GHRP-6

Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 6, a synthetic hexapeptide and growth hormone secretagogue. In the published research it appears mostly as a diagnostic GH provocation agent, it is not approved as a medicine in any market searched, and no therapeutic dose is established.

Last updated: September 2026

What is GHRP-6?

GHRP-6 (Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 6) is a synthetic hexapeptide and growth hormone secretagogue, sequence His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2 (PMID 23099431). It is one of the growth-hormone-axis compounds in our peptide library, and it works through the ghrelin, or growth hormone secretagogue, receptor to prompt a short burst of GH release. Its development code name was SKF 110679, and the Cuban cardiac product CIGB-500 uses GHRP-6 as its active ingredient (PMID 40024561).

The honest headline is that its main documented human use is diagnostic, not therapeutic. Across the fetched literature GHRP-6 appears overwhelmingly as a GH provocation agent, usually combined with growth hormone releasing hormone, in single acute intravenous tests that measure pituitary GH reserve. If you are comparing it with the other growth hormone peptides, that diagnostic history is the key difference: nearly every human record is one short test, not a course of treatment.

GHRP-6 is not an approved medicine in any market searched. The Guide to Pharmacology records it as approved false, and US FDA drug databases return no record for it. The FDA lists GHRP-6 among bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks and excludes it from both legal compounding routes (FDA bulk-substance safety statement), and it is on the WADA and USADA prohibited lists at all times (USADA 2026 Prohibited List). Because both the effect and the identity of a vial depend on what it actually contains, verify any material against a batch certificate of analysis and check the community-verified supplier list first.

How It Works

Growth hormone secretagogue: GHRP-6 is a synthetic hexapeptide (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) that the Guide to Pharmacology records as an agonist at the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a), the same receptor the hormone ghrelin uses to release growth hormone from the pituitary.

It is not a single-receptor ligand. GHRP-6 has dual affinity for GHS-R1a and the CD36 receptor (in vitro study, PMID 22712585), and in signal-transduction assays its potency varied about 600-fold and it behaved as a negative allosteric modulator of ghrelin signaling rather than a simple full agonist (in vitro study, PMID 15905359).

The growth hormone release depends on the body's own hypothalamus. A GHRH antagonist cut the peak GH response to GHRP-6 from about 34 to 6 micrograms per litre in healthy men, so endogenous GHRH is required for most of the effect (human study, PMID 9543138).

GHRP-6 is not GH-selective. In human tests it also raised prolactin and cortisol about 2-fold at the 1 mcg/kg dose (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 2108187) and stimulated ACTH and cortisol release (human study, PMID 12809173). The US FDA has separately flagged a potential effect on cortisol and an increase in blood glucose from decreased insulin sensitivity (FDA bulk-substance safety statement).

Benefits

What is established in humans is narrow: GHRP-6 reliably triggers a short burst of growth hormone, which is why its main human use is a diagnostic GH provocation test. The GHRH plus GHRP-6 test separated GH-deficient adults from healthy controls (human diagnostic study, PMID 11030292)
It releases GH by several routes in human tests, including intravenous and oral, though the oral dose used was far higher than the intravenous one (human study, PMID 7581965)
Accelerated gastric emptying in a diabetic gastroparesis model (animal study, streptozotocin-diabetic guinea pigs, intraperitoneal, PMID 18710636)
Improved wound closure and scar appearance when applied topically (animal study, rats and rabbits, topical, PMID 27200188)
Reduced post-infarct scarring and improved left-ventricle function after a heart attack (animal study, rat, permanent coronary ligation model, PMID 41901314)
Reduced acute lung injury and its later progression to fibrosis (animal study, mice, intratracheal challenge model, PMID 41534456)
These animal findings are why GHRP-6 is being studied for tissue protection, but none of them is an established human outcome and the compound is not approved for any of these uses

Dosing Described in Research and Labels

Phase	Dose	Frequency	Duration
Therapeutic or body composition use	No established human dose	Not established	GHRP-6 is not an approved medicine in any market searched, and no therapeutic dose is established (Guide to Pharmacology records approved false)
Human diagnostic test: GH reserve, with GHRH	GHRH 1 mcg/kg plus GHRP-6 1 mcg/kg, IV (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 11030292)	Single combined intravenous administration at 0 min	Single acute test; 125 patients and 125 healthy controls; GH sampled over 120 min (PMID 11030292)
Human diagnostic test: GHRP-6 alone	GHRP-6 1 mcg/kg, IV bolus (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 9543138)	Single intravenous bolus	Single acute test, 9 healthy men; a GHRH blocker cut the GH response, so endogenous GHRH is needed (PMID 9543138)
Human pharmacokinetic study	100, 200 and 400 mcg/kg, single IV bolus (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 23099431)	One intravenous bolus per subject, across three dose levels	Single dose, 9 healthy men; distribution half-life 7.6 min, elimination half-life 2.5 h (PMID 23099431)
Human test: oral route, children with short stature	GHRP-6 300 mcg/kg, orally (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 7581965)	Single oral dose per test	Acute test, 13 children with normal short stature; the oral figure is far above the intravenous test dose (PMID 7581965)
Longest human administration found in the fetched literature, combined therapy	GHRP-6 100 mcg, given with GHRP-2 and a SERM, three times daily (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 28830317)	Three times daily, in men already on testosterone therapy	Retrospective chart review, 105 men reviewed and 14 met strict inclusion criteria, mean 134 days; the design cannot separate GHRP-6 from GHRP-2, a SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulator), or testosterone (PMID 28830317)
Animal repeat-dose toxicology, CIGB-500 (GHRP-6 as the active ingredient)	up to 2000 mcg/kg/day, IV (animal study, beagle dog, intravenous, PMID 40024561)	Once daily for 28 consecutive days	28 days; NOAEL judged 2000 mcg/kg/day; transient signs at 1000 and 2000 mcg/kg/day (PMID 40024561)

These figures summarise what published research and approved labels describe. They are educational, not a recommendation or a personal protocol. Any dose, schedule, or decision to use a compound belongs with a licensed prescriber.

Side Effects

Reported in human studies

⚠Flushing during administration: in one adult GH deficiency diagnostic study the only side effect observed was flush symptoms (human study, PMID 11980622)
⚠Prolactin and cortisol rose about 2-fold at the 1 mcg/kg dose, because GHRP-6 is not growth-hormone selective (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 2108187)
⚠Increased ACTH and cortisol release, shown in patients with Cushing's disease (human study, PMID 12809173)
⚠Enhanced overnight cortisol secretion, alongside modulation of GH and sleep, after repeated night-time boluses (human study, PMID 7617137)

Reported in animals and regulatory records

•In beagle dogs given the GHRP-6 product CIGB-500, hypersalivation, hypoactivity, reduced heart rate, changes in respiration, pale gums and head erythema appeared at 1000 to 2000 mcg/kg/day; judged transient and non-adverse (animal study, beagle dog, intravenous, PMID 40024561)
•US FDA flags a potential effect on cortisol and an increase in blood glucose from decreased insulin sensitivity (FDA bulk-substance safety statement)
•In a modern controlled human trial found in the fetched literature, where GHRP-6 was given with epidermal growth factor and not alone, severe adverse events occurred in 48 of 188 patients, none treatment-related (human trial, PMID 42462342)
•No serious adverse event has been attributed to GHRP-6 given alone, and no long-term or chronic human safety data exists for GHRP-6 by itself: every human safety statement for GHRP-6 alone comes from single-dose or short diagnostic tests

Who Should NOT Use GHRP-6

✕Competitive or drug-tested athletes: GH-Releasing Peptides are on the WADA and USADA prohibited lists at all times, in and out of competition (USADA 2026 Prohibited List)
✕Anyone who cannot verify identity and purity: an analysis of black-market growth-promoting products found N-terminal glycine designer analogues such as Gly-GHRP-6 rather than the labelled peptide (PMID 29864719)
✕People for whom a rise in cortisol, ACTH or prolactin, or reduced insulin sensitivity and higher blood glucose, would matter: GHRP-6 is not GH-selective and the FDA has flagged these effects. This is a physician judgment, not a self-assessment (human studies and FDA bulk-substance safety statement)
✕Anyone seeking an approved therapy: GHRP-6 is not approved in any market searched and is excluded from both US compounding routes (FDA bulk-substance safety statement)
✕Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and any long-term use: no chronic or long-term human safety data exists for GHRP-6

What to Expect

Within minutes

In diagnostic tests GHRP-6 triggers a rapid growth hormone rise, and blood is usually sampled over the following 90 to 120 minutes to capture the GH peak (human diagnostic study, PMID 11030292).

During the test

The response is not GH-selective: prolactin and cortisol can rise about 2-fold at the 1 mcg/kg dose (trial dose, not a recommendation, PMID 2108187), and ACTH and cortisol are also stimulated (human study, PMID 12809173).

Hours

GHRP-6 clears quickly, with a reported distribution half-life of about 7.6 minutes and an elimination half-life of about 2.5 hours after an intravenous dose (human pharmacokinetic study, PMID 23099431).

Long term

There is no published long-term or chronic human data for GHRP-6 given alone. Every human effect and safety statement for GHRP-6 by itself comes from single-dose or short diagnostic protocols; the one prolonged human record gave it with GHRP-2, a SERM, and testosterone, so it cannot isolate GHRP-6. What happens with ongoing use of GHRP-6 alone is simply not established.

Notes from Ho Chi Minh City

In the Ho Chi Minh City gym and peptide-curious scene GHRP-6 comes up as an older, cheaper growth hormone secretagogue, usually sold online as a research chemical rather than stocked in any pharmacy. The honest picture from the literature is narrower than the gym talk: it is mainly a diagnostic agent used to provoke a GH pulse in a clinic test, it is not approved anywhere I could find, and it sits on the anti-doping list at all times, which matters for anyone who competes. The part I would flag hardest is product integrity. An analysis of black-market growth-promoting products found N-terminal glycine designer analogues like Gly-GHRP-6 sold in place of the labelled peptide (PMID 29864719), and several vendors hedge their certificate-of-analysis language, so a vial is not automatically what the label says. Dose, route, and whether to use it at all are decisions for a licensed prescriber, not a forum thread.

Sourcing in Vietnam

GHRP-6 is not stocked at Vietnamese retail pharmacies. A September 2026 search of the Long Chau pharmacy site for ghrp-6 returned other products but none whose product name contains GHRP-6, while the same search matched paracetamol as a control, so that result is a genuine null. The Pharmacity and An Khang sites could not be read at the time of research, a JavaScript-only page in one case and a failed connection in the other, so nothing can be concluded about whether they list it. A Vietnamese clinic education page states plainly that no peptide is approved by the Ministry of Health, Bo Y Te, for muscle building, and it advises against use. There is no published Vietnam pharmacy price for GHRP-6: no published figure. Online it is sold as a research chemical, not for human consumption, sometimes on domains only months old. Verify any material against a batch certificate of analysis and read the supplier and COA guides before purchasing.

FAQ

Q: Is GHRP-6 approved or legal to use as a medicine?

A: No approval record was found in any market searched. The Guide to Pharmacology records GHRP-6 as approved false, US FDA drug databases return no record for it, and the FDA lists it among bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, excluded from both legal compounding routes. In Vietnam, a clinic education page notes that no peptide is approved by the Ministry of Health for muscle building. It is sold online only as a research chemical, not for human use.

Q: What is GHRP-6 actually used for in the research?

A: Overwhelmingly as a diagnostic tool. In the published human literature GHRP-6 is a growth hormone provocation agent, usually combined with growth hormone releasing hormone, given as a single acute intravenous test to measure pituitary GH reserve, and in a smaller set to test adrenal function. Nearly every human record is one short test rather than a course of treatment.

Q: Does GHRP-6 build muscle or burn fat?

A: No human study doses GHRP-6 alone for muscle gain or fat loss. The one prolonged human administration on record gave GHRP-6 together with GHRP-2, a SERM and testosterone, so it cannot isolate what GHRP-6 did (PMID 28830317). GHRP-6 does trigger a short GH pulse in a test, but an acute GH rise in a clinic is not the same as a body-composition result. For how the GH-axis peptides compare, see our growth hormone peptides guide.

Q: Is GHRP-6 banned in sport?

A: Yes. Growth hormone releasing peptides are on the WADA and USADA prohibited lists at all times, in and out of competition, under the peptide hormones and growth factors class. Even a secretagogue not named individually can be caught by the similar-structure or similar-effect catch-all, so anyone subject to testing should treat GHRP-6 as prohibited.

Q: How do I know a GHRP-6 product is really GHRP-6?

A: Often you cannot without testing. An analysis of black-market growth-promoting products found N-terminal glycine designer analogues, such as Gly-GHRP-6, sold in place of the labelled peptide (PMID 29864719), and several vendors hedge their certificate-of-analysis wording with qualifiers like where available. Verify any vial against a batch certificate of analysis and use the community-verified supplier list.

Where to Get GHRP-6 in Vietnam

See our community-verified supplier list with COA verification and cold-chain shipping to Vietnam.

View Supply Index

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Research & Sources

IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology, ligand 1093 (GHRP-6) · Guide to Pharmacology database record (2026) Link
Classes GHRP-6 as a Peptide, records approved false, and lists it as an agonist at the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a).
Nonpeptide and peptide growth hormone secretagogues act both as ghrelin receptor agonist and as positive or negative allosteric modulators of ghrelin signaling · Mol Endocrinol (2005) (PMID: 15905359)
GHRP-6 potency varied about 600-fold across assays and acted as a negative allosteric modulator of ghrelin signaling.
Azapeptide analogues of the growth hormone releasing peptide 6 as cluster of differentiation 36 receptor ligands with reduced affinity for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a · J Med Chem (2012) (PMID: 22712585)
States GHRP-6 has dual affinity for GHS-R1a and the CD36 receptor.
Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide-6 requires endogenous hypothalamic GH-releasing hormone for maximal GH stimulation · J Clin Endocrinol Metab (1998) (PMID: 9543138)
A GHRH antagonist cut the maximal GH increase from 33.8 to 6.2 micrograms/L in nine healthy men after GHRP-6 1 microgram/kg IV.
GH-releasing hormone and GH-releasing peptide-6 for diagnostic testing in GH-deficient adults · Lancet (2000) (PMID: 11030292)
Diagnostic study, 125 patients and 125 controls; GHRH 1 microg/kg plus GHRP-6 1 microg/kg IV; mean GH peak 59.2 vs 4.1 microg/L.
Pharmacokinetic study of Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide 6 (GHRP-6) in nine male healthy volunteers · Eur J Pharm Sci (2013) (PMID: 23099431)
Single IV bolus of 100, 200 and 400 microg/kg; distribution half-life 7.6 min, elimination half-life 2.5 h; sequence and MW 872.44 Da stated.
Growth hormone-releasing effect of oral growth hormone-releasing peptide 6 (GHRP-6) administration in children with short stature · Eur J Endocrinol (1995) (PMID: 7581965)
Oral GHRP-6 300 microg/kg raised GH to a peak of 18.8 micrograms/L in 13 children with normal short stature, an acute diagnostic test.
Growth Hormone Secretagogue Treatment in Hypogonadal Men Raises Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels · Am J Mens Health (2017) (PMID: 28830317)
Retrospective review, 105 men on testosterone (14 met strict inclusion criteria) given 100 mcg GHRP-6 with GHRP-2 and a SERM three times daily, mean 134 days; cannot isolate GHRP-6.
Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide stimulates GH release in normal men and acts synergistically with GH-releasing hormone · J Clin Endocrinol Metab (1990) (PMID: 2108187)
Serum prolactin and cortisol rose about 2-fold at the 1 microgram/kg dose; no adverse clinical effects were observed in response to GHRP.
GHRP-6 is able to stimulate cortisol and ACTH release in patients with Cushing's disease: comparison with DDAVP · J Endocrinol Invest (2003) (PMID: 12809173)
GHRP-6 significantly raised ACTH and cortisol, showing it is not GH-selective.
Growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 stimulates sleep, growth hormone, ACTH and cortisol release in normal man · Neuroendocrinology (1995) (PMID: 7617137)
Repeated night-time IV boluses raised nocturnal GH, ACTH and cortisol and increased stage 2 sleep.
Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in adults by testing with GHRP-6 alone or in combination with GHRH: comparison with the insulin tolerance test · Eur J Endocrinol (2002) (PMID: 11980622)
During administration of GHRP-6 the only side effects observed were flush symptoms.
Therapeutic effects of ghrelin and growth hormone releasing peptide 6 on gastroparesis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic guinea pigs in vivo and in vitro · Chin Med J (Engl) (2008) (PMID: 18710636)
GHRP-6 20 to 100 microg/kg IP accelerated gastric emptying in diabetic guinea pigs with gastroparesis.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide 6 Enhances the Healing Process and Improves the Esthetic Outcome of the Wounds · Plast Surg Int (2016) (PMID: 27200188)
Topical GHRP-6 400 micrograms/mL in Wistar rats and rabbits; wound closure and hypertrophic scar outcomes.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide-6 (GHRP-6) Ameliorates Post-Infarct Ventricular Remodeling and Systolic Dysfunction in a Model of Permanent Coronary Ligation · Pharmaceuticals (Basel) (2026) (PMID: 41901314)
Rat permanent coronary ligation model; GHRP-6 reduced fibrosis and improved left ventricle physiology over 7 days.
Growth hormone releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) ameliorates acute lung injury and its subsequent evolvement to interstitial fibrosis · Int Immunopharmacol (2026) (PMID: 41534456)
Mouse intratracheal LPS or ZYM plus PAF model; GHRP-6 reduced neutrophilic alveolitis and later collagen accumulation.
Phase III Open-Label, Randomized Clinical Trial of Epidermal Growth Factor and Growth Hormone Releasing Hexapeptide in Acute Ischemic Stroke · J Clin Neurosci (2026) (PMID: 42462342)
GHRP-6 given combined with EGF, not alone; severe adverse events 48/188, none treatment-related.
Subchronic safety assessment of CIGB-500 in beagle dog after repeated daily dose administration over 28 days · Regul Toxicol Pharmacol (2025) (PMID: 40024561)
CIGB-500 (active ingredient GHRP-6) IV daily for 28 days in beagle dogs; NOAEL 2000 mcg/kg/day; transient signs at 1000 and 2000 mcg/kg/day.
Analysis of new growth promoting black market products · Growth Horm IGF Res (2018) (PMID: 29864719)
Identified N-terminal glycine designer analogues Gly-GHRP-6, Gly-GHRP-2 and Gly-Ipamorelin in black market products.
USADA 2026 Prohibited List Pocket Guide · US Anti-Doping Agency (2026) Link
GH-Releasing Peptides (GHRPs) are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition, under the peptide hormones and growth factors class.
Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks · US Food and Drug Administration (2026) Link
Names GHRP-6; cites immunogenicity risk and safety concerns including a potential effect on cortisol and increased blood glucose due to decreased insulin sensitivity.
Nha thuoc Long Chau on-site search for ghrp-6 (controlled null) · Long Chau pharmacy site record, fetched 2026-09-05 (2026) Link
16 products returned, none whose product name contains GHRP-6; the paracetamol control matched product names, so this is a genuine null, not a tooling block.
Co nen tiem peptide de tang cuong co bap? (MedFit clinic education page) · MedFit clinic education page, fetched 2026-09-05 (2026) Link
States no peptide is approved by Bo Y Te for muscle building and advises against use.

Important Disclaimer

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Peptides discussed on this page are not approved by Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (Bộ Y Tế) or the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) for the indications described. Research peptides are not stocked at Long Châu, Pharmacity, or any retail pharmacy in Vietnam. Consult a licensed physician before any use.