Evidence matrix
Every peptide and longevity compound Aminoscope covers, graded by how strong the human evidence is for the use it’s marketed for. Filter by outcome, evidence tier, family, or pillar — search across all of it — and tap through to the primary source on every grade.
- FDA-approved
- Approved by the FDA for a defined indication, on the strength of pivotal human trials.
- Clinical data
- Tested in humans — but investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker (not the marketed outcome).
- Preclinical / minimal
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
142 of 142 compounds
- Read the Acarbose review
Acarbose
Precose
Marketed for: Type 2 diabetes (approved); explored for longevity via NIA ITP mouse data
FDA-approved alpha-glucosidase inhibitor for diabetes, with a repeated, male-skewed median-lifespan extension in the NIA ITP mouse program — the same pattern later seen with canagliflozin. No human longevity trial exists; taking it off-label for aging means acting ahead of the evidence, not on it.
- Read the Anastrozole review
Anastrozole
Arimidex
Marketed for: Breast cancer (approved); off-label testosterone/estrogen management in men
An approved aromatase inhibitor for breast cancer, used off-label in men to raise testosterone by blocking its conversion to estrogen — a real endocrine effect, but off-label use in men who are not on TRT risks pushing estrogen too low, with real bone-density and lipid consequences.
- Read the Canagliflozin review
Canagliflozin
Invokana
Marketed for: Type 2 diabetes (approved); explored off-label for longevity on mouse ITP data
FDA-approved SGLT2 inhibitor with real cardiovascular and renal outcome trials (CANVAS, CREDENCE) — but the longevity claim rests entirely on a 14% median-lifespan extension in male-only NIA ITP mice; no human longevity trial exists, and the drug carries real risks (amputation, Fournier's gangrene, euglycemic DKA) that apply the same whether it's prescribed for diabetes or taken off-label for aging.
- Read the Dulaglutide review
Dulaglutide
Trulicity
Marketed for: Type-2 diabetes
A once-weekly GLP-1 approved for diabetes with a proven CV benefit (REWIND), but only modest weight loss — it is not an obesity drug, and weight-seekers are steered to semaglutide/tirzepatide.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Exenatide review
Exenatide
Byetta / Bydureon
Marketed for: Type-2 diabetes
The first GLP-1 to market (a synthetic Gila-monster exendin-4) — approved for diabetes with a neutral CV outcome (EXSCEL); a modest weight effect, now superseded by weekly semaglutide/tirzepatide.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Gonadorelin review
Gonadorelin
GnRH
Marketed for: Fertility, TRT adjunct (hCG substitute)
Authentic synthetic GnRH with legitimate diagnostic and pulsatile-pump fertility roles — but the modern once-daily bolus use as an hCG substitute on TRT ignores the rhythm the evidence depends on.
FDA-approvedCompounded - Read the Liraglutide review
Liraglutide
Saxenda / Victoza
Marketed for: Obesity, type-2 diabetes
The first-gen daily GLP-1: ~8% weight loss in SCALE plus a proven CV benefit (LEADER) — real, but modest and now eclipsed by weekly semaglutide and tirzepatide.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Melanotan I (Afamelanotide) review
Melanotan I (Afamelanotide)
Scenesse
Marketed for: Tanning, photoprotection
FDA-approved as the Scenesse implant for the rare disease EPP (real Phase 3 evidence) — but the injectable 'Melanotan 1' sold online for tanning is a different, unregulated product.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Oral semaglutide review
Oral semaglutide
Rybelsus
Marketed for: Type-2 diabetes
The first oral GLP-1, approved on the strength of the PIONEER trial program; effective for glycemic control, but a lower and less consistent weight-loss effect than the injectable form at approved diabetes doses.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the PT-141 review
PT-141
Bremelanotide / Vyleesi
Marketed for: Libido, sexual dysfunction
FDA-approved as Vyleesi for HSDD in premenopausal women, with phase-3 evidence — but the off-label use in men and at higher doses goes beyond what's proven.
FDA-approvedCompounded - Read the Semaglutide review
Semaglutide
Wegovy / Ozempic
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
~15% mean weight loss in STEP 1; the benchmark that opened modern obesity medicine.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Tesamorelin review
Tesamorelin
Egrifta
Marketed for: Visceral fat (often sold for 'fat loss')
FDA-approved specifically for HIV-associated visceral fat — not a general weight-loss drug.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Testosterone (TRT) review
Testosterone (TRT)
Marketed for: Low testosterone, vitality, anti-aging
FDA-approved for diagnosed hypogonadism; cardiovascularly non-inferior (TRAVERSE) — but not validated for anti-aging in normal-T men.
- Read the Tirzepatide review
Tirzepatide
Zepbound / Mounjaro
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
Up to ~21% mean weight loss in SURMOUNT-1 — the most effective FDA-approved weight-management drug.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Acetyl-L-carnitine review
Acetyl-L-carnitine
ALCAR, levacecarnine
Marketed for: Cognitive function, mood, diabetic neuropathy, mitochondrial energy
Real RCT data across three separate conditions, unusually deep for this bench — a large pooled effect for depression augmentation, a Cochrane 'very low certainty' verdict for diabetic neuropathy despite two positive trials, and an unsettled, decades-old literature for mild cognitive impairment.
- Read the Akkermansia muciniphila review
Akkermansia muciniphila
Pasteurized Akkermansia, Muc(T)
Marketed for: Gut barrier integrity, metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity
The founding human RCT was small (32 completers) and positive only for the pasteurized strain, not live bacteria; a larger 2026 follow-up in metabolic syndrome missed its primary endpoint while a separate 2026 maintenance trial confirmed a real effect — and live capsules, which is mostly what's sold as a 'probiotic,' have essentially no human trial data of their own.
- Read the Alpha-GPC review
Alpha-GPC
Choline alfoscerate, choline alphoscerate, L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine
Marketed for: Cognitive enhancement / nootropic use, dementia adjunct
Its strongest human evidence is a randomized dementia trial and an add-on Alzheimer's trial (ASCOMALVA) — not the healthy 'nootropic' population that drives most sales. A 2021 observational analysis also flagged an association with increased 10-year stroke risk that remains unresolved, an open question for anyone with cardiovascular risk factors.
- Read the Alpha-lipoic acid review
Alpha-lipoic acid
Thioctic acid; NOT alpha-linolenic acid
Marketed for: Nerve pain, blood sugar, weight loss, antioxidant
Genuinely reduces diabetic neuropathy symptoms (licensed for it in Germany), but the 4-year NATHAN 1 trial missed its primary endpoint, weight loss is under a kilogram, and it can trigger autoimmune hypoglycaemia in HLA-DRB1*04:06 carriers.
- Read the Amycretin review
Amycretin
Marketed for: Weight loss
A unimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor co-agonist, oral and subcutaneous versions in early trials; a promising Phase 1/2 signal but still years from an approval decision.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the AOD-9604 review
AOD-9604
Marketed for: Fat loss
A GH-tail fragment with a clean safety record that reached human obesity trials — but showed no significant weight loss versus placebo, and the program was discontinued.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the ARA-290 review
ARA-290
Cibinetide
Marketed for: Neuropathy, tissue repair
An EPO-derived tissue-protective peptide with small but real human small-fiber-neuropathy data in sarcoidosis — still investigational and unapproved.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Argireline review
Argireline
Acetyl hexapeptide-8
Marketed for: Topical anti-wrinkle
A topical peptide that mimics SNAP-25 (botulinum's target) to soften expression lines; small trials show a modest wrinkle effect, but penetration is limited and it is not equivalent to injected Botox.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Ashwagandha review
Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
Marketed for: Stress, sleep, testosterone
The best-studied adaptogen: multiple placebo-controlled RCTs for lowering stress and cortisol, decent sleep data, and a modest testosterone signal — with a rare but real liver-injury caveat.
- Read the Astaxanthin review
Astaxanthin
Marketed for: Skin, antioxidant
A potent lipid-phase carotenoid antioxidant with decent small-trial data for skin photoaging — but the endpoints are surrogate markers, the trials are small and industry-linked, and 'strongest antioxidant' is overstated.
- Read the Astragalus (TA-65) review
Astragalus (TA-65)
Marketed for: Telomerase activation, immune support, longevity
TA-65, a purified astragalus-root extract, has a real open-label human trial showing telomerase activation and improved biomarkers over a multi-year health-maintenance program — encouraging but industry-linked, uncontrolled, and a long way from a randomized longevity outcome.
- Read the Benfotiamine review
Benfotiamine
S-benzoylthiamine O-monophosphate, milgamma
Marketed for: Diabetic neuropathy, nerve health, anti-glycation / AGE defence
Raises thiamine far better than thiamine HCl and activates the transketolase shunt exactly as advertised — but the 12-month BOND trial found no effect on nerve structure or function.
- Read the Berberine review
Berberine
Marketed for: Blood sugar, lipids, 'nature's Ozempic'
Real (low-certainty) human evidence for glucose and lipids; the 'nature's Ozempic' weight-loss claim is not supported.
- Read the Beta-glucan review
Beta-glucan
Oat beta-glucan, yeast β-(1,3)/(1,6)-glucan, barley betafiber
Marketed for: Cholesterol / heart health, blood sugar, fibre — and separately, 'immune support'
Two structurally different molecules share the name: oat/barley β-(1,3)/(1,4) fibre lowers LDL about 0.25 mmol/L at 3 g/day and holds an FDA-authorised health claim, while the yeast/mushroom β-(1,3)/(1,6) form sold for immunity has small, mostly branded-ingredient trials and no authorised claim anywhere.
- Read the Bimagrumab review
Bimagrumab
BYM338, LY3985863
Marketed for: Investigational for obesity/body composition and muscle-wasting conditions — no approved indication
A monoclonal antibody that reliably adds lean mass and strips fat across multiple randomized trials, but has never once improved a physical-performance outcome — not in inclusion body myositis (its pivotal RESILIENT trial failed), not in sarcopenia, not in COPD, not in obesity. It adds tissue that shows up on a scan; no trial has shown that tissue does more work.
- Read the Boron review
Boron
Marketed for: Testosterone support, bone and joint health
Small RCTs show boron nudges free testosterone up via lowered SHBG — a real, mechanistically plausible effect that gets oversold as a standalone 'testosterone booster' when the effect size is modest and the trials are tiny.
- Read the Bovine colostrum review
Bovine colostrum
First milk, colostrum powder, IgG concentrate
Marketed for: Gut health / 'leaky gut', immune support, recovery, skin and hair
Two narrow but real signals — blunting stress-induced intestinal permeability and cutting upper-respiratory symptom days in hard-training athletes — under a mountain of untested marketing, at consumer doses far below the trials.
- Read the Butyrate review
Butyrate
Sodium butyrate, tributyrin, butyric acid
Marketed for: Gut health, 'leaky gut' / barrier support, IBS, colon health
The colonic biology is solid and several formats demonstrably reach the colon, but no study has both delivered it and measured a benefit — and fermentable fibre raises colonic butyrate by more, for less.
- Read the Cagrilintide review
Cagrilintide
Marketed for: Weight loss
A long-acting amylin analog with real Phase 2 monotherapy weight-loss data; its main clinical role is as the amylin half of CagriSema, and on its own it remains investigational.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the CagriSema review
CagriSema
Marketed for: Weight loss
~20% in REDEFINE 1; amylin plus GLP-1 in one shot — promising, not yet approved.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Cerebrolysin review
Cerebrolysin
Marketed for: Cognitive decline, stroke recovery, dementia
A porcine-brain-derived peptide mixture with a real but weak and mixed human trial record in stroke and dementia — not FDA-approved, and a recent Cochrane-style review found the evidence insufficient to recommend it.
- Read the Citicoline review
Citicoline
CDP-choline, Cognizin
Marketed for: Memory, focus, brain health
The best-tested compound on the nootropic shelf, and that is the problem: ICTUS in stroke and COBRIT in brain injury were both null, leaving open-label cognition data and two small manufacturer-linked trials in healthy people.
- Read the CJC-1295 review
CJC-1295
Marketed for: Muscle, recovery, 'anti-aging'
Sustained GH/IGF-1 rise shown in humans — a surrogate marker, not the body-composition outcome it is sold for.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Collagen Peptides review
Collagen Peptides
Hydrolyzed collagen
Marketed for: Skin, joints
The most-consumed peptide: real RCT/meta-analysis support for skin elasticity/hydration and joint comfort — but it signals fibroblasts, it doesn't become your skin's collagen directly.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the CoQ10 review
CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10, ubiquinone, ubiquinol
Marketed for: Heart failure adjunct, statin-myopathy relief, migraine prevention, general anti-aging 'energy'
Q-SYMBIO showed a real reduction in cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization when added to standard heart-failure therapy — a hard outcome, not a surrogate. Migraine prevention data are real but more modest; statin-myopathy relief did not beat placebo in meta-analysis. The 'declines with age, so restore it' pitch aimed at healthy adults has no supporting outcome trial.
- Read the Cordyceps review
Cordyceps
Marketed for: Energy, endurance, VO₂max
Small trials show modest aerobic gains in older or untrained people but nothing in trained athletes; the cordycepin mechanism is mostly preclinical.
- Read the Creatine review
Creatine
Creatine monohydrate
Marketed for: Strength, muscle, cognition
The best-evidenced supplement here: strong human data for strength and lean mass with training, a real cognitive signal under stress, and a clean safety record — 'anti-aging' claims still outrun the data.
- Read the Curcumin review
Curcumin
Turmeric extract
Marketed for: Anti-inflammatory, joint pain
Decent RCT/meta-analysis support for osteoarthritis pain — but curcumin is barely absorbed (hence piperine/formulations) and a textbook PAINS compound that lights up assays deceptively.
- Read the DHEA review
DHEA
Dehydroepiandrosterone
Marketed for: Anti-aging, hormone support
Real replacement value in true adrenal deficiency (and FDA-approved as intravaginal prasterone), but the anti-aging trials were negative and it barely moves healthy young men's testosterone.
- Read the Dietary nitrate (beetroot) review
Dietary nitrate (beetroot)
Beet juice, beetroot powder
Marketed for: Blood pressure, nitric oxide / blood flow, endurance
A well-mapped NOS-independent route to nitric oxide with a genuine ~4–5 mmHg systolic effect and a small endurance benefit in recreationally trained people — but nothing in elite athletes, no hard outcomes, and an effect antibacterial mouthwash can abolish.
- Read the DSIP review
DSIP
Delta sleep-inducing peptide
Marketed for: Sleep, stress
A 1977 sleep peptide whose gene, receptor and real human benefit remain unconfirmed half a century on; only small, old, inconclusive human data.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Ecnoglutide review
Ecnoglutide
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
A cAMP-biased GLP-1 agonist engineered to reduce β-arrestin recruitment and desensitization; Phase 3 in China with real efficacy data, still investigational in the US.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Enclomiphene review
Enclomiphene
Marketed for: Raising testosterone, preserving fertility
Randomized Phase III data: restores a man's own testosterone while preserving sperm — but never FDA-approved for men, and compounded.
- Read the Epitalon review
Epitalon
Epithalon
Marketed for: Telomerase activation, life extension
Marketed for telomerase activation and life extension, but the supporting science is old, small, and almost entirely from one Russian lab — and largely unreplicated.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the GHRP-1 review
GHRP-1
Marketed for: GH boost, 'anti-aging'
The original GH-releasing peptide: a dose genuinely triggers a GH pulse, but that pulse is a surrogate marker — not a proven body-composition or longevity outcome — and it is unapproved.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the GHRP-2 review
GHRP-2
Pralmorelin
Marketed for: Muscle, 'anti-aging'
Genuinely raises GH (and is an approved diagnostic in Japan), but the same dose lifts cortisol, prolactin and appetite, and desensitizes — no anti-aging outcomes.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the GHRP-6 review
GHRP-6
Marketed for: Muscle, recovery, 'anti-aging'
Pulses GH short-term, but its most reliable real-world effect is a surge in appetite; no long-term human outcomes and not approved.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Glutathione review
Glutathione
GSH
Marketed for: Antioxidant, detox, anti-aging, skin
Oral glutathione raises body stores in a 6-month RCT (reverses on stopping); but longevity/detox claims are unproven, skin-lightening is modest, and IV is the least-evidenced route.
- Read the Glycine review
Glycine
Aminoacetic acid, Gly
Marketed for: Sleep quality, collagen support, glutathione, healthy aging
A genuine 4–6% lifespan result in the ITP and Mendelian-randomisation support for lower coronary risk — but the human sleep evidence comes from a single corporate lab and there is no collagen outcome trial at all.
- Read the GlyNAC review
GlyNAC
Glycine + NAC
Marketed for: Glutathione, mitochondrial aging, healthspan
Randomized trials report broad aging-marker improvement — but they're small, almost all from one group, and the lone independent trial missed its primary glutathione endpoint.
- Read the Gotu kola review
Gotu kola
Centella asiatica
Marketed for: Cognitive function, skin healing, venous health
The real human RCT evidence is for chronic venous insufficiency (leg swelling and heaviness), not for the memory/brain claims that dominate its marketing — a classic case of a real, narrow indication being stretched into a broader pitch.
- Read the Hexarelin review
Hexarelin
Marketed for: Muscle, recovery, 'anti-aging'
One of the most potent GH secretagogues studied — but it also raises cortisol and prolactin, desensitizes with repeated use, and is unapproved.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the HMB review
HMB
β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate
Marketed for: Muscle preservation, sarcopenia, lean mass on GLP-1s
Anti-catabolic leucine metabolite with real RCT support for preserving lean mass in bed rest, disuse and sarcopenia — but trivial effects in trained athletes and no trials at all in GLP-1 users.
- Read the Huperzine A review
Huperzine A
Hup A, Huperzia serrata extract
Marketed for: Memory, focus, nootropic stacks
A genuine reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor — the same class as donepezil — with mostly low-quality dementia trials behind it, a failed US phase II, no evidence in healthy adults, and a prescription drug's interaction profile sold with none of the oversight.
- Read the Inositol review
Inositol
Myo-inositol, D-chiro-inositol
Marketed for: PCOS, insulin sensitivity, fertility, anxiety
Improves menstrual-cycle regularity in pooled PCOS trials, but the 2023 international guideline graded the evidence very low certainty — live birth is unproven and the 40:1 ratio is unvalidated in humans.
- Read the Ipamorelin review
Ipamorelin
Marketed for: Muscle, fat loss, 'anti-aging'
Raises GH, but failed its one rigorous human efficacy RCT; no body-composition outcome data.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Kisspeptin review
Kisspeptin
Marketed for: Libido, testosterone
A real hormone atop the reproductive axis with serious early human research — but the marketed libido and T-booster products are off-label extrapolations at unestablished doses.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the L-citrulline review
L-citrulline
Citrulline, citrulline malate
Marketed for: Nitric oxide / pumps, training volume, blood pressure, erectile function
The central pharmacology survives scrutiny — citrulline bypasses intestinal arginase and raises plasma arginine better than arginine itself — but the outcomes are consistently small, and most labels hide the malate ratio.
- Read the Lactoferrin review
Lactoferrin
Bovine lactoferrin, bLf, lactotransferrin
Marketed for: Iron deficiency and anemia support, immune support, gut health
Real iron-binding biology and a genuine tolerability edge over ferrous sulfate — but every time the trial got bigger the effect got smaller, and ELFIN was null.
- Read the Larazotide review
Larazotide
AT-1001
Marketed for: Leaky gut, celiac disease
A tight-junction regulator with real celiac Phase 2 data — but its pivotal Phase 3 failed, and the supplement use runs far ahead of the evidence.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the LGD-4033 review
LGD-4033
Ligandrol, VK5211, Anabolicum
Marketed for: Oral muscle building without steroids
The best-studied consumer SARM, and the data says what buyers don't expect: +1.21 kg lean mass in 21 days with no strength gain, alongside a 39% HDL drop and dose-dependent testosterone suppression.
- Read the Lion's Mane review
Lion's Mane
Hericium erinaceus
Marketed for: Cognition, memory
A real NGF-stimulating mechanism (mostly preclinical) plus small, short human trials hinting at cognitive and mood benefit — promising, but far from the 'regrows your brain' marketing.
- Read the Low-dose naltrexone review
Low-dose naltrexone
LDN, naltrexone 1.5–4.5 mg
Marketed for: Fibromyalgia, chronic pain, autoimmune disease, ME/CFS, long COVID
Cheap, low-risk and mechanistically interesting via TLR4 — but the largest, best-designed fibromyalgia trial was null and Cochrane calls the Crohn's evidence insufficient.
- Read the Magnesium L-Threonate review
Magnesium L-Threonate
Magtein
Marketed for: Memory, brain magnesium
The 'raises brain magnesium and memory' story rests on one 2010 rat study plus one small industry-linked human trial; for repletion, cheap glycinate/citrate work just as well.
- Read the Matrixyl review
Matrixyl
Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4
Marketed for: Topical anti-wrinkle
A matrikine that signals fibroblasts to make collagen; small split-face trials show a modest wrinkle effect, but the evidence is thin, industry-linked and formulation-dependent.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Mazdutide review
Mazdutide
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
A GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist approved in China for both obesity and type-2 diabetes, with real Phase 2/3 efficacy data — but still investigational in the US, where no approval application has cleared.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Melanotan II review
Melanotan II
MT-2
Marketed for: Tanning, libido
Genuinely tans skin via MC1R, but it's an unapproved gray-market injectable with a documented harm record (priapism, changing moles) — and it is not the approved drug afamelanotide.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Metformin review
Metformin
Marketed for: Longevity, healthspan, metabolic aging
An approved diabetes drug with an intriguing longevity hypothesis — but the dedicated aging trial (TAME) is still pending; longevity in healthy people is unproven.
- Read the Methylene blue review
Methylene blue
Marketed for: Mitochondrial energy, nootropic, anti-aging
An FDA-approved drug (for methemoglobinemia) with a single-dose human memory/fMRI signal and a plausible low-dose mitochondrial mechanism — but longevity claims are preclinical and it risks serotonin syndrome with antidepressants.
- Read the MitoQ review
MitoQ
Mitoquinone mesylate
Marketed for: Mitochondrial antioxidant support, vascular aging, general anti-aging
One real human RCT reversed vascular endothelial aging markers in healthy older adults, but the Parkinson's trial was a clean negative, and kidney-safety and exercise-redox RCTs since have also come back null — the vascular signal hasn't been shown to generalize beyond that one outcome.
- Read the MK-677 review
MK-677
Ibutamoren
Marketed for: Muscle, sleep, 'anti-aging'
An oral ghrelin mimetic that reliably lifts GH, IGF-1 and lean mass — but the same trials found no gain in strength or function, plus metabolic and cardiac safety signals.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Molecular hydrogen review
Molecular hydrogen
Hydrogen water, hydrogen-rich water, H2 tablets/inhalation
Marketed for: Selective antioxidant, oxidative-stress and mitochondrial support, healthspan
A real, selective free-radical mechanism from 2007 — but the flagship Parkinson's story is a three-act replication failure (positive pilot, null 178-patient multicenter trial, null inhalation trial by the same investigators), and a 2026 meta-analysis of 13 RCTs called the pooled metabolic-lipid effects 'clinically modest,' with several of the more favorable trials carrying industry or device-maker ties.
- Read the NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) review
NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)
Marketed for: Antioxidant, detox
A cysteine/glutathione precursor that is genuinely strong for specific medical uses (acetaminophen-overdose antidote, some psychiatry) but weak as an everyday 'antioxidant/detox' pill.
- Read the NAD⁺ precursors review
NAD⁺ precursors
NR / NMN
Marketed for: Cellular energy, anti-aging
Oral NR/NMN reliably raise blood NAD⁺ in RCTs — but whether that translates into anti-aging outcomes is still open.
- Read the Nattokinase review
Nattokinase
Marketed for: Circulation, clot support
Small human trials show modest blood-pressure and fibrinolytic-marker effects, but they're small/industry-linked with no hard outcomes — and there is a real bleeding risk, especially with anticoagulants.
- Read the Noopept review
Noopept
Marketed for: Cognition, memory
A piracetam-analog dipeptide that raises NGF/BDNF in animals; the human data is small, single-country Russian trials — real but unreplicated to Western standards, and it's unapproved in the US.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Orforglipron review
Orforglipron
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
~11% in ATTAIN-1; a scalable oral pill whose appeal is access, not peak efficacy. Investigational.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Ostarine review
Ostarine
Enobosarm, MK-2866, GTx-024
Marketed for: Muscle growth, recomposition, muscle preservation while cutting or on a GLP-1
Reliably adds lean body mass and just as reliably fails to improve physical function — the two phase 3 POWER trials found both, which is why no regulator has ever approved it.
- Read the Oxytocin review
Oxytocin
Marketed for: Bonding, libido, mood (compounded sprays)
The 'bonding hormone' has a huge human literature — but its famous trust and behavior findings largely failed to replicate; approved only as injectable Pitocin for labor, not for the marketed claims.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Paraxanthine review
Paraxanthine
Marketed for: Cognitive function, clean energy, alternative to caffeine
Caffeine's primary metabolite, sold as a 'smoother' stimulant; a real double-blind crossover RCT reported better cognitive performance than caffeine at matched doses, but the trial base is still small and largely industry-funded.
- Read the Pemvidutide review
Pemvidutide
Marketed for: Weight loss, MASLD/MASH
A GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist aimed specifically at preserving lean mass while cutting liver fat; real Phase 2 MASLD data, but Phase 3 has not started and it remains fully investigational.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Phosphatidylserine review
Phosphatidylserine
PS
Marketed for: Cognitive decline, memory, stress/cortisol
The strongest human data comes from older trials using bovine-brain-derived PS, which is no longer sold (BSE concerns); the soy-derived PS on shelves today is chemically different and has a thinner, weaker trial record of its own.
- Read the PQQ review
PQQ
Pyrroloquinoline quinone
Marketed for: Mitochondrial biogenesis, cognitive and cardiovascular support
A genuine mitochondrial-biogenesis signal in cell and animal models, with a small number of short human trials on cognition and inflammation markers — promising mechanism, thin human outcome data.
- Read the Pterostilbene review
Pterostilbene
Marketed for: Sirtuin activation, longevity
Resveratrol's more-absorbable cousin — better pharmacokinetics is the real edge, but human outcome data is a couple of small trials (one raised LDL) and no aging trials exist.
- Read the Quercetin review
Quercetin
Marketed for: Senolytic, blood pressure, immunity
Modest, real blood-pressure benefit; its senolytic fame belongs to the dasatinib+quercetin combo in tiny pilots, not quercetin alone.
- Read the Rapamycin review
Rapamycin
Marketed for: Longevity, healthspan (off-label)
Extends lifespan in mice via mTOR; small human trials (PEARL) address safety, but a longevity benefit in people is unproven.
- Read the Retatrutide review
Retatrutide
Marketed for: Weight loss
~24% in its Phase 2 trial — the largest figure reported for any incretin, but still investigational.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Rhodiola Rosea review
Rhodiola Rosea
Marketed for: Stress, fatigue, focus
Several placebo-controlled RCTs show a short-term benefit for stress-related fatigue and mental performance — but trials are small/lower-quality and systematic reviews call it promising, not proven.
- Read the Selank review
Selank
Marketed for: Anxiety, focus
A GABA-modulating anxiolytic that matched benzodiazepines in small Russian trials; the mechanism is credible but the evidence base is thin and single-country.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Semax review
Semax
Marketed for: Cognition, focus, neuroprotection
A BDNF-raising ACTH(4-10) analog registered as a drug in Russia — but the human evidence is small, single-country and mostly uncontrolled.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Sermorelin review
Sermorelin
Geref
Marketed for: GH deficiency, 'anti-aging'
A former FDA-approved GHRH analog (now compounded); real GH-axis data, no anti-aging outcome evidence.
Not FDA-approvedCompounded - Read the Shilajit review
Shilajit
Mumie, moomiyo
Marketed for: Testosterone, energy, fertility
A 90-day RCT in healthy middle-aged men reported higher total and free testosterone on purified shilajit — a real but small and short signal, sold under a real contamination risk (heavy metals) that varies by source and purification.
- Read the SS-31 review
SS-31
Elamipretide
Marketed for: Mitochondrial function, longevity
A cardiolipin-binding peptide with a mostly disappointing trial history; elamipretide won a narrow, confirmation-pending accelerated FDA approval for Barth syndrome — not for the anti-aging use it's sold for.
FDA-approvedRx product - Read the Sulforaphane review
Sulforaphane
Broccoli-sprout extract
Marketed for: Nrf2 / antioxidant defense, anti-aging
Genuine human RCTs — but in autism and type-2 diabetes, not aging; the longevity claims rest on the Nrf2 pathway in cells and animals.
- Read the Survodutide review
Survodutide
Marketed for: Weight loss, MASH
A GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist in Phase 3 for both obesity and MASH; genuine placebo-controlled efficacy data in both indications, but no approval anywhere yet.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Tesofensine review
Tesofensine
Marketed for: Weight loss (marketed alongside GLP-1s)
A triple monoamine reuptake inhibitor with ~9% Phase 2 weight loss — but flagged by a Lancet Expression of Concern, with no Phase 3 and no approval.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Thymalin review
Thymalin
Marketed for: Immune restoration, longevity
Marketed for immune restoration and longer life, but the supporting science is old, small, and almost entirely from one Russian program — and unreplicated.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Thymosin α1 review
Thymosin α1
Zadaxin
Marketed for: Immune support (sold for 'anti-aging')
An approved immunomodulator in dozens of countries (for hepatitis, sepsis and severe infection, supervised) — but not FDA-approved, not the same as TB-500, and not the anti-aging injectable sold online.
Not FDA-approvedCompounded - Read the Tongkat Ali review
Tongkat Ali
Eurycoma longifolia
Marketed for: Testosterone, vitality
Small RCTs of standardized extract show modest free-testosterone rises and cortisol/stress reduction — but effects are small, trials are often industry-linked, and product standardization varies enormously.
- Read the TUDCA review
TUDCA
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid
Marketed for: Liver health, ER-stress reduction, neuroprotection
Real bile-acid chaperone biology with genuine human trial engagement — it was the active component of AMX0035/Relyvrio, which showed a positive phase 2 signal in ALS before its confirmatory phase 3 failed and the drug was withdrawn. The liver/ER-stress mechanism is solid; the clinical outcome record is now a cautionary tale, not a green light.
- Read the Urolithin A review
Urolithin A
Mitopure
Marketed for: Mitochondrial health, muscle, anti-aging
Strong RCT base for a supplement — reproducibly improves muscle endurance and mitochondrial biomarkers, but primary strength endpoints repeatedly missed.
- Read the VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) review
VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide)
Aviptadil
Marketed for: Mold illness / CIRS
Real vasodilatory/immune biology, and synthetic VIP (aviptadil) reached large trials — but the flagship COVID-ARDS trial (TESICO) was negative, and the compounded nasal 'mold/CIRS' protocol has no controlled evidence.
InvestigationalCompounded - Read the 5-Amino-1MQ review
5-Amino-1MQ
Marketed for: Fat loss, metabolism
An NNMT inhibitor that reverses obesity in mice by sparing the NAD+ pool; the mechanism is plausible, but the human evidence is nonexistent.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Adipotide review
Adipotide
FTPP
Marketed for: Rapid fat loss
Destroyed white fat's blood supply and caused rapid weight loss in obese monkeys — but the same study found dose-dependent kidney toxicity, and it never reached approved human use.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the Apigenin review
Apigenin
Found in chamomile, parsley, celery
Marketed for: Sleep, relaxation, CD38/NAD⁺ support
The CD38-inhibition/NAD⁺ story is mechanistic and mouse-derived; the only real human RCT evidence is for whole chamomile extract (which contains apigenin among many compounds) in generalized anxiety disorder, not for isolated apigenin or for sleep specifically.
- Read the BPC-157 review
BPC-157
Marketed for: Healing, recovery, gut health
Almost entirely animal data; no validated human dose and no controlled efficacy trials.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Calcium AKG review
Calcium AKG
Ca-AKG / Rejuvant
Marketed for: Biological-age reduction, longevity
Compresses morbidity in mice and inhibits TOR in worms — but the human '~8 years younger' headline is from a single uncontrolled, industry-linked methylation-clock study, with no RCT on hard outcomes.
- Read the Cardarine review
Cardarine
GW-501516, endurobol
Marketed for: Endurance and 'exercise in a pill', fat loss, HDL/triglycerides
Not a SARM but a PPARδ agonist — a real mechanism and a real 12-week human lipid signal, ended by two-year rodent carcinogenicity findings, with no human endurance trial ever run to weigh against it.
- Read the Dihexa review
Dihexa
Marketed for: Cognition, memory
Builds synapses potently in animals, but there are no human trials — and its c-Met growth-pathway mechanism raises unanswered safety questions.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Dihydroberberine review
Dihydroberberine
DHB, GlucoVantage
Marketed for: Better-absorbed berberine, blood sugar
A real absorption upgrade on berberine — shown in two small human PK pilots — but zero human outcome data, so every efficacy claim is borrowed from berberine.
- Read the Ergothioneine review
Ergothioneine
ERGO, the 'longevity vitamin'
Marketed for: General antioxidant support, healthy aging
A diet-derived amino acid with a dedicated transporter that concentrates it in mitochondria-rich tissue, and strong observational associations between blood levels and healthy aging — but no completed outcome RCT tests supplementation itself.
- Read the Fadogia Agrestis review
Fadogia Agrestis
Marketed for: Testosterone, libido
Raised testosterone and libido in rats — but the same rat studies found testicular and organ toxicity, there are zero human trials, and no established safe dose.
- Read the Fisetin review
Fisetin
Marketed for: Senolytic, anti-aging
The most potent senolytic flavonoid in mice, with lifespan data — but the one human trial to report a clinical outcome (ROPE, knee osteoarthritis) was null; other senolytic-hypothesis trials remain unpublished.
- Read the Follistatin review
Follistatin
FST-344
Marketed for: Muscle growth
Blocking myostatin drives dramatic muscle growth in mice and primates, but the injectable follistatin peptide has no controlled human efficacy trials.
InvestigationalResearch-only - Read the FOXO4-DRI review
FOXO4-DRI
Marketed for: Senolytic, healthy aging
One landmark mouse study (Baar 2017) showed the interfering peptide selectively killed senescent cells and restored fitness in aged mice — a striking result with zero human trials since, and no legitimate access route.
- Read the GHK-Cu review
GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide
Marketed for: Skin, hair, 'anti-aging'
Real tissue-remodeling biology, mostly in-vitro and topical; a cosmetic signal, not systemic anti-aging proof.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the HGH Fragment 176-191 review
HGH Fragment 176-191
Marketed for: Fat loss
The C-terminal tail of GH sold as 'the fat-burning part' — but its developed cousin AOD-9604 failed human obesity trials, and the raw fragment has no human trials at all.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Humanin review
Humanin
Marketed for: Longevity, metabolic health
A genuine cytoprotective mitochondrial-derived peptide whose levels fall with age — but no randomized human trial shows that taking it does anything for people.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Icariin review
Icariin
Horny goat weed, Epimedium
Marketed for: Erectile function, libido, testosterone
A flavonoid from Epimedium with a real in-vitro PDE5-inhibition mechanism — the same drug class as sildenafil, just far weaker and poorly bioavailable — and essentially no human clinical-trial data at the doses and purity typically sold.
- Read the IGF-1 DES(1,3) review
IGF-1 DES(1,3)
Marketed for: Local muscle growth
A truncated IGF-1 that escapes its binding proteins, so it's more potent in cells and animals — but there are zero human muscle trials, and the IGF-axis cancer concern applies.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the IGF-1 LR3 review
IGF-1 LR3
Marketed for: Muscle growth
An engineered long-acting IGF-1 with zero human muscle-building trials; the risks (hypoglycemia, the growth-factor/cancer concern, a WADA ban) follow straight from the biology.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Klotho review
Klotho
Marketed for: Longevity, cognitive and kidney health
The foundational biology is real and compelling — mice lacking klotho age rapidly, mice overexpressing it live longer — but there is no validated oral supplement that raises human klotho levels, so the entire human case is aspirational.
- Read the KPV review
KPV
Marketed for: Inflammation, gut, wound healing
The anti-inflammatory tail of α-MSH, with real mechanism and real mouse data — but essentially no human trials.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Lithium orotate review
Lithium orotate
Marketed for: Mood, cognition, neuroprotection, longevity
The intriguing signal is epidemiological — regions with higher lithium in drinking water show lower suicide rates — at doses far below prescription lithium; no RCT has tested the low-dose orotate salt actually sold as a supplement.
- Read the LL-37 review
LL-37
Cathelicidin
Marketed for: Infection, immunity, healing
Genuine innate-immunity biology, but its therapeutic use is preclinical — and the same peptide is implicated in driving inflammatory disease.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Luteolin review
Luteolin
3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, cynaroside
Marketed for: Mast-cell stabilisation, brain fog / neuroinflammation, allergy, senolytic
A genuinely strong mast-cell and microglial mechanism whose entire human record is combination products — and the one placebo-controlled test of luteolin alone was negative.
- Read the Mechano Growth Factor (MGF) review
Mechano Growth Factor (MGF)
IGF-1Ec / PEG-MGF
Marketed for: Muscle growth, recovery
A real load-induced IGF-1 splice variant in muscle biology, but the injected PEG-MGF product has no controlled human outcome trials.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the MOTS-c review
MOTS-c
Marketed for: Metabolism, endurance, longevity
A genuine mitochondrial-derived peptide with interesting rodent data on metabolism and exercise — but no human outcome trials.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the NAD⁺ IV therapy review
NAD⁺ IV therapy
Marketed for: Anti-aging, energy, addiction
No controlled outcome trial of IV NAD⁺ for any wellness use; the one human study found infused NAD⁺ is cleared from plasma quickly.
- Read the P21 review
P21
P021
Marketed for: Cognition, neurogenesis
A CNTF-derived peptide that boosts neurogenesis in rodents; no human trials, no approval, and a genuinely muddled name.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Pentadeca Arginate review
Pentadeca Arginate
PDA
Marketed for: Healing, recovery (a 'stable BPC-157')
Marketed as a more stable upgrade on BPC-157, but it has almost no research of its own — the evidence base is borrowed and preclinical.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the RAD-140 review
RAD-140
Testolone, RAD140
Marketed for: Muscle gain, strength, 'steroid alternative'
One human trial exists and it was an oncology phase 1 — there is no trial of RAD-140 for muscle building in anyone, while the cholestatic liver injury is a matter of published record.
- Read the Resveratrol review
Resveratrol
Marketed for: Sirtuin activation, longevity
Spectacular in yeast and mice (SIRT1), disappointing in humans — modest benefit only in diabetics, and it blunted exercise gains in one RCT.
- Read the SLU-PP-332 review
SLU-PP-332
Marketed for: 'Exercise mimetic', metabolic health
A synthetic ERR agonist that reproduces exercise-like gene-expression changes in mice — a genuinely novel mechanism with zero human data of any kind; everything sold under this name is unregulated research material.
- Read the Spermidine review
Spermidine
Marketed for: Autophagy, longevity
Autophagy + mouse-lifespan data and a striking diet-mortality association — but the best randomized human trial (memory) was null.
- Read the Taurine review
Taurine
Marketed for: Longevity, healthspan
Reversed aging markers and extended lifespan in animals (Singh 2023), with a human association — but no human outcome trial yet.
- Read the TB-500 review
TB-500
Thymosin β4
Marketed for: Recovery, tissue repair
Mechanistic and early-stage human work (e.g. ophthalmology); no performance or recovery outcome trials.
Not FDA-approvedResearch-only - Read the Turkesterone review
Turkesterone
Marketed for: 'Natural' muscle building
Marketed as a natural anabolic, but the sole human turkesterone study was null; the anabolic buzz is borrowed from a single ecdysterone trial, and 'turkesterone' products are frequently under-dosed or adulterated.
Evidence grades are editorial and deliberately conservative — they reflect the strength of the human evidence for the use each compound is marketed for, not its mechanism or popularity. A "Clinical" grade can still sit on a surrogate marker or an unproven claim; the verdict line says which. Tap any source to read the primary literature.
For peptides, FDA status and compounding are separate axes shown alongside the evidence grade: a compound can have real pharmacology yet no approval, and “research-only” means it is sold gray-market, not as an approved or legitimately compounded human product.
The prescription therapies, and where to get them
Most compounds above are over-the-counter supplements you can buy directly. A few are clinician-prescribed therapies — compounded peptides, NAD⁺, and testosterone among the most-searched — so here is where to actually get those.
Where to get it
Where to get peptide therapy
Clinician-led telehealth services that prescribe compounded peptides. The specific peptides offered vary by provider — confirm availability before ordering.
Where to get it
Where to get NAD⁺ therapy
Telehealth services offering NAD⁺ as oral precursors, prescription injections, or clinic IV drips. Formats and pricing vary — confirm current NAD⁺ options with the provider.
Where to get it
Where to get testosterone therapy
Testosterone and hormone-optimization telehealth services with clinician oversight and lab work. Confirm current pricing and lab requirements with the provider.
How we grade
Each compound gets the tier that matches the strongest human evidence for its marketed use. A compound that extends lifespan in mice but has no human outcome data stays in “Preclinical” — because a mouse is not a person. A compound with real human trial data earns “Clinical,” even if the specific claim is still unproven, and the verdict line says exactly what the data does and doesn’t support. We grade conservatively on purpose: the point is to not inflate. Every grade links to a primary source and to our full review where we have one. See our methodology for how we source every claim, and our peptides-for-weight-loss explainer for the most-searched version of this question.
The tiers
- FDA-approved.
- Approved by the FDA for a defined indication, on the strength of pivotal human trials.
- Clinical data.
- Tested in humans — but investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker (not the marketed outcome).
- Preclinical / minimal.
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
Common questions
- Which peptides actually have evidence for weight loss or fat loss?
- Only the GLP-1 and incretin peptides — semaglutide and tirzepatide (approved), and retatrutide, CagriSema and orforglipron (investigational) — have controlled human weight-loss trials. The peptides commonly marketed for 'fat loss' (ipamorelin, CJC-1295, BPC-157, AOD-9604) have no human outcome trials for that use.
- Which longevity supplements actually have human evidence?
- The strongest human data sits with the approved or clinically-tested compounds: testosterone therapy (for diagnosed hypogonadism), urolithin A and NAD⁺ precursors (real RCTs, though on surrogate or modest endpoints), and metformin and berberine (metabolic data, longevity unproven). Resveratrol, spermidine and fisetin remain largely preclinical, observational, or null in humans for their marketed longevity uses.
- Are BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu proven in humans?
- No. Their evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or early-stage. None has a controlled human trial proving the recovery, repair, or anti-aging benefits they are marketed for, and they are sold as unregulated 'research-use-only' products with unverified purity and dose.
- Is resveratrol or NMN proven to extend human lifespan?
- No. No supplement has been shown to extend human lifespan in a controlled trial. Resveratrol's lifespan data are from yeast and mice and its human outcomes are disappointing; NAD⁺ precursors raise blood NAD⁺ in trials but haven't shown anti-aging outcomes. Treat 'extends lifespan' claims as preclinical until a human trial says otherwise.
- What do the evidence tiers mean?
- FDA-approved means the compound is approved for a defined indication on the strength of pivotal human trials. Clinical data means it has been tested in humans but the specific claim is investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker. Preclinical/minimal means the evidence is mostly animal, in-vitro, observational, or anecdotal, with little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.