The short answer
The pituitary gland, at the base of the brain, releases growth hormone (GH). It listens to several signals. Two of the main ones are GHRH, which says "release", and ghrelin, which also pushes release through a different door.
- CJC-1295 is a lab-made copy of GHRH. The version with DAC is built to last for days.
- Ipamorelin is a small peptide that acts on the ghrelin receptor.
So the pair is two keys for two different locks on the same gland. Glow Labs lists the CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend as one 10mg vial, for laboratory research only. Stock has run out, and WhatsApp pre-orders are open.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Raun K et al, Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, Eur J Endocrinol, 1998.
Questions about this guide?
Ask on WhatsAppCJC-1295 explained
GHRH is short for growth hormone releasing hormone. The natural version breaks down within minutes in the blood. CJC-1295 was designed to last much longer.
What DAC means
DAC stands for drug affinity complex. It is a chemical hook added to the peptide. Once in the blood, the hook binds to albumin, the most common protein in blood plasma. Albumin lasts for weeks, so the peptide riding on it lasts longer too.
In the 2006 study in healthy adults, the estimated half-life of CJC-1295 was about 6 to 8 days. Researchers measured mean GH levels 2 to 10 times above baseline for 6 days or more after a single administration, and IGF-1 levels 1.5 to 3 times higher for 9 to 11 days. A second 2006 paper found that GH was still released in natural pulses, while the low point between pulses rose.
With DAC vs no DAC
The name CJC-1295 is used for two different products, and this causes much confusion.
| Version | What it is | Human data we found |
|---|---|---|
| CJC-1295 with DAC | The GHRH copy plus the albumin hook | The two 2006 studies in healthy adults |
| CJC-1295 without DAC | The GHRH copy alone, often sold as modified GRF (1-29) | No controlled human study in the papers we read |
The version without DAC lacks the hook, so it would be expected to clear much faster. That is a reasonable inference from the chemistry, not a measured fact. Our catalogue does not yet state which form the blend contains. Ask us on WhatsApp before you order if your research depends on it.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Ionescu M, Frohman LA, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006.
Ipamorelin explained
Ipamorelin is a pentapeptide, which means a chain of five amino acids. It was described in 1998 as the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. A secretagogue is anything that makes a gland release something.
"Selective" was the key word. Earlier compounds in this group also raised other hormones. In the 1998 animal tests, ipamorelin released GH without changing levels of several other pituitary hormones the team checked. A 1999 study in healthy male volunteers measured a half-life of about 2 hours and a single GH peak at about 40 minutes.
Glow Labs also lists ipamorelin on its own, stocking soon.
Sources: Raun K et al, Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, Eur J Endocrinol, 1998. Gobburu JV et al, Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers, Pharm Res, 1999. PubChem, Ipamorelin, CID 9831659, National Library of Medicine.
Why they are paired
Sellers combine them because they work through two different receptors in the same system. The idea is that two signals at once may act differently from either alone. This is a rationale used in catalogues. We found no controlled human trial of the two given together in the papers we read, so any claim about the pair goes past the published record.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Raun K et al, Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, Eur J Endocrinol, 1998. Mendias CL et al, Safety and efficacy of approved and unapproved peptide therapies for musculoskeletal injuries and athletic performance, Sports Med, 2026.
Two switches
Here is the system in one table. Read it from left to right: signal, door, gland, output.
| CJC-1295 with DAC | CJC-1295 without DAC | Ipamorelin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copies | GHRH | GHRH | Part of ghrelin's action |
| Receptor | GHRH receptor | GHRH receptor | Ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) |
| Build | modified GHRH chain plus DAC | modified GHRH chain | five amino acids |
| How long it lasts | about 6 to 8 days in the 2006 study | expected shorter, not measured in our sources | about 2 hours in the 1999 study |
| Key paper | 2006 | none in our sources | 1998, 1999 |
| Output measured | GH and IGF-1 levels | not measured in our sources | GH levels |
Both switches feed the same pituitary cells. That shared target is why sellers pair them, and why both sit in the same group on anti-doping lists.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Ionescu M, Frohman LA, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Raun K et al, Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, Eur J Endocrinol, 1998. Gobburu JV et al, Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers, Pharm Res, 1999.
What was measured
The honest summary is short. Small studies in healthy adults measured GH and IGF-1 levels after CJC-1295 with DAC. A small study in healthy men measured how ipamorelin moved through the body and how GH responded. Neither compound became an approved medicine. A 2026 review of approved and unapproved peptides in sports medicine places both among unapproved products.
Measuring a hormone level is not the same as showing a health effect. None of these studies set out to show a benefit.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. Gobburu JV et al, Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers, Pharm Res, 1999. Mendias CL et al, Safety and efficacy of approved and unapproved peptide therapies for musculoskeletal injuries and athletic performance, Sports Med, 2026.
Status in Australia
- The TGA named CJC-1295 among unapproved peptide products in its 13 April 2026 safety advisory to sellers.
- In August 2026 the TGA described seizing products, including CJC-1295, from a seller.
- Sport Integrity Australia says ipamorelin is not in any medicine on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, and is banned in and out of competition.
- Both are named in the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2027 list under S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors. That class is banned at all times, and the list takes effect on 1 January 2027.
- Australia's Poisons Standard (October 2026) lists CJC-1295 and ipamorelin in Schedule 4, the prescription only schedule, and in Appendix D, clause 5: neither may be held without authority under state or territory law.
These are facts, not advice. How Glow Labs sells the blend, for laboratory research only, is set out in our research use notice. For a side-by-side with another GHRH copy, see tesamorelin vs ipamorelin and our tesamorelin vials.
Sources: World Anti-Doping Agency, Prohibited List page, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors. Sport Integrity Australia, Ipamorelin substance information, read 26 October 2026. Therapeutic Goods Administration, Understanding your responsibilities when importing, compounding and supplying unapproved peptide products, Safety advisory, 13 April 2026. Therapeutic Goods Administration, TGA flexes its muscle against illegal peptides and steroids, Media release, 17 August 2026. World Anti-Doping Agency, 2027 Prohibited List, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors, in force 1 January 2027, read 26 October 2026. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327): Schedule 4 and Appendix D, clause 5, Federal Register of Legislation.
Storing the blend
The blend comes as one freeze-dried cake holding both peptides. Keep it sealed, cold and away from light until use. Mixed peptides break down faster than dry powder. Handling tips for dry and mixed vials are in our peptide storage guide.
Sources: Bachem, Handling and storage guidelines for peptides, Knowledge Center. Lai MC et al, Solid-state chemical stability of proteins and peptides, J Pharm Sci, 1999.
FAQ
Are CJC-1295 and ipamorelin steroids?
No. Steroids are built on a ring-shaped fat-like molecule. Both of these are peptides, short chains of amino acids.
What is the difference between DAC and no DAC?
DAC is a chemical hook that binds the peptide to albumin in blood, which made it last days in the 2006 study. The version without DAC lacks the hook.
Are they banned in sport?
Yes. Both fall under S2.2.4 on the World Anti-Doping Agency list, which bans them in and out of competition.
Are they legal in Australia?
Neither is an approved medicine here. Under the Poisons Standard, both are Schedule 4 poisons that also appear in Appendix D, clause 5, and the TGA has named CJC-1295 in warnings about unapproved peptides. We sell the blend to labs as a research reagent only.
How should the vials be stored?
Leave the freeze-dried vial sealed and keep it cold and dark until the lab is ready for it.
Sources: Teichman SL et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. World Anti-Doping Agency, Prohibited List page, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors. Therapeutic Goods Administration, Understanding your responsibilities when importing, compounding and supplying unapproved peptide products, Safety advisory, 13 April 2026. Bachem, Handling and storage guidelines for peptides, Knowledge Center. Lai MC et al, Solid-state chemical stability of proteins and peptides, J Pharm Sci, 1999. World Anti-Doping Agency, 2027 Prohibited List, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors, in force 1 January 2027, read 26 October 2026. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327): Schedule 4 and Appendix D, clause 5, Federal Register of Legislation.
Sources
- Teichman SL et al, 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, 2006.
- Ionescu M, Frohman LA, Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006.
- Raun K et al, Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, Eur J Endocrinol, 1998.
- Gobburu JV et al, Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers, Pharm Res, 1999.
- Mendias CL et al, Safety and efficacy of approved and unapproved peptide therapies for musculoskeletal injuries and athletic performance, Sports Med, 2026.
- PubChem, Ipamorelin, CID 9831659, National Library of Medicine.
- World Anti-Doping Agency, Prohibited List page, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors.
- Sport Integrity Australia, Ipamorelin substance information, read 26 October 2026.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration, Understanding your responsibilities when importing, compounding and supplying unapproved peptide products, Safety advisory, 13 April 2026.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration, TGA flexes its muscle against illegal peptides and steroids, Media release, 17 August 2026.
- Bachem, Handling and storage guidelines for peptides, Knowledge Center.
- Lai MC et al, Solid-state chemical stability of proteins and peptides, J Pharm Sci, 1999.
- World Anti-Doping Agency, 2027 Prohibited List, S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors, in force 1 January 2027, read 26 October 2026.
- Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327): Schedule 4 and Appendix D, clause 5, Federal Register of Legislation.
