Illustrated story
Why would one medicine target several signals?
The interesting idea is not “more targets must be better”. It is whether changing several signals can produce a useful overall result.
5 min read
Browse
Drugs & peptides
Explore medicines, peptides and substances by family.
Metabolic medicines.
A plain-language map of metabolic medicines: the signals they affect, the questions trials can answer, and why product and indication matter.
Substance profile
Retatrutide.
A plain-language guide to retatrutide’s three biological targets, the human trials reported so far, and why trial results are not the same as an approval.
9 min read
Substance profile
Tirzepatide.
A plain-language guide to what tirzepatide is, how GIP and GLP-1 signals fit together, what human trials measured, and what remains uncertain.
12 min read
Substance profile
Semaglutide.
A plain-language guide to semaglutide: one peptide medicine, different products, different authorised uses, and evidence that should not be mixed together.
10 min read
Substance profile
Tesamorelin.
What tesamorelin does, what Egrifta products are authorised for in the United States, and what the trials measured.
4 min read
Question guide
Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus: what is the difference?
A guide to the different semaglutide products, how they are taken and what they are approved for.
4 min read
Question guide
GLP-1 and GIP medicines: what do the signals mean?
A mechanism-first explanation of GLP-1 and GIP, followed by the clinical questions a receptor story cannot answer on its own.
2 min read
Question guide
How should you read an average weight-loss result?
A practical guide to percentages, comparators, time points, missing data and why an average trial result is not a personal forecast.
2 min read
Medicine safety guide
GLP-1 medicines and surgery: what should you tell your care team?
Why semaglutide and tirzepatide matter for anaesthesia, and why the plan should be individual.
4 min read
Medicine safety guide
GLP-1 medicines and pregnancy: what should you know?
Planning pregnancy, unexpected exposure and why the reason for treatment matters.
4 min read
Guide
Can weight-loss medicines cause hair loss?
What semaglutide and tirzepatide trials reported, what might explain shedding, and why hair supplements are not an automatic answer.
3 min read
Guide
Can weight-loss medicines cause gallbladder problems?
What trials of Wegovy and Zepbound reported about gallstones and inflammation, and when to seek care.
3 min read
Guide
Missed a dose of semaglutide or tirzepatide?
Why the answer depends on the exact medicine, formulation and length of the interruption.
5 min read
Evidence guide
Do weight-loss medicines cause muscle loss?
What scans in semaglutide and tirzepatide studies show, and why lean mass is not the same as muscle strength.
4 min read
Medicine interaction guide
Do tirzepatide or semaglutide affect the contraceptive pill?
Why product instructions differ, what was measured in a hormone study and when vomiting or diarrhoea matters.
3 min read
Medicine safety guide
Can GLP-1 medicines cause pancreatitis?
What safety warnings, trial reviews and symptoms can—and cannot—tell us about semaglutide and tirzepatide.
3 min read
Practical guide
What can I eat if semaglutide or tirzepatide makes me feel sick?
Practical food and fluid questions, from a smaller appetite to symptoms that need medical attention.
5 min read
Medicine safety guide
Semaglutide and vision loss: what is NAION?
What the rare eye warning means, which symptoms need urgent attention and how to interpret the evidence.
4 min read
Medicine safety guide
Semaglutide and diabetic retinopathy: what did the trial show?
Why an eye warning in diabetes deserves attention, what SUSTAIN-6 measured and what remains uncertain.
4 min read
Peptides.
A plain-language introduction to peptides: short amino-acid chains, how peptide medicines work, and why formulation and evidence still matter.
Illustrated story
Why would one medicine target several signals?
The interesting idea is not “more targets must be better”. It is whether changing several signals can produce a useful overall result.
5 min read
Illustrated story
Why can a promising laboratory result fail?
A useful experiment answers one question. A useful treatment has to answer several.
6 min read
Substance profile
Retatrutide.
A plain-language guide to retatrutide’s three biological targets, the human trials reported so far, and why trial results are not the same as an approval.
9 min read
Substance profile
Tirzepatide.
A plain-language guide to what tirzepatide is, how GIP and GLP-1 signals fit together, what human trials measured, and what remains uncertain.
12 min read
Substance profile
BPC-157.
A plain-language evidence-gap profile: what BPC-157 is, what laboratory studies suggest, and how little human evidence exists.
9 min read
Substance profile
Semaglutide.
A plain-language guide to semaglutide: one peptide medicine, different products, different authorised uses, and evidence that should not be mixed together.
10 min read
Substance profile
Tesamorelin.
What tesamorelin does, what Egrifta products are authorised for in the United States, and what the trials measured.
4 min read
Substance profile
CJC-1295.
CJC-1295 is marketed as a growth-hormone peptide, but limited human data and regulator concerns make confident wellness claims unjustified.
4 min read
Substance profile
Ipamorelin.
An evidence-gap guide to ipamorelin, a growth-hormone secretagogue marketed online despite limited route-specific human safety information.
4 min read
Substance profile
TB-500.
What TB-500 means in online peptide marketing, what is actually known about the molecule, and why recovery claims outrun human evidence.
4 min read
Substance profile
GHK-Cu.
A clear guide to GHK-Cu: a copper-binding peptide used in cosmetic claims and sold as an injectable wellness product with limited human safety information.
6 min read
Substance profile
AOD-9604.
What is known about AOD-9604, a fragment marketed for fat loss, and why a proposed growth-hormone pathway is not evidence of a weight-loss treatment.
4 min read
Substance profile
Melanotan II.
Why Melanotan II’s tanning and sexual-function marketing should be treated as an unapproved-drug and product-quality question.
3 min read
Peptide stack
GLOW peptide stack.
What the GLOW name usually means, what its ingredients can and cannot tell us, and why a branded stack is not a clinical trial.
4 min read
Peptide stack
KLOW peptide stack.
A careful guide to the KLOW name, its changing ingredient lists, and the gap between ingredient research and evidence for a four-peptide blend.
4 min read
Substance profile
KPV.
An experimental peptide fragment discussed in inflammation and gut-health claims, with no identified human exposure data for drug products in the FDA record.
4 min read
Substance profile
Epitalon.
A synthetic tetrapeptide discussed in longevity and sleep claims; human evidence and safety information remain limited.
4 min read
Substance profile
Semax.
A synthetic peptide researched mainly in Russian-language contexts and sold online as a nootropic; its human evidence, product quality and regulatory status vary by jurisdiction.
4 min read
Substance profile
Selank.
A synthetic peptide discussed online for anxiety and cognition, with limited independently established clinical evidence and unresolved product-quality questions.
3 min read
Question guide
What does human research on BPC-157 actually show?
A close reading of the small human studies behind BPC-157 claims, and why laboratory promise is not clinical proof.
5 min read
Question guide
Are peptide stacks safer or more effective than one peptide?
Why combining marketed peptides creates new questions about formulation, interactions and evidence instead of answering them.
2 min read
Question guide
GHK-Cu topical cream versus injectable peptide: what changes?
Route, formulation and product quality change the question; evidence for one GHK-Cu preparation cannot be moved automatically to another.
3 min read
Question guide
CJC-1295 and ipamorelin: are they the same kind of peptide?
A mechanism-level comparison of two growth-hormone-axis peptides, with the evidence and safety gaps kept separate from online stack claims.
4 min read
Question guide
Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus: what is the difference?
A guide to the different semaglutide products, how they are taken and what they are approved for.
4 min read
Question guide
GLP-1 and GIP medicines: what do the signals mean?
A mechanism-first explanation of GLP-1 and GIP, followed by the clinical questions a receptor story cannot answer on its own.
2 min read
Product storage guide
How should research peptides and peptide stacks be stored?
Why a seller’s storage claim is not proof of stability, sterility or permission to travel.
4 min read
Beginner’s guide
Why does the way a medicine or supplement enters the body matter?
A beginner’s guide to oral, topical and injectable products.
2 min read
Medicine safety guide
GLP-1 medicines and surgery: what should you tell your care team?
Why semaglutide and tirzepatide matter for anaesthesia, and why the plan should be individual.
4 min read
Medicine safety guide
GLP-1 medicines and pregnancy: what should you know?
Planning pregnancy, unexpected exposure and why the reason for treatment matters.
4 min read
Guide
Can weight-loss medicines cause hair loss?
What semaglutide and tirzepatide trials reported, what might explain shedding, and why hair supplements are not an automatic answer.
3 min read
Substance profile
Elamipretide (SS-31): what does the evidence show?
A peptide with a US accelerated approval for Barth syndrome—and important limits on claims about ageing and general mitochondrial health.
4 min read
Guide
Does a peptide certificate of analysis prove a vial is safe?
How to understand purity, identity, strength, sterility and endotoxin claims—and what a seller’s document cannot tell you.
4 min read
Guide
Are peptides banned in sport? What athletes should check
BPC-157, TB-500, CJC-1295 and other substances under the 2026 WADA list, plus medicines, exemptions and supplement risks.
3 min read
Guide
Can weight-loss medicines cause gallbladder problems?
What trials of Wegovy and Zepbound reported about gallstones and inflammation, and when to seek care.
3 min read
Guide
Missed a dose of semaglutide or tirzepatide?
Why the answer depends on the exact medicine, formulation and length of the interruption.
5 min read
Substance profile
Ibutamoren (MK-677): what does the evidence show?
Growth-hormone signals, body-composition findings, safety concerns and US regulatory status.
5 min read
Question guide
GHK-Cu, GLOW and KLOW: what is the difference?
A practical comparison of skin serums, peptide blends and the claims behind them.
3 min read
Question guide
Peptide injection-site reactions: what should you look for?
Understand local irritation, why causes can differ and when symptoms need prompt attention.
3 min read
Question guide
BPC-157 and TB-500 for injury recovery: how do they compare?
Why these peptides are discussed together, what each has been studied for and what remains unknown.
3 min read
Question guide
Copper-peptide serum for skin: what should you expect?
A practical guide to GHK-Cu on a skin-care label, its research and common questions.
3 min read
Question guide
Semax and Selank: what is the difference for focus and stress?
Why the two peptides are discussed together, what their human studies measured and what remains uncertain.
3 min read
Question guide
Weight-loss peptides: appetite, fat burning and what is actually measured
Why semaglutide, tirzepatide, tesamorelin and AOD-9604 answer different questions.
4 min read
Question guide
Epitalon, melatonin and sleep: how are they connected?
A guide to the peptide, the older extract and the sleep-timing hormone—without treating them as the same thing.
4 min read
Study explainer
AOD-9604 for fat loss: what did the human study find?
The story behind the “fat-burning peptide” claim, from an older conference abstract to the OPTIONS study.
4 min read
Study explainer
Tesamorelin and visceral fat: what did the trial really show?
A close look at the people, scans and percentages behind a widely repeated abdominal-fat claim.
3 min read
Study explainer
Tirzepatide, fat and lean mass: what did the body-scan study find?
The SURMOUNT-1 substudy explains part of weight loss; it does not measure every aspect of muscle health.
3 min read
Study explainer
Can BPC-157 help a tendon heal? What the research actually shows
Follow the claim from an Achilles-tendon experiment in rats to the much smaller body of human evidence.
4 min read
Study explainer
GHK-Cu and collagen: what do skin-care claims mean?
From cells in a dish to a small human skin study: how much does copper-peptide research tell us?
3 min read
Question guide
KPV and inflammation: what do gut studies tell us about KLOW?
Follow the idea from intestinal cells and mouse studies to the separate question of injection-site reactions.
4 min read
Question guide
TB-500 and thymosin beta-4: why are they not the same?
A practical guide to the shorter fragment, the longer molecule and the research often quoted for each.
3 min read
Question guide
How are GLOW and KLOW meant to work? A guide to their ingredients
The skin, hair and recovery ideas behind four peptide names—and what their separate studies actually tested.
4 min read
Question guide
Growth-hormone peptides, muscle and sleep: how do the claims fit together?
A beginner’s guide to the signal, the hormone and why a blood-test change is not the same as a better outcome.
4 min read
Question guide
Melanotan II, self-tan and sunscreen: what is the difference?
How a tanning peptide, cosmetic colour and related prescription medicines answer different questions.
3 min read
Practical guide
Does GHK-Cu help eyebrows or scalp hair grow?
A closer look at two small studies, the products they tested and what their results mean.
4 min read
Practical guide
Does BPC-157 need to be used near an injury?
Local versus systemic claims, oral and topical products, and what route research can actually tell us.
4 min read
Practical guide
BPC-157 and gut health: what does the research show?
From a small ulcerative-colitis trial to claims about capsules, the intestinal barrier and “gut healing”.
4 min read
Substance profile
MOTS-c: what is the mitochondrial peptide?
Why it is discussed for exercise, energy and ageing—and what has actually been studied.
4 min read
Practical guide
MOTS-c and exercise: what did the studies measure?
A molecule that responds to exercise is not automatically a substitute for it.
3 min read
Practical guide
MOTS-c and CB4211: what did the human trial actually test?
A related molecule, a small liver study and the difference between early results and proof.
4 min read
Practical guide
SS-31 and energy: what did the human studies find?
A closer look at fatigue, muscle function, laboratory markers and the Barth-syndrome approval.
4 min read
Practical guide
Semax, Selank and brain scans: what did the studies show?
What fMRI can measure, what the two small studies reported and what they cannot tell us about focus or anxiety.
4 min read
Practical guide
Semax and stroke recovery: what do the studies show?
Acute stroke, later rehabilitation and the limits of two human reports.
4 min read
Practical guide
Selank and anxiety: what do the human studies show?
Three small comparisons, what “similar” means and questions to take to a clinician.
4 min read
Practical guide
Does epitalon lengthen telomeres or help people live longer?
Follow the claim from laboratory cells to a 15-year human study of a different preparation.
3 min read
Practical guide
CJC-1295 with DAC or without DAC: what is the difference?
Why similar names can describe different substances—and what the human hormone studies actually tested.
3 min read
Practical guide
Thymosin beta-4 eye trials: what do they tell us about TB-500?
Follow the human studies from early dry-eye results to larger trials and a different eye condition.
4 min read
Practical guide
What happens to weight after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide?
What withdrawal trials found, why people’s experiences differ and what to discuss before changing treatment.
4 min read
Practical guide
Can you use copper peptides with retinol, vitamin C or acids?
How to interpret compatibility claims, product instructions and skin reactions without a one-size-fits-all rule.
4 min read
Practical guide
BPC-157 and knee pain: what did the human study show?
Follow the “11 out of 12” claim back to the patients, the measurements and the missing comparison.
4 min read
Practical guide
Tesamorelin and fatty liver: what did the HIV study show?
Follow the liver-fat measurement, the biopsy findings and the limits of a small trial.
4 min read
Question guide
Melanotan II, libido and erections: is it the same as PT-141?
Why a tanning peptide attracted sexual-health research, what the small studies found and how a related prescription medicine differs.
5 min read
Practical guide
Weight loss has slowed on semaglutide or tirzepatide: is that a plateau?
Why the scale can level off, what studies mean by a plateau and how to think about maintaining weight.
5 min read
Question guide
Can AOD-9604 repair cartilage or help an arthritic knee?
What the rabbit study measured, why hyaluronic acid appears in the claim and what remains unknown in people.
4 min read
Question guide
Ipamorelin and MK-677: are they the same kind of growth-hormone signal?
One peptide, one small molecule and a shared receptor: what the studies actually measured.
5 min read
Substance profile
Sermorelin: what does the growth-hormone signal actually do?
The story of Geref, the human studies and what is—and is not—known about adult wellness claims.
4 min read
Question guide
Sermorelin, tesamorelin and CJC-1295: what is the difference?
Three related signals, distinct products and different questions in the research.
3 min read
Substance profile
Bremelanotide (PT-141): what is it meant to do?
A practical guide to desire, the prescription product Vyleesi and what its evidence can—and cannot—tell us.
4 min read
Study guide
Bremelanotide and desire: what did the RECONNECT trials find?
A closer look at the questions, questionnaire scores, side effects and missing data behind the US prescription product.
4 min read
Medicine safety guide
Semaglutide and vision loss: what is NAION?
What the rare eye warning means, which symptoms need urgent attention and how to interpret the evidence.
4 min read
Medicine safety guide
Semaglutide and diabetic retinopathy: what did the trial show?
Why an eye warning in diabetes deserves attention, what SUSTAIN-6 measured and what remains uncertain.
4 min read
Question guide
BPC-157 capsules versus injections: what is known?
Why the route matters, what human and animal studies measured, and what “stomach stable” does—and does not—mean.
4 min read
Science guide
Can peptides work as pills? Why the formulation matters
Follow a peptide from a tablet to a possible effect, and see why one product cannot prove another will be absorbed.
3 min read
Substance profile
Thymosin alpha-1: what is this immune-related peptide?
The story behind thymalfasin, Zadaxin and the different questions studied in people.
5 min read
Question guide
Thymosin alpha-1, beta-4 and TB-500: are they the same?
A shared name, different molecules and different research questions.
3 min read
Study guide
Thymosin alpha-1 and hepatitis B: what did the trials find?
Two studies, different comparisons and what a change in viral markers can actually tell us.
4 min read
Question guide
Can you boost your immune system with peptides or vitamins?
What immune support can mean, what everyday habits and vaccines do, and how to judge product claims.
3 min read
Study guide
Thymosin alpha-1 and flu vaccination: what has been studied?
Why one Italian medicine is used alongside vaccination, and what the small studies can tell us.
4 min read
Study guide
Thymosin alpha-1 and sepsis: what did the TESTS trial show?
A large critical-care study, its corrected results and why its findings do not answer every immune-health question.
3 min read
Peptide and supplement guide
Glutathione: what does this natural peptide do?
A closer look at the molecule your cells make, the supplements and drips sold in its name, and what evidence can tell us.
4 min read
Practical product guide
Glutathione capsules, skin products and IV drips: what is different?
Follow the evidence and practical questions behind three very different ways this peptide is sold.
4 min read
Evidence guide
Glutathione for skin: what did the studies actually find?
A practical look at pigmentation, serums, supplements and drips—without treating different studies as the same experiment.
4 min read
Peptide evidence guide
ARA-290 (cibinetide): what is the nerve-pain research about?
Why an erythropoietin-inspired peptide attracted interest, and what the early human studies can—and cannot—tell us.
3 min read
Human evidence guide
ARA-290 and neuropathy: what did the human studies measure?
Follow the difference between a nerve image, a symptom score and evidence that a treatment improves daily life.
4 min read
Peptide guide
Oxytocin: what does the “love hormone” actually do?
From childbirth and milk release to the science of trust, understand the same messenger in very different contexts.
3 min read
Human evidence guide
Oxytocin nasal spray: does it improve trust or connection?
A laboratory trust game, a replication and clinical trials answer different questions. Here is how to read them.
3 min read
Practical evidence guide
What happens to visceral fat after stopping tesamorelin?
Follow two studies beyond six months and see what their measurements can—and cannot—predict.
3 min read
Practical evidence guide
Tesamorelin side effects: why monitor blood sugar and IGF-1?
A practical guide to the signals, side effects and uncertainties in US Egrifta WR information.
3 min read
US policy explainer
BPC-157, GHK-Cu and US peptide compounding: what changed?
A dated guide to the HHS policy, multi-ingredient blends and a separate planned FDA advisory discussion.
4 min read
Peptide combinations & stacks
Explore related questions, products and evidence in this collection.
Peptide stack
GLOW peptide stack.
What the GLOW name usually means, what its ingredients can and cannot tell us, and why a branded stack is not a clinical trial.
4 min read
Peptide stack
KLOW peptide stack.
A careful guide to the KLOW name, its changing ingredient lists, and the gap between ingredient research and evidence for a four-peptide blend.
4 min read
Question guide
Are peptide stacks safer or more effective than one peptide?
Why combining marketed peptides creates new questions about formulation, interactions and evidence instead of answering them.
2 min read
Product storage guide
How should research peptides and peptide stacks be stored?
Why a seller’s storage claim is not proof of stability, sterility or permission to travel.
4 min read
Question guide
How are GLOW and KLOW meant to work? A guide to their ingredients
The skin, hair and recovery ideas behind four peptide names—and what their separate studies actually tested.
4 min read
Cannabinoids.
A plain-language introduction to cannabinoids, the body’s endocannabinoid signalling system, and why product labels do not answer every evidence question.
Substance profile
Cannabidiol (CBD).
A plain-language guide to cannabidiol: what the compound is, why products differ, and what human evidence can—and cannot—show.
9 min read
Substance profile
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
A specific cannabinoid—not a synonym for every cannabis product.
6 min read
Evidence guide
Does CBD help with sleep or insomnia?
What small clinical trials found, why mixtures are hard to interpret and what safety questions remain.
4 min read
Psychedelics.
A plain-language introduction to psychedelic compounds, the settings in which they are studied, and the limits of current evidence.
Illustrated story
What would show a lasting benefit?
An unusual immediate experience and a durable clinical improvement are different things to measure.
5 min read
Illustrated story
Why can a promising laboratory result fail?
A useful experiment answers one question. A useful treatment has to answer several.
6 min read
Research update
A research rulebook is not a treatment approval.
What a regulatory guidance document changes—and what it does not.
4 min read
Substance profile
Psilocybin: what the research shows
A plain-language guide to psilocybin, the brain and the evidence behind claims about depression and lasting change.
12 min read
Research evidence guide
MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD: what does the evidence show?
What a phase 3 trial found, why the therapy setting matters, and how regulated access differs by country.
5 min read
Evidence guide
Can psilocybin help people stop smoking?
A 2026 pilot compared a supported psilocybin programme with nicotine patches. Here is what the result does—and does not—show.
3 min read
Research guide
Does psychedelic microdosing improve mood or focus?
What placebo-controlled studies of psilocybin and LSD can—and cannot—tell us.
5 min read
Evidence guide
Can DMT help treat depression?
What a small controlled study found, and why a short-acting psychedelic is not yet a proven treatment.
6 min read