the peptide tier list

153 peptides and compounds ranked S to F by what has been published. 3,140 cited sources, each checked against the source record.

S-tier · approved or dominant evidence

  • testosterone · the male sex hormone. the approved products replace it in men whose own production has failed, and above that range the same molecule adds muscle and strength with no training at all. schedule iii controlled substance in the us. educational record only, not medical advice.
  • tirzepatide · A dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist with distinct Zepbound and Mounjaro labels.
  • semaglutide · A GLP-1 receptor agonist with current US injection and oral products for distinct labeled uses.
  • retatrutide · the most potent weight loss drug ever tested. 24.2% in phase 2, then 28.3% in TRIUMPH-1 phase 3, 30.3% at two years. not approved yet.
  • liraglutide · A once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist sold under separate Saxenda and Victoza labels.
  • orforglipron · foundayo. the first non-peptide small-molecule oral GLP-1 receptor agonist. a once-daily pill, no injection, FDA-approved april 2026 for chronic weight management.
  • tadalafil · this is cialis, the erection pill. the same molecule does three jobs. it helps men with erectile dysfunction get an erection, it eases the urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, and at 40 mg, under the name adcirca, it treats high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. a pde5 inhibitor with a 17.5-hour mean half-life, two decades of approved human trials, and a research channel selling two other molecules under its name.
  • tesamorelin · the FDA-approved injection that targets visceral fat. the dangerous kind.
  • hgh · growth hormone. banned in sports, standard at every anti-aging clinic, expensive. works, with trade-offs.
  • hcg · A placental glycoprotein hormone that activates the LH receptor. Product form and labeled route matter.
  • ghk-cu · the copper peptide with the strongest skin evidence in the catalog. topical record first, injectable story thinner.
  • Oxandrolone · Anavar is oral oxandrolone, an anabolic-androgenic steroid used in bodybuilding for muscle, strength, and a leaner or harder look.
  • Oxymetholone · an oral 17-alpha-alkylated anemia drug with legal FDA approval but no active US marketing, controlled human lean-mass data, severe dose-related hepatic toxicity, and animal-only terminal half-life.
  • Abaloparatide · Abaloparatide is an FDA-approved subcutaneous bone-anabolic peptide for high-risk osteoporosis. It reduced vertebral fractures in studied postmenopausal women; it is not an adult-height intervention.
  • Estradiol · Estradiol is the principal intracellular human estrogen and an FDA-approved drug across multiple distinct formulations. Oral, transdermal, vaginal, valerate, and cypionate records are not interchangeable.
  • Finasteride · Finasteride is an oral type-II 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor with an FDA-approved male-pattern-hair-loss indication in men and large randomized hair-count trials.
  • Mecasermin · Mecasermin is recombinant human IGF-1 approved as subcutaneous Increlex for a narrow pediatric severe-primary-IGF-1-deficiency indication. It is not a general height, adult-wellness, or muscle drug.
  • Minoxidil · Minoxidil has separate evidence lanes: FDA-reviewed topical products for pattern hair loss and an oral tablet labeled for severe hypertension. Oral hair use is off-label.
  • Menotropins · Current US Menopur is a subcutaneous urinary menotropins product for developing multiple follicles and pregnancy in ovulatory women during an ART cycle. It is fertility medicine, not sexual-performance or hormone-optimization treatment.
  • Levothyroxine · Levothyroxine replaces T4 when the thyroid cannot supply enough. That earns its S grade. People with normal thyroid tests have not shown the same energy or cognitive benefit, and persistent symptoms during treatment need more explanation than a normal TSH alone.
  • Telmisartan · Telmisartan is a long-acting blood-pressure medicine with large cardiovascular outcome trials. Its metabolic evidence is mixed: some small studies in insulin-resistant patients found benefits, while other trials were neutral. It has no established role as a fat-loss drug or protection against every cardiovascular effect of anabolic steroids.

A-tier · strong data or narrow approvals

  • ss-31 · the first mitochondria-targeted peptide drug. FDA-approved september 2025. for Barth syndrome, studied for heart failure.
  • pt-141 · the FDA-approved sex peptide for acquired generalized HSDD in premenopausal women. off-label male use is a separate evidence lane.
  • survodutide · Investigational GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist. In a phase 3 obesity trial, mean weight loss was 13.0% versus 5.4% with placebo at 76 weeks. Separate trials studied MASH and liver fibrosis.
  • mazdutide · the GLP-1 + glucagon dual agonist approved in China. ~14% weight loss in GLORY-1 phase 3 at 48 weeks, ~20% at the higher dose. not FDA-approved.
  • bpc-157 · the contested repair peptide. strong animal data, thin human trials, huge community gravity.
  • tb-500 · names a 7-amino-acid fragment of thymosin beta-4, but the vial you buy is a coin toss: fragment, full-length protein, or mislabeled. the COA mass is the only thing that knows.
  • cjc+ipa blend · clinic-standard GH-axis pairing. cjc-1295 + ipamorelin. receptor logic first, blend trial evidence still thin.
  • cjc-1295 · growth hormone without injecting growth hormone. tells your pituitary to make its own. paired with ipamorelin.
  • bpc+tb blend · the wolverine stack. bpc-157 + tb-500. coherent repair logic, heavy clinic folklore, zero controlled trials on the blend.
  • ghk-cu + bpc blend · the surface-and-structure repair pairing. ghk-cu rebuilds skin and collagen, bpc-157 works on connective tissue and gut. component evidence first, fixed-blend trial evidence absent.
  • tesa+ipa blend · the GH-axis pairing built on the one GHRH leg that carries an FDA approval, tesamorelin, run alongside ipamorelin. the components are strong, the use is off-label, and the blend itself has no trial.
  • bpc-157 + kpv blend · gut and systemic anti-inflammatory repair. bpc-157 carries the blend, kpv adds the NF-kB anti-inflammatory leg. strong mechanism, thinner human proof on the second component.
  • klow · four-peptide clinic blend for skin, hair, collagen, and recovery. component logic first; blend evidence still missing.
  • glow · klow without kpv. ghk-cu, bpc-157 and tb-500, with ghk-cu dominant by weight.
  • Nandrolone · Deca and NPP are injectable nandrolone esters. People seek them for mass, strength, and joint comfort, but those three claims do not have the same evidence.
  • L-carnitine · Levocarnitine is an endogenous fatty-acid carrier with approved deficiency indications and modest, inconsistent weight-loss evidence. The approved injection is intravenous and indication-specific.
  • Methylene blue · Methylene blue is a redox-active phenothiazinium drug. Its FDA approval treats acquired methemoglobinemia; cognition evidence is a small acute experiment, not a chronic nootropic program.
  • Bimagrumab · Bimagrumab is an investigational activin type II receptor antibody with randomized intravenous evidence for reducing body weight and fat mass while preserving or increasing lean mass. FDA's July 2026 Purple Book data snapshot had no bimagrumab or listed development-identifier entry when checked on August 15, 2026.
  • Dutasteride · Dutasteride inhibits type-I and type-II 5-alpha-reductase. Two randomized oral trials support male androgenetic-alopecia outcomes, but US Avodart approval is for BPH, not hair loss.
  • Modafinil · Modafinil is an oral Schedule IV wake-promoting drug approved for excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and shift-work disorder. Those indications do not establish broad cognitive enhancement in rested healthy people.
  • Albuterol · Albuterol, also called salbutamol, reliably opens narrowed airways. Oral exposure has also increased sprint power and lean mass in small human trials. Those gains came with physiological trade-offs, including weaker aerobic training adaptations; ordinary inhaler studies often found no performance benefit.
  • armodafinil · Armodafinil treats excessive sleepiness and preserves vigilance during acute sleep loss. It does not replace sleep or establish better cognition in rested healthy people.
  • Clomiphene · Clomiphene has live-birth evidence for selected female ovulatory infertility and reliably raises hormones in many selected low-testosterone men. Male symptoms, pregnancy outcomes, post-AAS recovery, and healthy performance remain weak or unproved.
  • Lemborexant · Lemborexant has replicated adult-insomnia efficacy. It can impair cognition during the active night window, and one small 2026 shift-worker trial reported sleep-linked cognitive recovery.
  • Liothyronine · Liothyronine is active T3. It has clinical replacement uses, mixed evidence for persistent thyroid symptoms and depression augmentation, and clear effects on energy metabolism. Those effects do not establish healthy cognitive enhancement or fat loss that preserves muscle.
  • Nebivolol · Nebivolol lowers blood pressure through beta1 blockade and nitric-oxide-linked vasodilation. Compared with some older beta blockers, it can better preserve erectile function and metabolic measures. That is a useful clinical distinction; evidence for boosting healthy libido, testosterone or athletic performance is much weaker.
  • piracetam · Piracetam has a narrow supported use in cortical myoclonus. Healthy-memory evidence is fragile, and a 676-person one-year MCI trial was null.

B-tier · real science, mixed results

  • cagrisema · semaglutide + cagrilintide. first fixed-dose GLP-1 + amylin combo. FDA review underway 2026.
  • cagrilintide · novo's long-acting amylin analog. 11.8% standalone weight loss in the phase-3 REDEFINE-1 trial (10.8% earlier in phase 2). the filed product is the cagrisema combo, not the monotherapy.
  • eloralintide · a weight-loss drug eli lilly is still testing, given in trials as a once-a-week injection under the skin. it copies amylin, the fullness hormone the pancreas releases with insulin at a meal. 20% weight loss at 48 weeks in one 263-person phase 2, and 64.3% nausea in the fixed 6 mg arm. five phase 3 trials are enrolling and none reads out before 2028.
  • kisspeptin-10 · kisspeptin-family pharmacology with real HSDD and fertility signals. the strongest human trials used kisspeptin-54, not the KP-10 vial market.
  • kpv · tiny three-amino-acid peptide for inflammation. IBD, eczema, autoimmune. none of α-MSH's tanning or appetite side effects.
  • NAD+ · not a peptide. the cofactor your mitochondria run on. IV drips are the longevity-clinic staple despite thin clinical evidence.
  • mots-c · mitochondrial peptide your body makes during exercise. restores metabolic health in mice. never given to a person in a trial.
  • semax · russian nootropic. approved there, not here. for focus, stroke recovery, and cognitive decline. real mechanism, thin US trials.
  • selank · russian anti-anxiety peptide. head-to-head benzodiazepine trials, lighter sedation signal, thin Western long-term data.
  • oxytocin · the 'love hormone.' FDA-approved for labor since 1962. off-label for bonding, anxiety, and sexual function.
  • sermorelin · Sermorelin is amidated GHRH(1-29). Its direct efficacy record is pediatric, while current adult sleep, recovery, and body-composition claims remain unproven.
  • thymosin α-1 · thymic immune peptide. approved abroad for hepatitis B. used stateside for generic 'immune support.'
  • ATX-304 (formerly O304) · an investigational oral AMPK activator with one small randomized diabetes trial, a newer obesity pilot, and an animal pharmacokinetic curve that cannot establish a human dosing interval.
  • bromantane · a Russian antiasthenic CNS drug with older human studies in illness-related fatigue, incomplete modern replication, no traceable primary human half-life source, and in-competition WADA prohibition.
  • SANA (MVD1) · an investigational nitroalkene small molecule that targets creatine-kinase-dependent thermogenesis, with mouse fat-loss data, a small exploratory 15-day human weight signal, and a high-dose renal safety signal in phase 1.
  • Noopept (omberacetam; GVS-111) · omberacetam, a small-molecule cognitive drug sold as a registered 10 mg oral tablet in Russia. the cited human signal comes from one small patient comparison, not a healthy-user trial.
  • Drostanolone · a historical dromostanolone propionate breast-cancer drug with small human oncology series, no valid systemic half-life, and no current approved human product located.
  • Methenolone · a non-17-alpha-alkylated androgen with a current Japanese oral acetate label, historical injectable enanthate use, and no validated systemic half-life for either formulation.
  • Methandienone · an oral 17-alpha-methyl androgen with an old controlled weightlifter trial, withdrawn US approvals for lack of substantial efficacy evidence, and no validated systemic half-life.
  • Stanozolol · Winstrol is stanozolol, an oral or injectable anabolic-androgenic steroid. People seek it for strength and a harder, drier look.
  • Enclomiphene · Enclomiphene is the trans isomer of clomiphene and an oral selective estrogen-receptor modulator studied in men with secondary hypogonadism. Its strongest results are hormone and sperm surrogate endpoints.
  • Tesofensine · Tesofensine is an investigational monoamine-reuptake inhibitor with randomized oral weight-loss evidence and a material integrity caveat attached to its central trial report.
  • Alpha-GPC · Alpha-GPC has short-term symptomatic cognition evidence in Alzheimer disease and amnestic MCI. Healthy cognition and sports studies are small and inconsistent, and a large observational stroke association remains unresolved.
  • L-oxiracetam · IV L-oxiracetam improved one day-90 cognitive battery after acute traumatic brain injury; daily function, global recovery and healthy oral cognition remain unproved.
  • Mesterolone · Mesterolone has a regulated tablet and several human trials. Controlled infertility results are negative or inconclusive, testosterone undecanoate beat it on short symptom outcomes, and no human trial supports muscle, performance, aromatase-inhibition, or post-AAS claims.
  • Seltorexant · Seltorexant has short objective insomnia efficacy and a modest phase 3 depression result, but remained investigational; its cognition signal is post-hoc against quetiapine.
  • Trestolone · Trestolone, or MENT, has direct human androgen, replacement and sperm-suppression data, plus a large historical breast-cancer trial. That establishes potent human activity. No controlled study located measured healthy-human muscle gain or athletic performance, and the male implant trials exposed important problems with release, sexual function and blood pressure.

C-tier · off-label or thin data

  • triptorelin · A GnRH agonist with strong depot-suppression evidence and one uncontrolled non-depot restart case.
  • gonadorelin · Native-sequence GnRH with real historical pump and diagnostic uses. Pulse timing determines whether the signal works.
  • ipamorelin · Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide ghrelin-receptor agonist. People seek it for sleep, recovery, and body composition, but direct human studies measured an acute intravenous GH pulse and a negative ileus outcome.
  • melanotan i · approved as Scenesse for one rare skin condition. used off-label for tanning. long-term safety, unknown.
  • melanotan-ii · skin tanning without sun. also triggers sexual arousal. both off-label. both widely used.
  • tb-500 frag · the 7-amino-acid core of TB-500. half the price. half the data.
  • hgh frag 176-191 · HGH fragment 176-191. sold as 'fat loss without growth.' the AOD9604 trial that tested this idea failed.
  • ahk-cu · copper tripeptide for hair growth, riding GHK-Cu's reputation. thinner evidence, bigger marketing.
  • dsip · isolated 1977 as a sleep peptide. 50 years of trials, no clinical breakthrough. community uses it anyway.
  • epithalon · russian longevity peptide. one lab. one cohort. the lifespan claims have never been replicated.
  • pinealon · epithalon's sister from the same russian lab. neuroprotection claims, even thinner data.
  • humanin · a 24-amino-acid peptide your mitochondria encode. cytoprotective and metabolic biology in cells and rodents. zero interventional human trials.
  • 5-amino-1mq · 5-amino-1MQ is a small molecule NNMT inhibitor, not a peptide. People seek it for fat loss, but every administration and outcome study located for this review was in animals.
  • slu-pp-332 · SLU-PP-332 is a small-molecule pan-ERR agonist with mouse endurance and metabolic results, ex vivo human myoblast work, no oral bioavailability, and no human administration study.
  • slu-pp-915 · SLU-PP-915 is a small-molecule pan-ERR agonist with mouse oral activity, an 18-to-28-minute mouse oral half-life, and no human administration data.
  • brenipatide · Brenipatide, Lilly code LY3537031, is a modified 39 amino acid peptide that activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. The registry has 11 records indexed under Brenipatide and 5 earlier LY3537031-only registrations. None of the 16 has posted results.
  • pe-22-28 · a seven amino acid peptide researched as an antidepressant, so far only in mice and in cells. three papers, one lab, zero humans, and the 23 hour duration printed on vendor pages was measured on a different molecule.
  • BAM15 · a preclinical mitochondrial protonophore that reduced fat gain and improved metabolic measures in mice, with no human exposure, dose-finding, or safety study.
  • Cartalax · an identity-gated Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide with cell and animal work plus one poorly reported, 29-person saline-controlled human example in an assignee patent, but no independent peer-reviewed replication or measured pharmacokinetic curve.
  • RU58841 · RU58841 is a topical nonsteroidal androgen-receptor antagonist research chemical with macaque and human-scalp-graft signals, plus two completed human-study registrations without published results.
  • Ligandrol · Ligandrol, LGD-4033, or VK5211 is an unapproved androgen-receptor SARM with measured human PK, short lean-mass and hormone effects, and delayed registry-only hip-fracture results.
  • aniracetam · Aniracetam has mixed disease-specific cognition evidence: one old Alzheimer signal, a substantive controlled null, and no healthy-rested enhancement trial.
  • ITPP · ITPP changes hemoglobin oxygen affinity and has published human PK and safety data from a 28-person cancer study. A separate phase II respiratory-failure trial is registered as ended, but its results were not retrieved. Human athletic benefit remains unestablished; the oncology infusion caused frequent calcium abnormalities.
  • NMN · Oral NMN reliably raises circulating NAD-related measures. Selected metabolic and physical-function results are narrow and inconsistent; pooled muscle and broad metabolic outcomes are mostly null. Human cognition, hormone restoration and longevity have not been shown.
  • phenylpiracetam · Phenylpiracetam has selected positive attention and fatigue results in patient trials, large uncontrolled clinical cohorts and thin healthy-performance reports. Several mood, sleep, fatigue and cognitive endpoints were null.
  • PQQ · PQQ disodium has four small modern cognition RCTs with mixed, test-specific results and one access-limited physical-function trial. Direct exercise performance and broad metabolic outcomes include nulls, and no human longevity result exists.
  • pramiracetam · Pramiracetam has small human studies in brain injury, age-related memory complaints and scopolamine-induced amnesia. A 10-person Alzheimer study failed to reproduce most apparent initial responses, and healthy everyday enhancement remains unproven.
  • Pregnenolone · Oral pregnenolone raises parent and downstream neurosteroids. Healthy mood, anxiety and cognition measures were largely null; a short back-pain trial and selected psychiatric outcomes were positive. Hormone optimization and longevity remain unproved.

D-tier · hype outruns data

  • glutathione · the endogenous redox tripeptide. used for antioxidant, liver, immune, wellness-IV, and skin-brightening claims. route decides the evidence.
  • ghrp-2 · first-gen GH releaser. works. also spikes cortisol, prolactin, and hunger. ipamorelin replaced it.
  • ghrp-6 · older sibling of GHRP-2. even more appetite, same cortisol issues. ipamorelin made it obsolete.
  • aod 9604 · HGH fragment. went to phase 2b for obesity. failed. the data says it doesn't work.
  • snap-8 · acetyl octapeptide-3. marketed as topical botox. the science doesn't hold up.
  • dihexa · rodent nootropic with zero human trials and a mechanism that's a named oncology concern.
  • larazotide · larazotide acetate (AT-1001) is an eight-amino-acid oral tight-junction regulator. a celiac phase 2b found a symptom benefit at 0.5 mg three times daily, but the pivotal phase 3 was terminated after an interim sample-size review and posted no results.
  • cerebrolysin · a liquid made from pig brain, dripped into a vein in hospital after a stroke or in dementia. thousands of randomised patients have been given it. every dose in every trial is measured in millilitres, because the ampoule holds a mixture and there is no single molecule to weigh, and the only published identity test is a fingerprint match against a reference sample.
  • vip · a chemical the body makes in its own gut, lungs and nerves to widen blood vessels and relax the muscle in the walls of airways and gut. drug companies made a synthetic copy of it and took it into trials for damaged lungs. four randomized trials in COVID-19 respiratory failure, a 665-patient meta-analysis, and a plasma half-time of about one minute. the biggest trial was stopped for futility. the one trial that clearly beat placebo is for erectile dysfunction, an indication nobody researches it for.
  • cibinetide (ara-290) · eleven amino acids copied from erythropoietin, the hormone that tells the body to make more red blood cells. the copy keeps the half of that hormone which protects injured tissue and leaves the red cells alone. vendors label it ARA-290. six published human trials, five of them randomised, and two primary endpoints that separated.
  • thymalin · a drug made from calf thymus glands, sold for immune support and to slow ageing. registered in the ussr in 1982 and never once entered into a trial registry. the largest human dataset belongs to the two men who made it.
  • vilon · two amino acids from a russian lab, lysine joined to glutamic acid, sold on an anti-ageing claim. nobody has registered a trial of it in any registry checked, the three human papers state no sample size, and the strongest animal study reports more tumours.
  • adamax · a marketed nootropic name whose exact chemical identity is not established by a cited primary characterisation. scoped PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov searches found no exact-compound record.
  • sermorelin + ghrp-2 blend · This is a two-peptide combination of sermorelin and GHRP-2. One acute IV crossover found an additive GH response, not demonstrated synergy.
  • Ibutamoren · Ibutamoren is an unapproved oral ghrelin-receptor agonist that raises endogenous GH and IGF-1. Older-adult trials found a lean-mass signal without a reliable strength or function benefit.
  • Enobosarm · Enobosarm, also called ostarine or GTx-024, is an unapproved androgen-receptor SARM with short lean-mass signals and split registry-posted phase 3 lean-mass and function results.
  • Rapamycin · Rapamycin and sirolimus are the same active substance. Product-specific sirolimus approvals and mouse lifespan results do not establish healthy-human longevity or cognitive benefit.
  • Metformin · Metformin is an established type 2 diabetes drug. Its diabetes outcomes do not establish healthy-human lifespan, healthspan, cognition, or muscle benefit, and randomized geroscience trials have been null or unfavorable on their primary claims.
  • 1,4-DMAA · 1,4-DMAA is a distinct stimulant isomer detected in sports and weight-loss supplements. Independent product analyses establish that exposure occurs; they do not establish human performance, fat loss or safety. Findings from 1,3-DMAA cannot be assigned to it wholesale.
  • chloropropanoylpretadalafil · Chloropropanoylpretadalafil was characterized in a supplement by FDA forensic chemists. The available evidence establishes an unusual tadalafil-related structure, without demonstrated PDE5 potency, human PK or erectile benefit. A repository citation mismatch must not be mistaken for a second study.
  • coluracetam · Coluracetam’s only randomized mood trial was null overall. Its healthy-user evidence is one uncontrolled case with no significant objective cognitive change.
  • fasoracetam · Fasoracetam’s early pediatric ADHD signal did not survive the wider controlled program; no healthy-rested cognitive benefit has been tested.
  • fladrafinil · Fladrafinil converts to flmodafinil in people, but its only modern human study measured analytes after one dose and no appraisable efficacy trial exists.
  • flmodafinil · Flmodafinil’s human evidence is a six-person metabolism study with no benefit or tolerability outcome; controlled wakefulness evidence belongs to an R-enantiomer mouse study.
  • GW-0742 · GW-0742 activates PPAR-beta/delta and changes metabolism in cells and animals. In the commonly cited trained-mouse experiment, GW-0742 alone did not significantly improve running time; the large endurance result belonged to its combination with AICAR. No verified human efficacy or pharmacokinetic study was located.
  • J147 · J147 has a substantial animal research record, including memory experiments in normal rodents, injury models and fly lifespan. A completed 64-person oral phase I trial still has no posted results, and an intravenous stroke trial is recruiting. The human benefit and PK questions remain open.
  • LGD-2226 · LGD-2226 is a distinct androgen-receptor modulator with rodent muscle, bone-strength and sexual-behavior findings. Those studies support biological activity and some tissue selectivity, but no verified human efficacy or PK program was located. Results for other LGD compounds do not fill that gap.
  • LGD-3303 · LGD-3303 has detailed rat evidence for androgen-receptor activity, muscle growth and bone effects. Tissue selectivity held across different exposure patterns in those experiments. Human muscle gain, PK, endocrine recovery and safety remain unverified.
  • MID-35 · MID-35 is an experimental D-peptide that inhibits myostatin-related signaling. Small mouse studies found local muscle growth, and a cancer-cachexia model also found better grip strength with MID-35 alone. No verified human administration, PK or safety study was located.
  • MK-777 · MK-777 is a marketed name often associated with acetamoren. Acetamoren does have a supplier chemical record and batch certificate. A verified link between that record and the MK-777 development code, plus primary pharmacology or clinical evidence, was not established.
  • nefiracetam · A selected post-stroke apathy signal was followed by a null 13-person trial; the parent depression trial and revised Japanese pivotal program were negative.
  • oxiracetam · A 500-person, 36-week trial found no post-stroke cognitive benefit from oxiracetam; older dementia and scopolamine-rescue signals do not show healthy enhancement.
  • SR-9011 · SR-9011 changes clock signaling, wakefulness and metabolism in experimental systems. Small mouse studies found higher oxygen consumption and lower fat mass, but many larger claims come from SR9009 or combination experiments. No verified human administration or PK study was located.
  • Vesugen · Vesugen is the short peptide KED. Russian human reports include vascular symptoms, cognition and combined work-ability or geroprotection programs; their designs do not establish a reliable isolated-KED benefit. Cell and mouse findings are more extensive, with selective positive results and important nulls.

F-tier · serious safety concerns

  • insulin human · Insulin is the peptide hormone that controls blood glucose and an essential diabetes medicine. Bodybuilders use it hoping to drive nutrients into muscle, but controlled human work shows less muscle-protein breakdown, not a continuing rise in muscle-protein synthesis.
  • follistatin 344 · myostatin biology is real. retail injectable follistatin-344 has zero human performance trials and major product-quality concerns.
  • igf-1 lr3 · a free-circulating IGF-1 analog for muscle growth. sustained IGF-1 elevation carries one of the clearer cancer-risk signals in the literature.
  • FLGR242 · FLGR242 is a seller name for a claimed follistatin-albumin construct. The seller now publishes partial specifications, but the complete construct and independent characterization remain unresolved.
  • 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) · DNP is an oral small-molecule mitochondrial uncoupler, not a peptide. People seek it for rapid weight loss. The same mechanism can cause lethal hyperthermia and cardiovascular collapse.
  • Trenbolone · Trenbolone is a 19-nor anabolic-androgenic steroid used underground, usually as an injectable product labeled acetate or enanthate, for muscle, strength, recomposition, and a harder or drier look. Current US approval is only for cattle ear implants.
  • Boldenone · a veterinary boldenone undecylenate horse drug with measured equine oil-depot PK, a small human oral metabolism study of the free parent, and no controlled human therapeutic program.
  • YK-11 · YK-11 is a steroidal androgen-receptor research chemical, not a peptide. It is commonly marketed as an oral capsule for muscle and strength, but its human record covers metabolite detection and one doping-control sample, not efficacy or safety.
  • tesamorelin + CJC-1295 + ipamorelin · a three-peptide GH-axis blend with no located direct study, whose CJC variant, component forms, and ratio must be known before even its duration can be described.
  • Cardarine · Cardarine, or GW501516, is an unapproved PPAR-beta/delta agonist with short human lipid and fuel-use biomarker studies and severe chronic animal toxicology signals. It is not a SARM.
  • 1,3-DMAA · 1,3-DMAA is a stimulant with more human research than a regulatory warning alone suggests. A small running trial found no benefit, an acute study found blood-pressure increases, and a 12-week study found no significant group-level abnormalities. Those small studies do not establish useful long-term performance or rare-event safety.
  • Adrafinil · Adrafinil converts to modafinil and has an older placebo-controlled memory-complaint trial with a positive result. That trial omitted about a quarter of enrollees from its reported analysis, and modern human PK and safety data remain thin. France withdrew its authorization after an unfavorable benefit-risk review.
  • aminotadalafil · Aminotadalafil is a tadalafil-related compound found in adulterated supplements. Analytical detection is well documented; human erectile-function benefit and safety are not. The claim of permanent PDE5 inhibition comes from a concern about its chemical structure, not a demonstrated human effect.
  • Clenbuterol · A healthy-men trial found a short lean-mass gain with no fat loss or sprint benefit and lower aerobic capacity. Acute thermogenesis and muscle glucose uptake are real signals; controlled adverse effects and misuse toxicity make the healthy-use trade poor.
  • nortadalafil · Nortadalafil is a distinct tadalafil-related compound and synthetic intermediate detected in sexual-enhancement products. Its analytical identity is better established than its biological potency or clinical benefit. Tadalafil’s efficacy and approval do not transfer to it.
  • RAD-140 · RAD-140 has human target engagement and two early oncology programs, including a 2025 result with reformulated vosilasarm. Healthy muscle and performance outcomes are absent, while clinical liver signals and unreliable retail identity remain.

research reference only. not medical advice.