CJC-1295 (no DAC) and ipamorelin blend (10 mg)
The CJC-1295 and ipamorelin vial is the best-known growth hormone blend: one peptide that mimics GHRH and one that mimics ghrelin, the pituitary's two accelerators. The idea behind pairing them has genuine support from older studies of the drug classes. What is missing is any study of these two particular peptides together, and the 'CJC-1295' in most vials is not the molecule the CJC-1295 trials tested.
As sold, one vial: CJC-1295 (no DAC) 5 mg, Ipamorelin 5 mg. Statuses as of October 3, 2026. Reviewed by the Grey Peptides Editorial Board. Nothing here is a recommendation or a dose, and no seller is named or linked.
Each component at a glance
From our encyclopedia and FDA's July 2026 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee record. Evidence grades follow the rubric on our methodology page.
| Component | Evidence | FDA status | PCAC, July 2026 | WADA 2026 | WADA 2027 | Interactions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJC-1295 (no DAC) | Low | Research Chemical | Not voted on | Prohibited (S2.2.4) | Prohibited (S2.2.4) | Partly reviewed |
| Ipamorelin | Medium | Discontinued | Not voted on | Prohibited (S2.2.4) | Prohibited (S2.2.4) | Partly reviewed |
What one vial contains: the ratio arithmetic
The vial holds 10 mg in total. Whatever volume of water is added and however much is drawn, every draw carries the components in the same proportions. The table expresses each as a share of the vial, as a multiple of the smallest component (CJC-1295 (no DAC)), and as a concentration if the whole vial were dissolved in 2 mL or 3 mL of water. These are arithmetic illustrations of what is in the vial, not suggested volumes or doses.
| Component | In the vial | Share | × CJC-1295 (no DAC) | In 2 mL | In 3 mL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJC-1295 (no DAC) | 5 mg | 50.0% | 1 | 2.5 mg/mL | 1.67 mg/mL |
| Ipamorelin | 5 mg | 50.0% | 1 | 2.5 mg/mL | 1.67 mg/mL |
The Blend & Stack Calculator runs the same arithmetic for any volume and draw, with this composition as a preset (CJC-1295 (no DAC) and ipamorelin, 10 mg (5/5)).
Which CJC-1295 is in the vial
The name covers two different molecules. The CJC-1295 tested in people carries a chemical linker, often called DAC, that binds it to albumin in the blood so it lasts for days: in healthy adults one injection raised growth hormone for six days or more1, and a week later growth hormone still came in normal pulses on a raised baseline2. The 'CJC-1295 without DAC' in this blend is a shorter-acting modified GHRH(1-29), also sold as Mod GRF 1-29, which those trials never tested. A sample seized in Norway in 2010 and labelled CJC-1295 turned out to be exactly that kind of 29-amino-acid peptide3.
So the human data on CJC-1295 describe a different drug from the one in this vial. For the no-DAC peptide we found no human trial; our Mod GRF 1-29 entry grades its evidence low, and our DAC vs no-DAC comparison sets out the differences.
Ipamorelin on its own
Ipamorelin is a synthetic five-amino-acid agonist of the ghrelin receptor. In pigs it released growth hormone about as potently as GHRP-6 without raising ACTH or cortisol, even at very high doses4; that selectivity was shown in animals, not people. In 40 healthy men given single intravenous infusions, its kinetics were dose-proportional with a terminal half-life of about two hours, and each dose produced one growth hormone pulse that peaked around 40 minutes5.
Its only efficacy trial was about the gut, not growth hormone. In 114 adults after bowel surgery, intravenous ipamorelin twice daily for up to a week was well tolerated but did not significantly shorten the time to a first tolerated meal6. It has never been approved.
What is known about the pair
The case for combining a GHRH analogue with a ghrelin-receptor agonist comes from older studies of the drug classes. In a 1995 study, healthy children given GHRH, GHRP-6 or both released far more growth hormone with the pair than with either alone; the same study found that in children whose pituitary stalk had been cut, neither peptide nor both together released any7. When GHRP-2 or GHRH was given to adults for one to four weeks, the combined response became synergistic, with desensitisation depending on dose and frequency8.
None of those studies used CJC-1295 in either form, or ipamorelin. We found no study, in people or animals, that measured what this pair does to growth hormone, IGF-1, body composition, sleep or recovery, and no study of the two mixed and stored in one vial. A greater growth hormone pulse in a short test is also not the same as a benefit: whether the pair improves anything a person cares about has not been tested.
Equal parts: what the ratio means here
Because the vial holds 5 mg of each, every draw delivers equal milligrams of each, as the table above shows. The two peptides act on different receptors with different timing, ipamorelin as a single short pulse and the no-DAC GHRH analogue also short-acting, so equal milligrams do not mean an equal or balanced effect. A blend also removes the ability to adjust or stop one peptide separately, and if a reaction occurs there is no way to tell which caused it. Our Blend Calculator shows what each draw contains; it does not, and cannot, say what amount is appropriate in people.
Regulatory status in the United States
Neither peptide is approved by FDA. FDA's page on bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding, current as of April 22, 2026, places ipamorelin acetate in the category of substances outsourcing facilities should not use, citing possible immunogenicity from aggregation or impurities, its unnatural amino acids, and serious adverse events including death in a published study of intravenous use for gut motility. The same page describes serious adverse events with CJC-1295, including raised heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction, and notes limited clinical data9. A pre-mixed vial sold for 'research use only' is not a compounded prescription and is not made or tested for people.
For tested athletes
Both are prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Code, in S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors, which names CJC-1295 among the GHRH analogues and ipamorelin among the growth hormone secretagogues10. Anti-doping laboratories have published methods to detect ipamorelin and its metabolites in urine11, and an athlete is strictly liable for what is in their sample regardless of what a label said. The 2027 List keeps both statuses10.
What to check before anything else
Ask which CJC-1295 the label means, DAC or no DAC; whether the certificate of analysis names and quantifies both peptides with purity for each, from an identifiable laboratory and for the batch in hand; and whether a clinician has assessed the reason for raising growth hormone at all, since approved growth hormone treatment requires a confirmed deficiency. Our Approved-Alternative Finder lists the approved options and the test used to diagnose adult deficiency, our COA Decoder shows what a genuine report contains, and our guide to the stack covers taking them from separate vials.
Sources
- Teichman, S. L., et al. (2006). Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 91. PubMed 16352683 ↗
- Ionescu, M., et al. (2006). Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 91. PubMed 17018654 ↗
- Henninge, J., et al. (2010). Identification of CJC-1295, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation. Drug Test Anal, 2. PubMed 21204297 ↗
- Raun, K., et al. (1998). Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol, 139. PubMed 9849822 ↗
- Gobburu, J. V., et al. (1999). Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res, 16. PubMed 10496658 ↗
- Beck, D. E., et al. (2014). Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis, 29. PubMed 25331030 ↗
- Pombo, M., et al. (1995). Absence of growth hormone (GH) secretion after the administration of either GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6), or GHRH plus GHRP-6 in children with neonatal pituitary stalk transection. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 80. PubMed 7593423 ↗
- Bowers, C. Y., et al. (1996). GHRP-2, GHRH and SRIF interrelationships during chronic administration of GHRP-2 to humans. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab, 9 Suppl 3. PubMed 8887169 ↗
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (entries for ipamorelin acetate and CJC-1295). Page current as of April 22, 2026; read October 1, 2026. Source ↗
- World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List (S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors), in force January 1 to December 31, 2026; the 2027 List keeps the same wording. Source ↗
- Semenistaya, E., et al. (2015). Determination of growth hormone releasing peptides metabolites in human urine after nasal administration of GHRP-1, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Hexarelin, and Ipamorelin. Drug Test Anal, 7. PubMed 25869809 ↗
Related: the blends and stacks hub, the Name Decoder, the COA Decoder and the Interaction Matrix. Last updated October 3, 2026.