CJC-1295 No DAC / Ipamorelin GH secretagogue research blend
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin Blend
Research blend of CJC-1295 No DAC (5 mg) + Ipamorelin (5 mg) supplied as a lyophilized single-vial preparation, 10 mg total peptide mass
Overview
The CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin Blend is one of the most widely-used GH secretagogue combinations in the peptide-therapy space, and its mechanistic rationale is unusually clean. It combines 5 mg of CJC-1295 No DAC (a GHRH-analogue) with 5 mg of Ipamorelin (a selective ghrelin-receptor agonist) in a single lyophilized vial (10 mg total). Both peptides drive growth-hormone release, but through two distinct receptor systems whose simultaneous activation produces a synergistic GH pulse larger than either component alone can generate.
The endocrinology of the pairing is worth understanding. CJC-1295 No DAC engages the GHRH (growth-hormone-releasing hormone) receptor on pituitary somatotrophs, producing a short, sharp GH pulse. Ipamorelin engages the ghrelin (GHSR) receptor on the same somatotrophs but through a different signalling pathway. When both receptor systems are activated in a coordinated pulse, the somatotrophs release substantially more GH than either signal alone would evoke — a synergy documented in the endocrinology literature dating back to the original ghrelin-and-GHRH physiology work. This is the biological basis for dual-pathway GH stimulation as a dosing strategy.
Ipamorelin's selectivity is what makes this specific combination cleaner than older ghrelin-mimetic stacks. Earlier ghrelin analogues (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin) produced meaningful GH stimulation but also elevated cortisol, prolactin, and ACTH — off-target effects that undermined the metabolic benefit. Ipamorelin was engineered to activate the ghrelin receptor without triggering those parallel HPA-axis effects. Combined with CJC-1295 No DAC, the result is a GH-axis modulation with minimal collateral endocrine noise.
The dose-adequacy design is worth naming as a distinguishing feature of this specific blend. Both components are optimally dosed at 0.1–0.15 mL per injection (0.25–0.375 mg of each), and at that range both fall within their individually-established therapeutic windows. The upper range of 0.2 mL (0.5 mg of each) is slightly above optimal but still safe — for consumers who want a larger single-dose GH pulse rather than the standard maintenance regimen. Blend-specific human trial evidence does not exist; component-level evidence supports each peptide individually.
Quick Facts & Evidence
- Category
- CJC-1295 No DAC / Ipamorelin GH secretagogue research blend
- Research area
- Research blend
- Most studied for
- GH-axis modulation for body composition support
- Recovery and sleep support
- IGF-1 elevation
- Anti-aging / body-composition research contexts
- Clinical status
- Research use only — no approved clinical indication
- Human evidence
- Early Human Evidence
- Regulatory status
- Not approved by FDA, EMA or MHRA
Early Human Evidence
Small-scale human studies, observational data, or off-label case reports only. Substantial uncertainty remains.
Research Protocols
Research Protocol Snapshot
Preparation covered on this page
Freeze-dried injectable research format (two-component blend)
This page covers the RUO lyophilized CJC-1295 (No DAC) + Ipamorelin blend vial reconstituted with bacteriostatic water for subcutaneous research use, following the standard Healthy Mango preparation convention. The blend is the gold-standard GH secretagogue stack — both compounds land optimally at the same 10–15 unit per-injection window.
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin Blend research values at a glance.
| Item | Example value |
|---|---|
| Vial size | 10 mg total (CJC-1295 No DAC 5 mg + Ipamorelin 5 mg) |
| Liquid used to mix | Bacteriostatic water |
| Amount of liquid added | 2.0 mL |
| Final concentration (each ingredient) | 2.5 mg/mL of CJC-1295 (No DAC) and 2.5 mg/mL of Ipamorelin |
| How it's given | Subcutaneous injection |
| Optimal dose | 10–15 units = 0.25–0.375 mg of each ingredient per injection |
| Upper-range dose | 20 units = 0.5 mg each (slightly above the optimal window) |
| Frequency | 5× per week, fasted, pre-sleep |
| Cycling | 3 months on / 1 month off (prevents pituitary receptor desensitisation) |
Reported Dosing
The practitioner-reference research protocol is 0.25–0.375 mg of each ingredient per injection (10–15 units), 5 times per week, fasted and pre-sleep, in 3-month cycles with a 1-month washout. It is educational reference, not a recommendation.
The Reported Protocol
| Dose | Frequency | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25–0.375 mg each (CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin) | 5× per week, subcutaneous, fasted, pre-sleep | 3 months on / 1 month off | 0.1–0.15 mL at 2.5 mg/mL each; both compounds land in their optimal window |
| 0.5 mg each (upper range) | 5× per week, subcutaneous, fasted, pre-sleep | 3 months on / 1 month off | 0.2 mL at 2.5 mg/mL each; slightly above the optimal window |
Why protocols vary
The two ingredients act via distinct pathways — CJC-1295 (No DAC) activates GHRH receptors on pituitary somatotrophs and Ipamorelin activates ghrelin (GHSR) receptors on the same somatotrophs — so combined signalling produces a GH pulse significantly larger than either compound alone (synergistic, not additive).
Fasted pre-sleep timing is not decorative: carbohydrates within 30–60 minutes before injection blunt the GH pulse. The Guide is explicit that timing and fasting are as important as the dose.
The 3-month-on / 1-month-off cadence exists to prevent pituitary receptor desensitisation over long-term GHRH/GHSR co-stimulation. Continuous multi-year use has not been evaluated.
Preparing the Solution
Turning the freeze-dried blend into a measurable liquid.
Blend composition
10 mg total peptide (CJC-1295 No DAC 5 mg + Ipamorelin 5 mg)
The vial holds two lyophilized peptides in the same cake. Reconstituting with 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water dissolves both at once and gives 2.5 mg/mL of each ingredient; a single injection volume delivers both in parallel.
CJC-1295 (No DAC)
- Mass in vial
- 5 mg
- Share of total
- 50%
- Concentration after mixing
- 2.5 mg/mL
- Reported per-injection dose
- 0.25–0.375 mg per injection (optimal window)
Ipamorelin
- Mass in vial
- 5 mg
- Share of total
- 50%
- Concentration after mixing
- 2.5 mg/mL
- Reported per-injection dose
- 0.25–0.375 mg per injection (optimal window)
One reconstitution, one injection volume — both ingredients arrive together. Both compounds land inside their individually optimal window at 10–15 units per injection; 20 units per injection (0.5 mg each) sits slightly above that window.
Documented in the practitioner reference (chapter 28)
Documented preparation
The documented research protocol is based on this preparation concentration.
Freeze-dried powder: 10 mg blend vial (5 mg CJC-1295 + 5 mg Ipamorelin)
Diluent: 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water
Final concentration: 5 mg/mL total (2.5 mg/mL each)
Vial and volume from the practitioner reference; concentration calculated · Research-practitioner guide
Your vial
Matching preparation
Bacteriostatic water
2mL
Resulting concentration
5 mg/mL
Equivalent volume
The reported research amount of 0.5–0.75 mg is contained within
0.10–0.15mL
of the prepared solution now in your vial.
Show calculation
- Documented concentration
- 10 mg ÷ 2 mL = 5 mg/mL
- Bacteriostatic water to match the documented concentration
- 10 mg ÷ 5 mg/mL = 2 mL
- Equivalent volume at this concentration
- 0.5–0.75 mg ÷ 5 mg/mL = 0.1–0.15 mL
This tool performs arithmetic conversions using the preparation example and reported research amount shown on this page. It does not recommend an amount, route, preparation method, or use.
This tool performs arithmetic conversions using the preparation example and reported research amount shown on this page. It does not recommend an amount, route, preparation method, or use.Sources for these values
- Documented in the practitioner reference (total-blend arithmetic; per-ingredient split shown above)Research-practitioner guide
This example explains how concentration and volume are calculated for the standard RUO blend preparation. It is not a preparation guide.
How It's Given
Method used for this format
Subcutaneous injection, 5× per week, fasted, pre-sleep
Documented in the practitioner reference · Research-practitioner guide
Why this method
Both CJC-1295 (No DAC) and Ipamorelin are short peptides that would be degraded by gastrointestinal proteolysis; the subcutaneous route delivers them into circulation intact for pituitary signalling.
Pre-sleep timing aligns the pharmacologic pulse with the body's own overnight GH release; fasted timing avoids carbohydrate blunting of that same pulse.
Injection sites reported
- Abdomen (rotate sites)
- Front of the thigh
- Avoid scarred, bruised, inflamed, or infected skin
Storage
Before mixing
- Refrigerate 2–8 °C
- Protect from light
- Do not freeze
General RUO practice · Research-practitioner guide
After mixing
- Refrigerate 2–8 °C
- Use within 7–10 days
- Do not freeze
- Discard if cloudy or discoloured
General RUO practice · Research-practitioner guide
Handling
- Direct diluent slowly down the vial wall
- Gently swirl until dissolved — do not shake
- New sterile needle each draw
- Do not share vials
General RUO practice · Research-practitioner guide
Storage guidance summarises standard RUO peptide handling for the injectable blend.
Common Cycle
The practitioner reference frames the CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend as 3-month active cycles followed by a 1-month washout.
- Cycle Length
- 3 months on per cycle
- Break Before the Next Cycle
- 1-month washout between cycles
- What the Research Shows
- No blend-specific long-term follow-up trial exists; individual-component pharmacology characterised in Teichman 2006 (CJC-1295 dose-response) and Raun 1998 (Ipamorelin selectivity)
Documented in the practitioner reference; component-level pharmacology literature · Research-practitioner guide
Continuous long-term use without the 1-month washout risks pituitary receptor desensitisation; the on/off cadence is a mechanistic constraint rather than a scheduling preference.
Compound Overview
Current areas of research
Component-level effects and grey-market GH secretagogue experience.
- Recovery and sleep improvements within 1–2 weeks
- Body-composition changes build over 2–3 months
- Dual-pathway GH stimulation with synergistic (not additive) GH release
- No cortisol, prolactin or ACTH elevation (Ipamorelin's selectivity property)
Mechanism of action
The CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin Blend is one of the most widely-used GH secretagogue combinations in the peptide-therapy space, and its mechanistic rationale is unusually clean. It combines 5 mg of CJC-1295 No DAC (a GHRH-analogue) with 5 mg of Ipamorelin (a selective ghrelin-receptor agonist) in a single lyophilized vial (10 mg total). Both peptides drive growth-hormone release, but through two distinct receptor systems whose simultaneous activation produces a synergistic GH pulse larger than either component alone can generate.
The endocrinology of the pairing is worth understanding. CJC-1295 No DAC engages the GHRH (growth-hormone-releasing hormone) receptor on pituitary somatotrophs, producing a short, sharp GH pulse. Ipamorelin engages the ghrelin (GHSR) receptor on the same somatotrophs but through a different signalling pathway. When both receptor systems are activated in a coordinated pulse, the somatotrophs release substantially more GH than either signal alone would evoke — a synergy documented in the endocrinology literature dating back to the original ghrelin-and-GHRH physiology work. This is the biological basis for dual-pathway GH stimulation as a dosing strategy.
Ipamorelin's selectivity is what makes this specific combination cleaner than older ghrelin-mimetic stacks. Earlier ghrelin analogues (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin) produced meaningful GH stimulation but also elevated cortisol, prolactin, and ACTH — off-target effects that undermined the metabolic benefit. Ipamorelin was engineered to activate the ghrelin receptor without triggering those parallel HPA-axis effects. Combined with CJC-1295 No DAC, the result is a GH-axis modulation with minimal collateral endocrine noise.
The dose-adequacy design is worth naming as a distinguishing feature of this specific blend. Both components are optimally dosed at 0.1–0.15 mL per injection (0.25–0.375 mg of each), and at that range both fall within their individually-established therapeutic windows. The upper range of 0.2 mL (0.5 mg of each) is slightly above optimal but still safe — for consumers who want a larger single-dose GH pulse rather than the standard maintenance regimen. Blend-specific human trial evidence does not exist; component-level evidence supports each peptide individually.
- Dual-pathway GH secretagogue blend: CJC-1295 No DAC 5 mg + Ipamorelin 5 mg = 10 mg total
- Synergistic GH release — combined pulse significantly greater than additive sum of individual peptides
- Ipamorelin's selectivity avoids the cortisol / prolactin / ACTH elevation of older ghrelin mimetics
Human research
Component-level evidence is where the science lives: CJC-1295 (Teichman 2006 pharmacology characterisation) and Ipamorelin (Raun 1998 mechanistic characterisation of the selective ghrelin agonism). The dual-pathway synergy is established in the broader endocrinology literature on GHRH and ghrelin pulsatile GH release.
Teichman 2006 CJC-1295
Pharmacology characterisation of CJC-1295.
Raun 1998 Ipamorelin
Mechanistic characterisation of Ipamorelin's selective ghrelin agonism.
Sikiric 2018
Context for broader research use of these peptides.
No blend regulatory authorisation. Neither component is FDA-approved individually.
No blend-specific human trial has been published.
Safety considerations
Component-level and grey-market experience.
- Mild water retention (GH-related, usually transient)
- Mild injection-site reactions
- IGF-1 elevation with long-term use — monitor
- Long-term safety of specific combination not characterised
Component-level warnings apply.
- Active cancer — GH and IGF-1 are pro-proliferative
- Pregnancy
- Pituitary or hypothalamic pathology
- Hypersensitivity to either component
Monitoring
- IGF-1 with long-term use
- Glucose response (GH is insulin-antagonist)
- Injection-site reactions
Frequently asked questions
Why is fasted pre-sleep injection so important?
Timing and fasting are as important as the dose. The physiological GH pulse the body produces naturally occurs during early sleep — injecting to reinforce this pulse produces the best GH release. Carbohydrates within 30–60 minutes before injection blunt the pulse from both components (insulin's suppression of GH is well-characterised). Non-fasted or non-pre-sleep injection substantially reduces the effective GH pulse and is one of the most common protocol errors.
What's the difference from CJC-1295 DAC?
DAC (drug affinity complex) is a modification that dramatically extends CJC-1295's half-life — the DAC variant produces a continuous GHRH elevation rather than a pulsatile one. The blend uses CJC-1295 No DAC specifically because pulsatile GH release is more physiological and better matched to Ipamorelin's pulsatile ghrelin activation. DAC-variant blends would produce a very different pharmacology.
Does the blend elevate cortisol like older ghrelin mimetics?
No. That is Ipamorelin's distinguishing property. Older ghrelin analogues (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin) also stimulated cortisol, prolactin, and ACTH — off-target HPA-axis effects that undermined the metabolic benefit. Ipamorelin was engineered to activate the ghrelin receptor selectively without those parallel elevations. The blend inherits this selectivity.
Why cycle 3 months on / 1 month off?
Continuous stimulation of the GHRH receptor tends toward desensitisation over time — the somatotrophs become less responsive to repeated GHRH signal. Cycling gives the receptors a rest period during which they resensitise. The 3-months-on / 1-month-off framework is a general endocrinology-consistent convention rather than a clinically validated cycle.
How does this compare to the Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blend?
Tesamorelin is a longer-acting stabilised GHRH analogue with documented visceral-fat-reduction pharmacology in the peer-reviewed GHRH-analogue literature. CJC-1295 No DAC is a shorter-acting GHRH analogue. The Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blend targets visceral-fat reduction as its distinctive application. The CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend is the more general-purpose GH secretagogue combination. See the Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin page for the specific contrast.
References
- [1]
Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone — Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2006)
- [2]
Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue — Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, et al., European Journal of Endocrinology (1998)
- [3]
Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in the treatment of colitis and ischemia and reperfusion in rats: new insights — Sikiric P, Rucman R, Turkovic B, et al., World Journal of Gastroenterology (2018)
- [4]
Peptides & Compounds — The No-Jargon Guide (v5) — Healthy Mango Editorial, Healthy Mango practitioner reference (2026)
Laboratory Reference Notice
This section summarizes procedures and study parameters reported in published scientific literature and laboratory protocols. It is provided for educational and research reference only and must not be interpreted as medical advice, clinical guidance, or instructions for personal use.
Editorial review pending
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