Growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) peptide

Ipamorelin

Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) that stimulates GH release via ghrelin receptor agonism. It is not FDA-approved for any indication and has limited published human clinical data. It is widely discussed in online fitness and anti-aging communities, often marketed as the 'safest' GHS due to its selectivity for GH release over cortisol and prolactin.

Evidence review Last reviewed 2026-07-01 Next review 2026-07-29

Evidence snapshot

Track claims and source quality. Do not publish dosing, sourcing, or treatment instructions. Flag the 'safest GHS' framing as a community claim, not a regulatory or clinical consensus.

Ipamorelin is a first-generation ghrelin mimetic (GHS) pentapeptide identified in the late 1990s; the original pharmacology was published in the European Journal of Endocrinology (Raun et al., 1998).

It is not FDA-approved for any indication. Human clinical trial data in peer-reviewed literature is extremely limited compared to other GHS compounds like MK-677 or tesamorelin.

Online fitness and anti-aging communities frequently describe ipamorelin as the 'safest GHS' because preclinical data showed it did not significantly increase cortisol or prolactin — this framing reflects community interpretation, not regulatory endorsement.

Commonly stacked with CJC-1295 in telehealth and research-chemical contexts; neither compound is FDA-approved individually or in combination.

Tracked claims

Ipamorelin is described as the 'safest' growth hormone secretagogue in online discussions.

Evidence level: Community discussion

Sources: European Journal of Endocrinology (PubMed), U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The 'safest GHS' framing originates from preclinical selectivity data (minimal cortisol/prolactin release) and has been amplified by online communities. This is a community interpretation, not a regulatory determination. Flag explicitly.

Ipamorelin is commonly stacked with CJC-1295 in online protocols.

Evidence level: Community discussion

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The 'Ipamorelin + CJC-1295' stack is one of the most common peptide protocols discussed in fitness and telehealth communities. Track as a claim pattern; do not reproduce dosing instructions.

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Sources on this page

Source records are stored in the repo and linked from each claim.

Ipamorelin, the First Selective Growth Hormone Secretagogue — Pharmacology

European Journal of Endocrinology (PubMed) · Peer reviewed · 1998-12-01 · accessed 2026-07-01

Raun et al. (1998) original pharmacology publication (PMID 9860070) describing ipamorelin as a pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue with selectivity for GH release over cortisol and prolactin in animal models.

Warning Letter: Gram Peptides

U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Primary regulatory · 2026-03-31 · accessed 2026-06-30

FDA warning letter discussing peptide products marketed online and the limits of research-use-only positioning.