Recovery & strength
Peptides for injury recovery and healing
No entry on this page is approved for treating an injury.
The evidence mix
The 6 peptides on this page, by how well they have been tested.
- Approved medicinenone on this page
- Still being tested in peoplenone on this page
- Tested in people, but barely4 peptides
- Only tested on animals2 peptides
- No real evidence at allnone on this page
Most of the evidence is small uncontrolled case series, one blinded measurement that found nothing, animal studies, and in one case a joint-repair claim resting on 32 rabbits. One entry is the exception and it is worth knowing why: a copy of a peptide the immune system makes was tested as a gel on hard-to-heal leg ulcers in a proper randomised, placebo-controlled trial — the standard the rest of this page does not meet — and even there the healing difference did not reach the mark the trial had set. Demand is high and the evidence is not.
All 6 peptides on this page
Strongest evidence first.
Tested in people, but barely
Human studies exist, but they are small, short, uncontrolled, paid for by the seller, or they measure something easy to measure instead of something that matters.
4 peptides
- Evidence level 3 of 5: Tested in people, but barely
AOD-9604
hGH fragment 176-191 · hGH frag 176-191
Promoted for fat loss, and increasingly for joints, cartilage and anti-ageing.
A 502-person trial found no more weight loss than dummy tablets, and the injected form people buy has never been tested in anyone.
Sold as: Gray market
- Evidence level 3 of 5: Tested in people, but barely
BPC-157
Body Protection Compound 157 · PL 14736
Promoted for injury recovery, tendon healing and gut problems.
Human evidence is limited to a 12-person case series and a two-person pilot with no comparison group.
Sold as: Gray market
- Evidence level 3 of 5: Tested in people, but barely
GHK-Cu (copper tripeptide-1)
Copper Tripeptide-1 (INCI) · copper peptide
Sold in skincare for wrinkles, skin repair and hair growth.
Human studies are small, and the only blinded objective measurement found no clear benefit.
Sold as: Skincare
- Evidence level 3 of 5: Tested in people, but barely
LL-37
Cathelicidin LL-37 · cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide
Sold online for infections, wound healing and gut problems; a peptide the body makes itself.
The one properly controlled trial, in 148 people with leg ulcers, closed no more wounds than a dummy gel.
Sold as: Gray market
Only tested on animals
The evidence is animal experiments, cells in a dish, or computer models. No meaningful controlled trial in humans has been published.
2 peptides
- Evidence level 2 of 5: Only tested on animals
KPV
KPV peptide · Lys-Pro-Val
Sold for gut inflammation, skin conditions and wound healing.
No published study has ever given it to a person; the evidence is mouse, rat and rabbit experiments and cells in dishes.
Sold as: Gray market
- Evidence level 2 of 5: Only tested on animals
TB-500
Ac-LKKTETQ · thymosin beta-4 fragment
Promoted for injury healing and recovery.
There are no controlled human studies of TB-500 itself; the evidence comes from animals and related molecules.
Sold as: Gray market