Recovery & healing peptides

The peptides marketed for tissue, tendon and gut repair — BPC-157, TB-500, the copper peptides, the growth factors and the rest — grouped by what they target, and marked for what the evidence actually is. For most of them, that evidence is preclinical.

Almost nothing here is a proven human treatment. A few have early clinical data; most rest on animal studies, and all the injectable ones are sold as unapproved research chemicals. This is a factual map, not a recommendation, and nothing here is medical advice.

What “recovery peptides” are

This is the loosest of the families — a cluster of unrelated molecules linked by a claim rather than a mechanism: that they speed the repair of tendon, muscle, skin or the gut lining. Some act on tissue growth factors, some on inflammation, some on the copper chemistry of the skin. What they mostly share is that the human evidence is thin, so the grouping below is by proposed target, with the evidence stage marked on every one.

BPC-157 vs TB-500

The two at the centre of the scene, in brief — the full page works through both.

	BPC-157Bepecin	TB-500
What it is	Synthetic 15-aa peptide (gastric-derived)	Synthetic 7-aa thymosin β-4 fragment
Evidence	Preclinical (animal); unproven in humans	Preclinical (animal); unproven in humans
Route	subcutaneous, intramuscular; also sold orally without supporting absorption data	subcutaneous or intramuscular
Doping	Banned — WADA S0	Banned — WADA S2.3

Full comparison: BPC-157 vs TB-500.

The full recovery family

Every repair-marketed peptide in the reference, grouped by what it targets.

The headline healing peptides

The compounds the grey-market “recovery” scene is built on, and their close relatives.

BPC-157 (Bepecin) Experimental Synthetic pentadecapeptide that speeds tissue repair in animal studies; human efficacy is unproven.
TB-500 Experimental Seven-amino-acid fragment of thymosin beta-4; the clinical evidence concerns the full protein, not this.
Thymosin beta-4 In trials Endogenous 43-amino-acid actin-sequestering protein; the compound behind almost all TB-500 marketing claims.
Pentadeca Arginate (PDA) Experimental BPC-157 supplied as an arginine salt; the peptide is identical and no study has ever tested the salt.

Copper peptides

The copper tripeptide, in skin repair and “regeneration” contexts.

GHK-Cu In trials Endogenous copper tripeptide, established as a cosmetic ingredient and used as a non-approved injection.
GHK (Kollaren) Natural hormone The copper-free tripeptide itself; in the body it binds copper and largely becomes GHK-Cu.

Growth factors & muscle

IGF-1 analogues, mechano-growth factor, and the myostatin blockers marketed for muscle.

IGF-1 LR3 Experimental Cell culture reagent and IGF-1 analogue with a real hypoglycaemia risk; not studied in humans.
MGF Experimental The 24-amino-acid E-domain of a mechanically induced IGF-1 splice variant; its muscle effects failed replication.
PEG-MGF Experimental MGF with a polyethylene glycol chain attached; the long half-life it is sold on has never been measured.
Follistatin-344 In trials A 344-residue follistatin precursor protein that binds myostatin and activin; sold as an injectable with no human data.
ACE-031 In trials A myostatin-trapping receptor fusion protein whose clinical development was stopped for vascular bleeding events.

Anti-inflammatory & gut-barrier peptides

Aimed at inflammation and the gut lining rather than tissue bulk.

KPV Experimental Anti-inflammatory tripeptide from alpha-MSH; the evidence is entirely preclinical, with no human studies.
Larazotide In trials Oral octapeptide that closes tight junctions in the gut; phase 3 in coeliac disease halted for futility.
LL-37 In trials Endogenous antimicrobial peptide; the phase 2b trial in leg ulcers missed its primary endpoint.
ARA-290 (HBSP) In trials Non-erythropoietic EPO-derived 11-peptide that repairs small nerve fibres; development halted after phase 2.

Bioregulator peptides

Very short peptides from the Russian bioregulator programme, marketed for tissue-specific “regulation” on thin evidence.

Bronchogen Experimental Tetrapeptide from the Russian bioregulator programme, studied in rat lung models with no human evidence.
Cartalax Experimental Tripeptide from the Russian bioregulator programme, marketed for cartilage with no human evidence.
Vilon Experimental Dipeptide from the Russian bioregulator programme, presented as a thymus and immune agent without independent evidence.

Oral & endogenous

An oral supplement with real trial data, and an endogenous proteoglycan studied for repair.

Collagen peptides In trials Hydrolysed collagen taken orally; real randomised evidence for joint pain, contested evidence for skin.
Decorin (DCN) Natural hormone An endogenous proteoglycan, not a peptide, studied as an anti-fibrotic TGF-beta trap - almost entirely in animals.

Recovery & healing peptides: common questions

Do BPC-157 and TB-500 actually work?

In animals, yes — both speed tissue repair fairly consistently. In humans the honest answer is unknown: there are no controlled human efficacy trials for either, so the popular claims rest on rodent studies and anecdote. See the full BPC-157 vs TB-500 comparison.

What is the best peptide for healing an injury?

There is no peptide with proven human evidence for healing an injury, so no honest “best” can be named. BPC-157 has the most striking animal data and is the most used; that is popularity and preclinical promise, not proof. Nothing here is medical advice, and a real injury is a matter for a clinician.

What is pentadeca arginate (PDA)?

Pentadeca arginate is BPC-157 supplied as an arginine salt — the same pentadecapeptide with a different counter-ion, marketed as more stable. The peptide itself is identical, and it carries the same lack of human evidence.

Are healing peptides safe to inject, and are they legal?

They are sold as unapproved research chemicals, so a vial’s identity, purity and sterility are not guaranteed — which is the real risk, separate from the peptide itself. See legal status, what a lab test proves and injection safety.

Are recovery peptides banned in sport?

Many are. BPC-157 (S0), TB-500 and thymosin β-4 (S2.3), the mechano-growth factors and the myostatin blockers are all on the WADA Prohibited List and banned at all times. See doping status.

Browse all recovery & tissue entries · What a lab test proves · Injection safety · Doping status