How much water do I add to BPC-157?

You can reconstitute BPC-157 with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does BPC-157 cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the BPC-157 calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for BPC-157?

The commonly referenced range is 0.25 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), taken 1-2x daily. This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of BPC-157?

Reported side effects of BPC-157 include: Almost all the evidence so far is from animal studies, not people.; There is a theoretical cancer concern because it promotes new blood-vessel growth.; Banned in drug-tested sport.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take BPC-157?

BPC-157 is generally not appropriate for: Active cancer, as a precaution given that it promotes new blood-vessel growth; Pregnancy; Banned in drug-tested sport. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

New?New to peptides?Start here →

Decoding

BPC-157_

Q: What is BPC-157?

BPC-157 is a repair peptide used for build & hold muscle. BPC-157 is a synthetic chain of 15 amino acids based on a protective protein found in stomach acid. In plain terms: it seems to speed the body's own repair signals, especially for blood vessels and connective tissue, which is why people use it after injuries, though almost all evidence is from animals.

Also known as Body Protection Compound 157, Pentadecapeptide BPC 157, PL 14736

A popular healing peptide for injuries, gut, and joint or tendon pain.

Build & hold muscleRepair peptideResearch only

InMuscle building

Common vial size5 mg

Dose0.25 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)

Frequency1-2x daily

RouteUnder the skin, into muscle, or by mouth

StatusResearch only

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledCommonly run in 4 to 8 week blocks around an injury, then stopped

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

What is BPC-157?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

BPC-157 is a synthetic chain of 15 amino acids based on a protective protein found in stomach acid. In plain terms: it seems to speed the body's own repair signals, especially for blood vessels and connective tissue, which is why people use it after injuries, though almost all evidence is from animals.

What it's used for

A popular healing peptide people use to bounce back faster from injuries, gut problems, and joint or tendon pain. It is a favorite for recovery.

How does BPC-157 work?

What it does in the body, and where.

BPC-157 is a 15-amino-acid chain based on a protective protein found in stomach acid. It is one of the most widely used peptides here and one of the least studied in humans.

01
It appears to promote new blood vessel growth
More blood supply to an injured area means more oxygen and more of the material repair requires.
02
Repair signalling steps up
In animals it accelerates healing in tendon, muscle, gut lining, and nerve, which is a broader range than most repair compounds.
03
Almost all of this is from rats
The healing figures quoted online come from rodent studies. There is no completed human trial establishing that any of it transfers.

Where it acts

GutTendonJoint

Where this compound is thought to act.

What else is it used for?

Each group carries its own evidence level.

Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

Tendon, muscle, and bone healing

Research only

Animal studyIn rats with a surgically cut Achilles tendon, healing was faster and the repaired tendon was mechanically stronger.
Animal studyIn rats, it improved reattachment of tendon to bone on functional, mechanical, and microscopic measures.
Lab studyIn lab dishes, it sped the outgrowth of tendon cells and increased their migration in a dose-dependent way.
Lab studyIn cultured rat tendon cells it increased growth-hormone-receptor expression, which is the proposed mechanism.

Study

Rat tendon-to-bone study, PubMed, 2006

Gut healing

Research only

human-earlyA related compound was studied in early human trials for inflammatory bowel disease years ago under a different name.
No dataThe version sold online has no completed published human efficacy trials for any use.

Often left out

The tendon-healing claims you see everywhere trace back to rat studies, not human trials. No completed human efficacy trial has been published for any use.

Study

Tendon fibroblast mechanism, Journal of Applied Physiology

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

0.25 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), 1-2x daily. Commonly run in 4 to 8 week blocks around an injury, then stoppedCommunity practice

The block length is a community convention tied to how long a soft-tissue injury takes to settle. No human study has tested a duration, and none has looked at what long-term use does, so there is no evidence either that a break is needed or that it is safe to skip one.

Compare cycling across compounds →

How do I dose and price it?

Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.

The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.

Your vial size (mg)

Printed on the vial.

What you paid per vial

Used for cost per dose only.

Your dose (mcg)

Commonly referenced range: 0.25 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)Community practice

Choose your mix

0.5 mL water2.5units · 10 mg/mL

Half a 100-unit syringe

1 mL water5units · 5 mg/mL

One full 100-unit syringe

Easiest

2 mL water10units · 2.5 mg/mL

Two full 100-unit syringes

your own mL

units · —

Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

Your draw

10 / 100 units

Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.

Unmixed lyophilized BPC-157 keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

22 July 2026Regulatory status is genuinely unsettled. The FDA listed BPC-157 in 2023 as a substance that may present significant safety risks for pharmacy compounding, then removed it from that list in April 2026 after the nominations were withdrawn. It was not moved to the approved-for-compounding list, it is not an approved drug, and it has no official quality standard. An FDA advisory committee was scheduled to revisit several peptides in July 2026.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

Active cancer, as a precaution given that it promotes new blood-vessel growth
Pregnancy
Banned in drug-tested sport

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Signs of an allergic reaction
New lumps or masses

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Generally well tolerated in the limited data that exists
Injection-site reactions
Almost all evidence is from animals, so the human profile is not established

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is BPC-157 approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Research only

No. Not FDA-approved.

Regulatory status is genuinely unsettled. The FDA listed BPC-157 in 2023 as a substance that may present significant safety risks for pharmacy compounding, then removed it from that list in April 2026 after the nominations were withdrawn. It was not moved to the approved-for-compounding list, it is not an approved drug, and it has no official quality standard. An FDA advisory committee was scheduled to revisit several peptides in July 2026.

DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
FDA, bulk substances that may present significant safety risks FDA, bulk drug substances used in compounding under 503A Rat tendon-to-bone study, PubMed, 2006 Tendon fibroblast mechanism, Journal of Applied Physiology
Reviewed22 July 2026

What else is like BPC-157?

Others in Muscle building, side by side.

If you're weighing BPC-157, it's worth reading Bimagrumab, Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 blend, and IGF-1 LR3 in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

BPC-157

A popular healing peptide for injuries, gut, and joint or tendon pain.

Research only

Dose: 0.25 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often: 1-2x daily

BIMA300 residues

Bimagrumab

An experimental shot that strips fat while adding muscle.

Investigational

Dose: 10 up to 30 mg/kg per month (trial doses)
How often: Monthly

IPA+CJCBlend

Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 blend

The popular growth-hormone combo in one shot, for muscle, recovery, and sleep.

Research only

Dose: ~100 mcg CJC + 200-300 mcg ipa
How often: Daily, often at night

LR383 residues

IGF-1 LR3

A powerful muscle-builder that also drops blood sugar hard.

Research only

Dose: 0.02 up to 0.05 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Daily, cycled

Compare peptides used to add muscle

What these words mean

Show glossary +

Titrate: Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
Subcutaneous: An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
Intramuscular (IM): An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
Reconstitution: Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
Bacteriostatic water: Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
Concentration: How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
Units (on the syringe): The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
mcg and mg: Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
GLP-1: A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
Growth hormone secretagogue: A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
Half-life: How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
Peptide vs small molecule: A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
Research only: No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
Investigational: Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
Banned in drug-tested sport: Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.

Sources

FDA, bulk substances that may present significant safety risks(2026)
FDA list of substances flagged as possible safety risks for compounding.
FDA, bulk drug substances used in compounding under 503A(2026)
FDA overview of substances permitted in pharmacy compounding.
Rat tendon-to-bone study, PubMed, 2006
Tendon fibroblast mechanism, Journal of Applied Physiology

Last reviewed 22 July 2026