§1 Compounds

Compounds

Each monograph consolidates documented dosing, trial data, safety information, and sourcing considerations for one compound, with every factual claim cited to a primary source.

• BPC-157
  healingTier 4

  BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide derived from a fragment of a protein found in human gastric juice. It is not FDA-approved for any use and has not been tested in a randomized human clinical trial — evidence for its proposed tissue-healing effects comes almost entirely from animal studies, with only one small retrospective human case series published.

• Bremelanotide
  otherTier 1

  Bremelanotide is a synthetic melanocortin-receptor agonist, FDA-approved as Vyleesi for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Administered as an as-needed subcutaneous injection, it activates the same receptor family as the unapproved research compound Melanotan II, from which it was pharmacologically derived, but bremelanotide alone has completed FDA review and carries an approved label.

• CJC-1295
  gh-secretagogueTier 3

  CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It exists in two commercially relevant forms with very different pharmacokinetics: without DAC (also sold as "Mod GRF 1-29"), with a half-life of roughly 30 minutes, and with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex), which binds serum albumin and extends the half-life to 5.8-8.1 days. Not FDA-approved for any use; a 2006 human trial of the DAC form was published, but a separate clinical program was terminated after a participant death.

• Ipamorelin
  gh-secretagogueTier 2

  Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide that selectively stimulates growth hormone release via the ghrelin receptor, without significantly raising cortisol, ACTH, or prolactin — a selectivity profile distinct from earlier growth-hormone-releasing peptides. Not FDA-approved for any use. It reached Phase 2 human trials for postoperative ileus, which did not meet its primary endpoint, and development was discontinued.

• Melanotan II
  cosmeticTier 3

  Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic peptide analog of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, developed at the University of Arizona in the late 1980s as a candidate skin-cancer chemopreventive agent. It is not FDA-approved for any use. Small early-phase human trials in the 1990s tested it for tanning and erectile dysfunction; that erectile-dysfunction research later led to the separately-developed, FDA-approved drug bremelanotide (Vyleesi) — a different, related molecule, not Melanotan II itself.

• Retatrutide
  metabolicTier 2

  Retatrutide is an investigational injectable peptide that activates the GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors simultaneously (a "triple agonist"), developed by Eli Lilly for obesity and type 2 diabetes. As of September 2026 it remains in Phase 3 trials (the TRIUMPH program) and is not FDA-approved; in trials, the highest studied dose has produced average weight loss exceeding 28% over 80 weeks.

• Semaglutide
  glp1Tier 1

  Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, an injectable or oral peptide analog that mimics endogenous GLP-1 to stimulate insulin secretion, suppress glucagon, and slow gastric emptying. It is FDA-approved as Ozempic and Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes and as Wegovy for chronic weight management, and is also approved to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and obesity or overweight.

• TB-500
  healingTier 4

  TB-500 is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (Ac-LKKTETQ-OH) corresponding to the actin-binding fragment of thymosin beta-4, a naturally occurring 43-amino-acid protein — TB-500 is not the same molecule as full-length thymosin beta-4, and most published research covers the full-length protein rather than this fragment specifically. Not FDA-approved for any use; FDA reviewed and declined to add it to its list of substances eligible for pharmacy compounding in 2026, citing insufficient safety and effectiveness evidence.

• Tesamorelin
  gh-secretagogueTier 1

  Tesamorelin is a synthetic growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, FDA-approved as Egrifta for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy. Administered as a once-daily subcutaneous injection of reconstituted lyophilized powder, it stimulates the pituitary gland to release the patient's own growth hormone rather than supplying growth hormone directly.

• Tirzepatide
  glp1Tier 1

  Tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, an injectable peptide that activates both the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and GLP-1 receptors to improve insulin secretion and promote weight loss. It is FDA-approved as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, and as Zepbound for chronic weight management and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.