GHRP-1_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as growth hormone releasing peptide 1, GHRP1
The seven-amino-acid member of the family, studied early and then left behind.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is GHRP-1?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
An older cousin of GHRP-2 that never got developed. It works on the same receptor, and almost everything written about its dosing is borrowed from a different peptide.
GHRP-1 (Ala-His-D-2-Nal-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2), a heptapeptide ghrelin receptor agonist from the Bowers GHRP series, signaling through GHSR-1a via phospholipase C. Named individually on the WADA prohibited list. Human pharmacokinetic and efficacy data is minimal compared with GHRP-2.
What it's used for
An injected peptide that signals a pulse of your own growth hormone. Rarely sold and rarely studied compared with GHRP-2 and GHRP-6.
How does GHRP-1 work?
What it does in the body, and where.GHRP-1 belongs to the series Cyril Bowers built by modifying met-enkephalin, and it sits one amino acid longer than the rest.
- 01It activates the ghrelin receptorThe same target as GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin and ipamorelin. Activation triggers a growth hormone pulse from the pituitary through a calcium-based pathway, which is different from how sermorelin and CJC-1295 work.
- 02Seven amino acids, where the others have sixGHRP-1 is a heptapeptide. GHRP-2, GHRP-6 and hexarelin are hexapeptides. The extra residue is the clearest structural difference in the group.
- 03It was studied, and then it was notGHRP-1 appears in the founding literature alongside GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 and in doping-control method papers. Clinical development concentrated on GHRP-2, which reached approval in Japan as a diagnostic agent. GHRP-1 did not.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each use below 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.
- Raising growth hormone to build muscle and recoverResearch only
- Diagnostic testing of pituitary growth hormone reserve, which is what the family was built forResearch only
- Increased appetite, reported across this familyResearch only
The published record
Papers and trials about GHRP-1
24 papers tagged human · 17 not reviews or lab · 4 clinical trial publications
1 registered trials · none with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Phase 2, stopped early
Compare this against the whole library →
Prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. S2.2.4 Growth hormone releasing factors: GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) (GHRP-1 named). Non-Specified.Regulators
At a glance
Four things to know about GHRP-1
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Research only, not established. Not established No range
Continuous exposure to a ghrelin-receptor peptide blunts the growth hormone response to a later dose, which is documented in people for the studied members of this family. Whether that applies at the same rate to this one has not been measured, and no schedule has been compared against another.
Source: 24-hour GHRP infusion attenuates the response to a later GHRP bolus (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1993)
Nothing publishedNo figure
No half-life has been published for this compound. What exists for the family is concentrated in GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, and those numbers belong to those molecules. Doping-control laboratories have measured how long some of these peptides remain detectable in urine, which is a different question from how long they act.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
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.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit 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 GHRP-1 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.Ghrelin-receptor peptides can cause a histamine flush: temporary flushing, itching, or welts near the injection, usually mild and short-lived. Injecting slowly helps. Spreading redness, heat, streaking, oozing or fever suggests infection and needs a doctor. Hives all over, a swollen face or throat, or trouble breathing is an allergic reaction and needs help immediately.
Solubility, computed: 43% charged residues, 71% hydrophobic. Water usually sufficient.
A first-pass rule from peptide manufacturers' guidance. It does not account for disulfide bridges, salt form or how the powder was dried, and it predicts what should be easy rather than what will happen in your vial.
Who should avoid it
- Active cancer, as a precaution with anything that raises growth hormone and IGF-1
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Anyone competing in drug-tested sport
- Anyone who wants established safety data, because none exists for this compound in humans
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction, including spreading hives, facial or throat swelling, or trouble breathing
- Redness, heat, or pus at the injection site, which can signal infection
- Persistent milky nipple discharge, which can indicate raised prolactin
- Anything unusual, since there is no known safety profile to compare it against
Common effects
- Unknown. No study has recorded what this compound commonly causes in people
- Redness, soreness, or a small bump at the injection site
- Increased hunger, reported across this family of peptides
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is GHRP-1 approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. GHRP-1 is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labeled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- Checked24 August 2026
- DoseFrom community reports. No regulator or trial established this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesNone traced yet.
What has happened recently
Not approved for any medical use anywhere. Prohibited in sport at all times by WADA, which names GHRP-1 through GHRP-6 individually under section S2.
What regulators say
From official documentsProhibited at all times, in and out of competition. S2.2.4 Growth hormone releasing factors: GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) (GHRP-1 named). Non-Specified.
Checked 12 September 2026WADA: The 2026 Prohibited List (in force 1 January 2026)
Banned in drug-tested sport. Most research peptides are prohibited under WADA's S0 category, which covers any substance with no approval from any regulatory authority for human use. That means a compound can be banned without ever being named on the prohibited list. Check with your own anti-doping authority rather than assuming absence from the list means permitted.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like GHRP-1?
Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.If you're weighing GHRP-1, it's worth reading GHRP-3, GHRP-4, and GHRP-5 in the same class.
The seven-amino-acid member of the family, studied early and then left behind.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Named on the WADA banned list, and almost undocumented anywhere else.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Four amino acids, sold to labs, and never studied in people.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
A five-amino-acid family member with a molecular weight and not much else.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
Sources
No primary source has been traced for this compound yet. Treat everything on this page as unverified until one is. How we grade evidence
Beyond these, 66 records are indexed. Browse the records