CJC-1295

What is CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the natural signal that tells your pituitary to make and release growth hormone. It comes in two forms that behave very differently: with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex), which binds to blood proteins and lasts about a week, and without DAC (usually sold as Mod GRF 1-29), which clears in a matter of minutes. That single difference changes how it is dosed and how much long-term concern it carries, so it matters which one you are actually talking about.

How CJC-1295 works

CJC-1295 binds the GHRH receptor on the pituitary's somatotroph cells, the same receptor natural GHRH uses. Rather than dumping in outside growth hormone, it amplifies your own pulsatile GH release, which keeps the body's feedback loops in play. The no-DAC version produces a short, sharp GH pulse close to the natural pattern. The DAC version holds GHRH-receptor stimulation elevated for days, producing a more sustained "bleed" of GH and IGF-1. That is why the two versions are used and judged so differently, and why CJC-1295 is so often paired with a ghrelin-receptor peptide like ipamorelin.

What the research shows

The most cited human data comes from an early clinical study showing that CJC-1295 with DAC produced sustained, dose-dependent increases in growth hormone and IGF-1 in healthy adults, lasting well beyond a single day. That establishes it can do what it claims biochemically, raise GH and IGF-1. What is missing is the next step: robust, long-term human trials on the body-composition and recovery outcomes it is marketed for. So the "it raises GH" part is documented; the "and here is the proven benefit and safety over time" part is not.

Dosage and how it is used

Dosing splits by version. The no-DAC form (Mod GRF 1-29) is commonly dosed around 100 mcg subcutaneously, often once or more daily and timed with an ipamorelin dose. The DAC form is dosed much less frequently, roughly weekly, because of its long half-life. None of this is standardized or approved, and protocols vary widely from source to source.

→ How to reconstitute CJC-1295: calculator, units to draw & storage

Side effects and safety

Reported short-term effects are the usual GH-secretagogue ones: water retention, tingling or flushing, and injection-site reactions. The bigger consideration is the DAC version specifically. Because it keeps GH and IGF-1 elevated for days rather than pulsing, it strays further from the body's natural rhythm and raises more theoretical long-term concern than the short-acting variant. There is no long-term human safety data for either form at community doses, and neither is FDA-approved.

• Research depth: GH/IGF-1 elevation is documented; long-term outcome data is not.
• The long-acting DAC form carries more theoretical concern than the short-acting no-DAC form.
• Not FDA-approved. Verify current legal and regulatory status independently.

Frequently asked questions

References

• Teichman SL et al. Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-1 secretion by CJC-1295 in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006.
• Raun K et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue (stack context). European Journal of Endocrinology, 1998.