy trials failed.
SNAP-8 (Acetyl Octapeptide-3): The Evidence Behind the "Needle-Free Botox" Peptide
A clear-eyed look at SNAP-8: a plausible SNARE-targeting cosmetic peptide whose standalone human efficacy data are essentially absent.
Sermorelin: The GHRH Peptide With a Real Clinical Record
A clear, evidence-first look at sermorelin (GHRH 1-29): what it is, what the human trials actually show, and where the anti-ageing hype outruns the data.
Semax: A Russian Brain Peptide With Strong Animal Data and Thin Human Proof
Semax boosts BDNF and modulates dopamine and serotonin in rodents, but human evidence is small, Russian-only, and mostly stroke-focused — not nootropic.
Semaglutide: The Evidence-First Guide for Self-Experimenters
A plain-English, evidence-led rundown of semaglutide: how it works, what the big trials actually showed for weight, glucose and heart risk, and the catches.
Evidence gap · The strongest evidence applies to specific licensed uses — type 2 diabetes, weight management, and cardiovascular risk in people with established heart disease — not to general wellness or optimisation. Trial benefits also depend on continued use and largely reverse after stopping.
Selank: A Calm-Without-Sedation Peptide With a Russian Evidence Base
A plain-English look at Selank, the tuftsin-derived anxiolytic peptide: how it works, what the (largely Russian) research shows, doses studied, and honest limits.
Retatrutide: The Triple Agonist Pushing Weight Loss Past Everything Before It
An evidence-first look at retatrutide, the investigational GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist posting the largest weight-loss numbers seen in any incretin trial to date.
PT-141 (Bremelanotide): The Brain-Acting Libido Peptide, Examined
An evidence-first look at PT-141 (bremelanotide): strong phase 3 data in premenopausal women with HSDD, weaker off-label use in men, and real safety trade-offs.
PNC-27: The Cancer-Killing Peptide That Hasn't Met a Human Trial
A plain-English, evidence-first look at PNC-27: a clever pore-forming anti-cancer peptide with two decades of lab work but zero registered human trials.
Oxytocin: The Evidence Behind the "Love Hormone"
Oxytocin's reputation as a trust and bonding hormone outpaces the human evidence — landmark findings failed to replicate and the pivotal autism trial was negative.
NAD+ Boosting: What the Evidence Actually Shows
NAD+ precursors reliably raise blood NAD+ and are well tolerated, but human healthspan benefits stay unproven and IV NAD+ has essentially no outcome evidence.
MOTS-c: The Mitochondrial "Exercise Mimetic" Peptide — What the Evidence Actually Shows
A clear-eyed look at MOTS-c: strong mechanistic and rodent data for AMPK activation and insulin sensitivity, but human efficacy of the injected peptide is unproven.
Melatonin: A Clock-Setter, Not a Sledgehammer
Melatonin is strong evidence for jet lag and circadian disorders but only modest for adult insomnia — timing matters more than dose.
Melanotan 2: The Tanning and Libido Peptide, Examined
A clear-eyed look at Melanotan 2: real but dated proof-of-concept evidence for tanning and erections, set against a thin safety record dominated by harm reports.
Melanotan 1 (Afamelanotide): The Approved MC1R Peptide, Honestly Assessed
Afamelanotide is a regulator-approved alpha-MSH analogue with strong evidence for EPP phototoxicity — and is not the grey-market tanning peptide it is often confused with.
Mazdutide: The First GLP-1/Glucagon Dual Agonist, and What the Trials Actually Show
Mazdutide is a once-weekly GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist with strong phase 3 evidence (up to ~20% weight loss) — but it is China-only and largely untested elsewhere.
LL-37: The Body's Own Antibiotic — What the Evidence Actually Shows
LL-37 is the human cathelicidin peptide with rich antimicrobial and wound-healing biology, but solid human data exists only for topical wound use — and it's dual-edged.
KPV: The alpha-MSH Tripeptide With a Strong Preclinical Case and No Human Trials
KPV is an alpha-MSH-derived anti-inflammatory tripeptide with solid animal and cell-based evidence, mostly in gut inflammation, but zero published human trials.
Klow Stack (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu + KPV): What the Evidence Actually Says
A clear-eyed look at the four-peptide Klow blend: real per-component biology, mostly animal data, and zero human trials on the combination itself.
Kisspeptin-10: The HPG Axis Master Switch, Explained
Kisspeptin-10 reliably drives LH, FSH and testosterone in human trials, but the libido and fertility headlines mostly come from its longer cousin KP-54.
Ipamorelin: A Selective GH Secretagogue With Strong Theory and Thin Human Proof
Ipamorelin is a selective ghrelin-receptor agonist that reliably releases growth hormone in animals and humans, but its one human efficacy trial failed and it has no approved use.
IGF-1 LR3: What the Evidence Actually Shows
A clear-eyed look at IGF-1 LR3: solid animal pharmacology, no human trials, and a serious cancer signal that self-experimenters should not ignore.
HMG (Human Menopausal Gonadotropin): The Original FSH+LH Fertility Drug
HMG is a regulator-approved fertility drug supplying both FSH and LH activity. Strong human evidence, real OHSS risk, and clinician-only use.
Hexarelin: The Old-School GH Peptide with a Heart-Focused Twist
A clear, evidence-first look at hexarelin: a potent 1990s growth hormone peptide with intriguing but animal-only cardiac claims and real desensitisation issues.
HCG: The LH Mimetic With Real Human Evidence
HCG is an FDA-approved LH mimetic with decades of human data — here's what the research actually shows on testicular testosterone, fertility and TRT.
Glutathione: What the Evidence Actually Shows for Skin Lightening
Oral glutathione has modest, reversible skin-lightening evidence from small trials; IV use has essentially no proof of benefit and real safety risks.
The Glow Stack (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu): What the Evidence Actually Says
A clear-eyed look at the Glow Stack: strong on mechanism and cosmetics, thin on human injectable data, and with zero trials of the combination itself.
GHRP-6: The Original GH-Releasing Peptide That Started It All
GHRP-6 is the first GH-releasing hexapeptide and ghrelin-receptor agonist — strong acute GH evidence, robust hunger effect, but largely superseded by cleaner analogues.
GHRP-2 (Pralmorelin): What the Evidence Actually Shows
GHRP-2 reliably triggers a growth hormone pulse and ramps up hunger, but the physique and longevity claims rest on weak, mostly acute data.
Epithalon (Epitalon): The Telomerase Peptide, Examined
A clear-eyed look at Epitalon, the pineal tetrapeptide pitched as a telomerase activator — what the evidence actually shows, and why it is weaker than the hype suggests.
DSIP: The "Sleep Peptide" That Never Quite Proved Itself
A clear-eyed look at delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): old, contradictory human data, an unknown mechanism, no modern trials, and why the evidence stays weak.
CJC-1295 Without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29): What the Evidence Actually Shows
A plain-English, evidence-first look at CJC-1295 without DAC: what it is, why its half-life is short, what the research does and does not show, and the real risks.
CJC-1295 (no DAC) + Ipamorelin: What the Evidence Actually Says
A sober look at the GHRH-plus-ghrelin "push-pull" stack: strong component pharmacology, solid synergy theory, but zero human trials on this combination.
CJC-1295 With DAC: The GHRH Analog That Made It to Human Trials
An evidence-first look at CJC-1295 with DAC: real human PK/PD data, how albumin-binding extends its half-life to days, and why development was halted.
Cagrilintide: The Amylin Analogue Behind CagriSema
A plain-English, evidence-first look at cagrilintide — the long-acting amylin analogue, its trial record, doses studied, and why it is almost never used alone.
ARA-290 (Cibinetide): The EPO-Derived Peptide That Targets Nerve Repair Without the Blood Risk
ARA-290 is an EPO-derived peptide with promising but unconfirmed Phase 2 signals in small fibre neuropathy. Mechanistically rational, consistently safe in short trials.
AOD-9604: The Fat-Loss Peptide That Failed Its Own Trial
AOD-9604 is a growth-hormone fragment with strong fat-loss data in animals — but its pivotal human obesity trial failed, and it was never approved as a medicine.
AICAR: The Original "Exercise in a Pill" — What the Evidence Actually Shows
AICAR is the prototype AMPK-activating exercise mimetic. The endurance hype rests entirely on mice; the only positive human data are from heart surgery.
Adipotide: The Fat-Vessel Killer That Stalled in Humans
Adipotide melts white fat by destroying the blood vessels feeding it. Striking animal data, zero human efficacy evidence, and kidney toxicity that ended its development.
5-Amino-1MQ: The NNMT Inhibitor Behind the "Fat-Loss Peptide" Hype
5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule NNMT inhibitor with promising mouse and cell data for fat loss and muscle ageing — but zero human trials and no approval.