The Learn series · Peptides
Peptides, explained.
The evidence, without the hype.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids the body uses as signalling molecules. This is a physician-reviewed guide to what they are, what they’re studied for, and how to read the evidence honestly.
Evidence-ledPhysician-reviewedEducational, not promotional
A peptide, up close
Three amino acids · two peptide bonds
This is educational information, not medical advice or an offer of treatment. Peptides are prescription medicines; whether any protocol is appropriate is a decision a physician makes after a diagnostic assessment.
The basics
What a peptide actually is.
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids — the same building blocks that make up proteins, just fewer of them. Your body makes thousands of them, and uses many as signalling molecules: small messengers that tell cells to do something specific.
In a clinical setting, the peptides of interest are prescription medicines, studied for their ability to nudge a particular biological process. The honest version of the story is that the evidence behind them varies enormously — from well-established to genuinely experimental — which is exactly what this guide is here to make legible.
The field guide
The compounds, by what they do.
A reference to the peptides our physicians work with, grouped by the area they’re studied for and shown in their dispensing format. Educational reference only — not a product list or an offer of supply.
Tissue repair & recovery
Peptides studied for how the body repairs soft tissue, settles inflammation and recovers after strain or injury — the signalling behind healing rather than the healing itself.
BPC-157
Injectable
Studied for soft-tissue repair, the gut lining and recovery signalling.
KPV
Injectable
A peptide fragment studied for its role in calming inflammation.
TB-500
Injectable
Studied for tissue repair, flexibility and recovery.
Triple Peptide
Injectable
A combined repair blend — BPC-157, GHK-Cu and TB-500.
Cognition, mood & sleep
Peptides explored for focus, mood regulation, stress resilience and sleep quality — pathways in the brain and nervous system. Most of this work is early, so expectations stay measured.
Dihexa
Oral capsule
Studied for cognition and synaptic signalling.
DSIP
Nasal spray
Delta sleep-inducing peptide — studied for sleep and stress.
Selank
Nasal spray
Studied for stress resilience, calm and focus.
Semax
Nasal spray
Studied for focus, cognition and neuroprotection.
Semax + Selank
Nasal spray
A combined focus-and-calm formulation.
Longevity & cellular
Peptides investigated for the mechanisms behind how cells age — mitochondrial function, tissue renewal and cellular repair. An emerging area where human longevity outcomes are inherently hard to measure.
GHK-Cu
Injectable
A copper peptide studied for skin, hair and tissue renewal.
Humanin
Injectable
A mitochondrial-derived peptide studied for cellular ageing.
SS-31
Injectable
A mitochondria-targeted peptide studied for cellular energy.
Hormonal & sexual function
Peptides studied for the body's own hormone signalling — endocrine, reproductive and sexual-function pathways. Used clinically only where a physician has assessed the underlying hormonal picture first.
HCG
Injectable
A hormone studied for endocrine and fertility support.
Kisspeptin
Nasal spray
Studied for reproductive-hormone signalling.
Oxytocin
Nasal spray
Studied for bonding, mood and social signalling.
PT-141
Nasal spray
Studied for sexual-function pathways.
Growth factor
Peptides that echo the body's own growth-factor signals, studied mainly for muscle repair and tissue building. A small, specialised group with a narrow, well-defined area of interest.
MGF
Injectable
Mechano-growth factor — studied for muscle-repair signalling.
Pigmentation
Peptides studied for melanocyte signalling — the cells that govern skin pigment. A focused category where medical oversight matters, given the effects extend beyond the skin.
Melanotan II
Injectable
Studied for melanocyte (pigment) signalling.
The non-negotiables
Prescription, not supplement.
Peptides used clinically are prescription medicines. That means eligibility is assessed first, the agent and dose are chosen by a physician, and the protocol is monitored over time — not bought off a shelf or a website.
Sourcing matters as much as the molecule: unregulated “research” peptides carry real risks of contamination, mislabelling and incorrect dosing. A clinical protocol exists precisely to remove those variables.
Where a protocol is appropriate, it’s decided the same way the rest of the practice works — from data. See the physician-led approach.
What to expect
How a peptide protocol works.
The useful question is rarely “which peptide” — it’s what your biology actually shows. Where a protocol is appropriate, this is the path it follows.
- 01
Measure first
It starts with diagnostics — the panels that show what your biology is doing, rather than guessing from symptoms.
- 02
Physician review
A physician reads the data in full and decides whether a protocol is appropriate at all. Often the right answer is to address something else first.
- 03
A prescribed protocol
If it's the right step, the physician selects the specific agent, dose and format for your goal — not a template, and not a choice from a menu.
- 04
Monitored over time
You're followed as you go: markers re-checked, the plan adjusted, and the protocol stopped if it isn't earning its place.
Physician-reviewed by Dr. Bushra Mir, Medical Director · DHA-licensed. Reviewed .
Peer-reviewed references are added per topic by the physician author as each guide is published.