Category · GH secretagogues
GH secretagogues: what works.
Peptides that nudge the pituitary to release your own growth hormone — instead of injecting recombinant GH directly. Some have real human trials; many are popular online with thin evidence behind them.
Two families live here. GHRH analogs (sermorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1295) mimic growth-hormone-releasing hormone — your hypothalamic signal to the pituitary. GHRPs / ghrelin mimetics (ipamorelin, hexarelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, MK-677) work through a separate receptor and stack additively with GHRH analogs. Sermorelin and tesamorelin are FDA-approved for specific indications; the rest are research peptides or oral ghrelin-mimetics with much narrower evidence bases.
Important note on outcomes: most of these compounds reliably raise GH and IGF-1 in trials — that's the easy part. Whether they translate to the body-composition or anti-aging effects people buy them for is a much harder claim, and the evidence is thinner than the marketing suggests.
- 8/10 · Good Sermorelin Diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency; marketed off-label for anti-aging and GH support.
- 8/10 · Good Tesamorelin Reducing excess visceral (abdominal) fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy; studied for cognition and fatty liver.
- 7/10 · Moderate MK-677 Growth hormone deficiency; historically frailty, hip-fracture recovery, Alzheimer's, obesity, sleep
- 6/10 · Preliminary CJC-1295 Originally GH deficiency and muscle wasting; sold to raise GH and IGF-1.
- 6/10 · Preliminary GHRP-2 Diagnostic provocation of growth hormone secretion; investigationally for GH deficiency and appetite
- 6/10 · Preliminary GHRP-6 Growth-hormone release and GH-deficiency testing; small Cuban trials in heart attack and stroke; used gray-market for muscle, fat loss, and appetite.
- 6/10 · Preliminary Hexarelin Diagnosing and treating growth-hormone deficiency; later cardiac effects; marketed gray-market for muscle, fat loss, recovery, and anti-aging.
- 6/10 · Preliminary Ipamorelin Growth-hormone release; investigated for gut-motility disorders; marketed gray-market for anti-aging and bodybuilding.
Reading this class honestly
For how the 1–10 scale works, see the Codex Scale. For the safety picture see side effects & safety. For the bigger context on growth-hormone manipulation see the somatropin profile.