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GHRP-4_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as growth hormone releasing peptide 4, GHRP4

Published August 24, 2026 · Updated October 4, 2026

Four amino acids, sold to labs, and never studied in people.

Muscle & recoveryGH secretagogue (GHRP)Research only
InGrowth hormone peptidesMuscle building
DoseResearch only
FrequencyNot established
RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
StatusResearch only
MixYour choice, open the GHRP-4 calculator
CycledNot established

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

See how this dose compares across the library →

01

What is GHRP-4?

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

Overview

A four-amino-acid relative of GHRP-2 with no human research. Most of what exists about it was written by people trying to catch athletes using it.

The technical version

GHRP-4, a tetrapeptide GH secretagogue in the Bowers series, supplied at 607.73 Da with formula C34H37N7O4. Included as a target analyte in validated LC-MS methods for GHRP detection in human urine, with a deuterium-labelled analog used as internal standard. Named individually on the WADA prohibited list. No published human efficacy or pharmacokinetic data.

What it's used for

A short injected peptide from the GHRP family, supplied as a laboratory reference material rather than as a studied treatment.

02

How does GHRP-4 work?

What it does in the body, and where.

GHRP-4 is one of the shortest members of the family, which is where its interest mostly lies.

  1. 01
    Four amino acids, against six or seven for the rest
    Suppliers list it as a four-residue peptide with a molecular weight near 608 and formula C34H37N7O4. The Bowers work explored how short the chain could get while still releasing growth hormone, and this sits near that limit.
  2. 02
    It acts through the ghrelin receptor
    Assumed on the basis of the family and its shared design. No study specific to GHRP-4 establishes receptor binding or potency in people.
  3. 03
    Where it does appear is in doping laboratories
    Analytical chemists have built extraction and detection methods covering GHRP-4 in human urine, and a deuterium-labelled version is used as an internal standard. The compound is better characterized as a thing to detect than as a thing to take.
Pathway
THE PEPTIDE
GHRP-4
ACTS ON
The ghrelin receptor
RESULT
Presumed growth hormone pulse
RESULT
Potency in people unmeasured

A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.

03

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, on the basis of its receptor familyResearch only
  • Use as a reference standard in doping-control laboratoriesClinical use

The published record

Research index

6

Papers and trials about GHRP-4

5 papers tagged human · 5 not reviews or lab · 0 clinical trial publications

Furthest stage reached: No clinical trial on record

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-4 named). Non-Specified.Regulators
Browse the records
In animals3
In the lab0
Reviews0
Senior author shareSpread across many groups

Evidence summary

Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.

GHRP-4 vial rendering
Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about GHRP-4

01

Evidence

Research only

02

Category

Growth hormone

03

Common vial

Varies

04

Half-life

Nothing published

04

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)

Compare this against the whole library →

05

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

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.

06

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: 100 up to 200 mcgCommunity practice

Choose your mix

your own mL
units · —
Enter your own volume

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

YOUR DRAW2 / 100 units
Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →
2 units is a very small line to read, so a small slip is a large error. A larger water volume above spreads the same dose across more units.
07

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-4 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.

08

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.
Handling note

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.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.
  • 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

These are emergencies. Seek care.
  • 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

Expected, and usually mild.
  • 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.

09

Is GHRP-4 approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

No. GHRP-4 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 status
    Research only
  • Route
    Under the skin (subcutaneous)
  • Checked
    24 August 2026
  • Dose
    From community reports. No regulator or trial established this dose.
  • Vial size
    From what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
  • Sources
    None 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 documents

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.

10

What else is like GHRP-4?

Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.

If you're weighing GHRP-4, it's worth reading GHRP-5, Macimorelin (Macrilen), and Relamorelin in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE
GHRP-4

Four amino acids, sold to labs, and never studied in people.

Research only
Dose
Research only
How often
Not established
GHRP-5
GHRP-5

A five-amino-acid family member with a molecular weight and not much else.

Research only
Dose
Research only
How often
Not established
MACIMOR
Macimorelin (Macrilen)

An FDA-approved ghrelin agonist, and it is a diagnostic test rather than a treatment.

FDA-approved
Dose
0.5 mg per kg, once
How often
Single dose for the test
RELAM
Relamorelin

A ghrelin mimic tested in 1,564 people with diabetic gastroparesis, then stopped before any filing.

Investigational
Dose
10 mcg twice daily (phase 3); 10 to 100 mcg in earlier trials
How often
Twice daily (gastroparesis trials)
Browse every growth hormone compound

Guides for this compound

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, 6 records are indexed. Browse the records