Supplement stack · peptides

Peptides: pro vs con

Every peptide we checked: the evidence for and against, and what you'd gain or risk.

CHECKED 23 · PROVEN FOR A HEALTHY ADULT none

✦

Start here

Nothing here is proven to help a healthy adult with nothing to fix.

Amber = Unknown (never properly tested). Red = tested in people: no benefit shown, or a harm signal. Blue = works in people, but for a condition you don't have.

The one live branch: a stubborn tendon injury, after a doctor and physical therapy, makes BPC-157 a defensible personal risk call. Not a medical recommendation.

The map

Does it work vs risk to you

Across: does it work in people. Down: risk to you.

Failed or stalled in peopleFailed
Unknown: never properly testedUnknown
Works in people (for someone)Works
High riskHigh
Melanotan II
MK-677Retatrutide
MediumMed
IpamorelinCJC-1295
BPC-157TB-500KPVMOTS-cEpitalonPinealon
TesamorelinGLP-1 drugsSermorelinCerebrolysin
Low riskLow
AOD-9604DSIPThymosin α1Nasal insulin
GHK-CuSemaxSelank
PT-141

Columns come from the human evidence. Rows are a judgment of risk from the sources on each card (vial purity, growth hormone side effects, family history). Tap a name to jump to its card.

Grades on each card: A works in people · B tested, no benefit or harm · C promising, untested · D no real data

Group one

Unknown Never properly tested (9)

BPC-157

sold for tendons, gut, joints
C

Unknown Not now. A personal risk call only with a stubborn injury

Pro (evidence for)

  • Strong animal healing data (Huberman: "really impressive")
  • A 17 patient knee pain chart review reported relief
  • FDA advisory panel voted 8 to 6 to allow compounding

Con (evidence against)

  • No human trial of benefit; the chart review had no control group
  • 78% of its papers come from one Zagreb group
  • A company Phase 1 (2015) never reported; stories split 3 to 3

▲ Upside if it works

A stuck tendon or gut problem heals faster

▼ Downside

Gray market vial of unknown purity (no legal pharmacy source today); named in Australia's 2026 warning; Huberman raised the tumor worry himself

chart reviewPhase 12027 trialAustraliaHuberman 4:39↑ Map

TB-500

sold for injury healing
D

Unknown No use for you

Pro (evidence for)

  • Its parent protein (thymosin beta 4) went through real company trials
  • FDA panel voted 8 to 6

Con (evidence against)

  • The TB-500 fragment itself was never tested in people
  • The parent protein was never approved
  • Stories: 2 worked, 3 did nothing

▲ Upside if it works

Faster injury healing (claimed)

▼ Downside

Gray market vial; named in Australia's warning

parent Phase 3Australia↑ Map

GHK-Cu

sold for skin, hair
C cream / D shot

Unknown Cream: low stakes. Injected: no

Pro (evidence for)

  • Strong cell and animal data
  • Small topical skin studies (13 people)

Con (evidence against)

  • Hair: no validated trials yet (2026 review)
  • Nothing on injecting it

▲ Upside if it works

Better skin, maybe hair

▼ Downside

Injected: named in Australia's warning, with no human safety data

topicalhair reviewAustralia↑ Map

KPV

sold for gut inflammation
D

Unknown No use for you

Pro (evidence for)

  • Calms gut inflammation in mice
  • FDA panel voted 8 to 6

Con (evidence against)

  • Mouse studies only
  • Never tested in people

▲ Upside if it works

Less gut inflammation (claimed)

▼ Downside

Zero human safety data; gray market vial

parent peptide paperpanel↑ Map

MOTS-c

sold for "exercise in a pill"
C

Unknown No use for you

Pro (evidence for)

  • Mouse metabolism data
  • A company copy (CB4211) reached a Phase 1
  • FDA panel voted 7 to 5

Con (evidence against)

  • That Phase 1 never posted results, and the company merged away
  • No human trial of MOTS-c itself

▲ Upside if it works

Better insulin sensitivity and endurance (claimed)

▼ Downside

One user reported an injection site reaction; gray market vial

CB4211 Phase 1panel↑ Map

Epitalon

sold for longevity, telomeres
C

Unknown Leaning no

Pro (evidence for)

  • Decades of Russian cohort data (secondary)
  • FDA panel voted 7 to 4

Con (evidence against)

  • All from the developer's own institute
  • Never tested in a Western trial

▲ Upside if it works

Slower aging (claimed)

▼ Downside

It aims to switch on telomerase, which cancers also use (a theory, not a finding)

panel↑ Map

Pinealon

sold for sleep, brain
D

Unknown No use for you

Pro (evidence for)

  • Huberman reports 2.5 to 3 hours of REM

Con (evidence against)

  • One uncontrolled cohort of 32 (secondary)
  • No trial

▲ Upside if it works

More REM sleep

▼ Downside

Huberman: next day it's "harder to become fully alert"; gray market vial

Huberman 2:433:30↑ Map

Semax

sold for focus, stroke recovery
C

Unknown No problem for it to fix

Pro (evidence for)

  • Approved in Russia (secondary)
  • FDA panel voted 8 to 5

Con (evidence against)

  • Human data unblinded
  • Never replicated outside Russia

▲ Upside if it works

Sharper focus (claimed)

▼ Downside

Nasal spray of unknown purity

panel↑ Map

Selank

sold for anxiety
C

Unknown Only matters with an anxiety disorder

Pro (evidence for)

  • Approved in Russia for anxiety (secondary)

Con (evidence against)

  • Same limits as Semax
  • Nothing to treat

▲ Upside if it works

Calmer (claimed)

▼ Downside

Nasal spray of unknown purity

origin↑ Map

Group two

No Tested in people: no benefit shown, or a harm signal (8)

Ipamorelin

sold for growth hormone, muscle, sleep
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • Raises growth hormone
  • Real company trials (Novo Nordisk, Helsinn)

Con (evidence against)

  • Phase 2 for bowel surgery recovery: "no significant differences" vs placebo
  • Still on FDA's risk list

▲ Upside if it works

More growth hormone (claimed muscle, fat loss, sleep)

▼ Downside

The usual growth hormone side effects (fluid retention, joint pain, higher blood sugar); CJC + ipamorelin users report wrecked sleep and a racing heart at night

Phase 2↑ Map

CJC-1295

sold for growth hormone, muscle, sleep
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • Raises GH and IGF-1 for days per shot

Con (evidence against)

  • Only hormone levels were ever measured
  • Company dropped it after a 2006 trial was stopped (a death the doctor judged unrelated, press report)
  • Huberman: "nuked my REM sleep"

▲ Upside if it works

More growth hormone

▼ Downside

The usual growth hormone side effects (fluid retention, joint pain, higher blood sugar); "CJC will destroy your sleep" stories

hormone studystopped trialHuberman 3:52↑ Map

AOD-9604

sold for fat loss
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • A real company took it to a Phase 2b obesity trial

Con (evidence against)

  • Lost under 1 kg vs placebo in its big trial (secondary)
  • Program ended in 2007

▲ Upside if it works

Fat loss (claimed)

▼ Downside

Mostly wasted money; gray market vial

origin↑ Map

DSIP

sold for sleep
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • A small 1987 trial was positive

Con (evidence against)

  • 1992 double blind trial: "not likely to be of major therapeutic benefit"
  • FDA panel rejected it 6 to 7

▲ Upside if it works

Better sleep (claimed)

▼ Downside

Wasted money; gray market vial

1992 trial↑ Map

MK-677 (oral)

sold for muscle, sleep
A muscle / B harm

Harm signal No

Pro (evidence for)

  • 12 months in healthy older adults: fat free mass up 1.1 kg

Con (evidence against)

  • Weight up 2.7 kg, fasting glucose up 5 mg/dL, insulin sensitivity down, swelling, muscle pain
  • Still on FDA's risk list

▲ Upside if it works

A little more lean mass

▼ Downside

Pushes blood sugar the wrong way

Nass 2008↑ Map

Melanotan II

sold for tanning
C tan / B harm

Harm signal No. The clearest no on the list

Pro (evidence for)

  • It does darken skin (1990s university studies)

Con (evidence against)

  • Never approved
  • Melanoma and new mole case reports

▲ Upside if it works

A tan without sun

▼ Downside

Melanoma case reports; the worst fit for anyone with melanoma in the family

case reports↑ Map

Thymosin alpha 1

sold for immunity
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • Approved in China and 30+ countries (secondary)

Con (evidence against)

  • 1,106 person sepsis trial: no benefit
  • Not FDA approved

▲ Upside if it works

Stronger immunity (claimed)

▼ Downside

Low known risk; money and purity

sepsis trial↑ Map

Intranasal insulin

sold for memory
B

No benefit shown No

Pro (evidence for)

  • Insulin is a real peptide that acts on the brain

Con (evidence against)

  • SNIFF trial: no cognitive or functional benefit over 12 months

▲ Upside if it works

Memory (claimed)

▼ Downside

No proven benefit to weigh any risk against

SNIFF↑ Map

Group three

No Works in people, but for a condition you don't have (6)

Tesamorelin (Egrifta)

sold for belly fat
A (HIV)

Works, wrong patient No for now. Right drug, wrong patient

Pro (evidence for)

  • Cut visceral fat 15.2% vs up 5.0% on placebo, 412 HIV patients
  • FDA approved

Con (evidence against)

  • Approved only for HIV lipodystrophy; label calls it weight neutral
  • Fat returns after stopping

▲ Upside if it works

Less belly fat

▼ Downside

Label warns of fluid retention, glucose intolerance and "increased risk of neoplasms"; one user reported hives and a pounding heart

NEJM 2007fat returnslabel↑ Map

GLP-1 drugs

sold for weight, heart
A (obesity)

Works, wrong patient No, unless a trigger hits (HbA1c 6.5+, BMI 30)

Pro (evidence for)

  • 15 to 21% weight loss at BMI 30 to 39
  • 20% fewer heart events in people who already had heart disease

Con (evidence against)

  • Outside every label at a healthy weight
  • 25 to 40% of the loss is lean mass; two thirds came back within a year of stopping
  • EVOKE dementia trials were flat

▲ Upside if it works

Only matters if a trigger hits

▼ Downside

Losing muscle you want to keep

STEP 1SELECTEVOKE↑ Map

Retatrutide ("GLP-3")

sold for fat loss
A (obesity)

Works, wrong patient No

Pro (evidence for)

  • Phase 3 trials hit their weight loss goals (trade press)
  • Stories: 13 worked, 1 did nothing

Con (evidence against)

  • Not approved
  • FDA: "cannot be used in compounding under federal law"

▲ Upside if it works

Big fat loss (you don't want to lose)

▼ Downside

Gray market only; Australia logged 6 liver injuries tied to it; 8 side effect stories

Phase 3FDAAustralia↑ Map

PT-141 (Vyleesi)

sold for libido
A (women)

Works, wrong patient No

Pro (evidence for)

  • FDA approved in 2019 for premenopausal women

Con (evidence against)

  • Not approved for men

▲ Upside if it works

Libido (claimed for men)

▼ Downside

Nausea in 40%

Phase 3↑ Map

Sermorelin

sold for growth hormone, anti-aging
A (children)

Works, wrong patient No

Pro (evidence for)

  • FDA approved in 1997 for children short on growth hormone

Con (evidence against)

  • Brand pulled from the US market in 2008
  • Anti-aging data: 19 people aged 55 to 71 (1997)

▲ Upside if it works

More growth hormone

▼ Downside

The usual growth hormone side effects (fluid retention, joint pain, higher blood sugar)

1997 study↑ Map

Cerebrolysin

sold for dementia
low certainty

Works, wrong patient No for you (treatment, not prevention)

Pro (evidence for)

  • Cochrane 2019: improved cognition and function in vascular dementia

Con (evidence against)

  • Cochrane: "not definitive"; effects "may be too small to be clinically meaningful"
  • Not approved in the US

▲ Upside if it works

Small gains for someone who already has vascular dementia

▼ Downside

IV courses, not sold in the US; nothing for prevention

Cochrane 2019↑ Map