CJC-1295 is a long-acting GHRH analog — here is what the GH and IGF-1 research actually measured.

Two forms, one most-conflated fact

CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the hypothalamic signal that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. It comes in two forms that behave very differently, and almost every online thread blurs them. The DAC form ("Drug Affinity Complex") binds covalently to your own circulating serum albumin, which stretches its plasma half-life to roughly 5.8–8.1 days in healthy adults ^[1]. The no-DAC form, DAC vs no-DAC (Modified GRF 1-29), keeps the same protease-resistant backbone but lacks the albumin handle, so it clears in minutes to hours ^[1].

That single distinction — multi-day versus short-acting — is the first thing a careful reader should pin down, and it is the thing the forums get wrong most often. We give it its own page so the two are never mixed up.

This site is a reading of the published literature, not a clinic and not a store. CJC-1295 is not approved for human use anywhere, and no long-term human safety study exists ^[1]. We lead with that honestly, then walk through what the studies did measure.

What the research reports CJC-1295 does

In healthy 20-to-40-year-old men, a single subcutaneous dose of 60 or 90 µg/kg raised basal growth hormone about 7.5-fold, lifted mean growth hormone by roughly 46% and IGF-1 by roughly 45% a week later, and — notably — left the natural pulsatile rhythm of growth-hormone release intact ^[3]. Across a separate dose-ranging study, 30 or 60 µg/kg produced dose-dependent growth-hormone elevation for six days or more and IGF-1 elevation for nine to eleven days ^[1].

These are biomarker findings: GH up, IGF-1 up, pulsatility preserved. They are real and reproducible. What the literature does not contain is a controlled long-term trial in healthy adults showing changes in body composition, recovery, or "anti-aging" outcomes — so claims of that kind run ahead of the evidence. The honest summary is what the human research shows, and not much more.

For the mechanism in detail, see the GH / IGF-1 axis research; for how the molecule is built and dosed in studies, see the doses used in the studies.

CJC-1295 as a synthetic GHRH-analog peptide

CJC-1295 is a peptide, not a steroid. It is built on hGRF(1-29) — the first 29 amino acids of human growth-hormone-releasing factor, the minimal sequence that keeps full GH-releasing activity — with four substitutions (D-Ala at position 2, plus changes at 8, 15 and 27) that stabilize the helix and block the enzymes that normally chew GHRH apart within minutes ^[2]. The DAC variant adds a maleimide handle that bonds to a thiol on serum albumin, turning the short-lived peptide into a long-circulating peptide-albumin conjugate ^[2].

Because it works upstream — on the pituitary, prompting release of your own growth hormone — it sits in the GHRH-analog class alongside the approved drug tesamorelin and the older analog sermorelin. It does not act on androgen receptors and is not an anabolic steroid.

Where to read next

Start with the questions a curious reader actually asks.

• What does CJC-1295 do? It binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs and stimulates pulsatile growth-hormone release, which raises hepatic IGF-1. In healthy men a single dose raised mean GH ~46% and IGF-1 ~45% a week later ^[3].
• What is CJC-1295? A synthetic GHRH analog built on hGRF(1-29) with four protease-resistant substitutions; the DAC variant is albumin-bound for a multi-day half-life, the no-DAC "Modified GRF 1-29" form is short-acting ^[2].

The GH / IGF-1 axis research page carries the strongest human evidence. The side effects and safety questions cover the honest gaps, and the full reference list shows every source. If you remember one thing, make it the DAC vs no-DAC (Modified GRF 1-29) difference.