GHRP-1 dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
GHRP-1 is one of the first lab-made peptides that make the body release growth hormone.
Evidence grade for GHRP-1: Animal or lab only. The rule: only animal or lab studies on this page. No study in people yet. The sum on this page: 1 animal study, 1 lab study, no human study. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 0
- Human studies
- 0
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that circulate in forums and on vendor pages are not a human dose. No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result.
Commonly reported amounts, in mcg. No approved label.
Amounts commonly reported by people buying GHRP-1, recorded for this archive's reconstitution calculator, are 100, 200 and 300 mcg. They are self-reports rather than trial doses, and this archive does not recommend any of them. No human dose has been established for GHRP-1.
| Reported amount | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| 100 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 200 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 300 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
1 effects reported, 1 unwanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Hormones and growth hormone
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
GHRP-1 is one of the first lab-made peptides that make your body release growth hormone. It works through the same switch as your hunger hormone, ghrelin. It is used less than its cousins GHRP-2, GHRP-6 and ipamorelin. It is not an approved drug.
What people take it for
- More growth hormone.
- An older choice in the growth hormone peptide family.
What studies in people showed
There are no human studies of it on this page. Since nobody can patent it, nobody is likely to pay for a big one. In lambs, it raised growth hormone. In sheep gland cells in a dish, it made the cells release growth hormone. One paper notes it had been called stronger than GHRH in rats and humans. That is a passing note, not a study in people.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
The bad
- There are no human studies on this page, so its side effects in people are not known here.
Where these come from: There are no user reports or human studies on this page to draw from.
My bottom line
There is nothing here to base a human dose on. If you want your growth hormone looked at, start with blood work, not with the oldest peptide in the family.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Animal and lab work, not yet tested in people
Real results, but from animals or cells, not people. What works in a mouse often does not work the same way in a person. Nobody can patent this, so nobody would ever earn back the cost of a study in people. That is usually why there is none.
- Growth hormone and IGF-11 animal or lab study
35 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind GHRP-1
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove GHRP-1 does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about GHRP-1 and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is GHRP-1?
GHRP-1 is one of the first lab-made peptides that make the body release growth hormone.
GHRP-1 is one of the first lab-made growth hormone releasing peptides. It was made around the same time as GHRP-6. It makes the pituitary gland release growth hormone through the ghrelin switch. There are no human studies on this page. A review by Bowers says these peptides act on both the brain and the pituitary gland, by a different route from GHRH. In sheep gland cells in a dish, it made the cells release growth hormone. In lambs, it raised growth hormone too. That report notes it had been described as stronger than GHRH in rats and humans. It is used less than GHRP-2, GHRP-6 or ipamorelin, and it is not an approved drug.
How does GHRP-1 work?
It switches on the ghrelin receptor, which makes the body release growth hormone.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
0people have taken this in any study cited here
0 people · 0 studies in people
What this page cites instead is 1 animal study, 1 lab study in a dish and 1 review. None of them gave the compound to a person.
Counted from the list of sources on this page. We draw this chart only when a study in people is cited. An empty one is the answer, not a gap in the page.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
None of the 3 sources here are studies in people.
- Animal study · done in animals133%
- Lab (cells in a dish) · cells or tissue133%
- Review of studies · sums up other studies133%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 1994 and 1998.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline. The newest source on file is from 1998, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- ~956 Da
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for GHRP-1, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Review of studies1998Growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP)
A review of the GHRP family by Bowers. These peptides release growth hormone by acting on both the brain and the pituitary gland, by a route different from GHRH.
Bowers' review of the GHRP class, which releases GH through a dual action on hypothalamus and pituitary distinct from GHRH.
- Animal study1998In vivo effects of the GH-releasing heptapeptide GHRP-1 in lambs
In lambs. GHRP-1 raised growth hormone. The paper notes it had been reported as stronger than GHRH in rats and humans.
GHRP-1 stimulated GH release in vivo in sheep; the abstract notes it was reported more potent than GHRH in rats and humans.
- Lab (cells in a dish)1994Effects in vitro of new growth hormone releasing peptide (GHRP-1) on growth hormone secretion from ovine pituitary cells in primary culture
In a dish. GHRP-1 made sheep pituitary cells release growth hormone. It was compared with GHRH and GHRP-6.
GHRP-1 (KP 101) stimulated GH secretion from perifused pituitary cells, compared against GHRH and GHRP-6.
Where to buy GHRP-1
No seller we track lists GHRP-1 yet. We read sellers’ public product lists every week, and this section fills in as soon as one does. Every seller, graded
Common questions
Has GHRP-1 been tested in people?
Not in any study cited here. GHRP-1 is one of the first lab-made peptides that make the body release growth hormone.
What is the GHRP-1 dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that circulate in forums and on vendor pages are not a human dose. No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result. Commonly reported amounts, in mcg. No approved label.
Is GHRP-1 FDA-approved?
The hormone itself is not a medicine and no lab-made version of it is approved anywhere. Unlike the other natural hormones on this site, no approved drug works on this pathway.
How does GHRP-1 compare to GHRP-2 and GHRP-6?
All three are early growth hormone boosters that work on the same switch. GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 have been studied more. GHRP-1 is used less.