Hormone · Investigational
Ghrelin (Native)
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Ghrelin is a naturally occurring 28-amino acid peptide hormone with an n-octanoyl modification at serine-3 that is essential for its growth hormone releasing activity, and it is the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a) (PMID 10604470). It is produced mainly by endocrine cells of the gastric mucosa (PMID 16772353).
Ghrelin stimulates growth hormone release, appetite, and gastric emptying, and plays a central role in energy homeostasis and feeding behavior (PMID 16772353).
02 · Research summary & key findings
Native ghrelin has been tested in small human studies: in a randomized crossover trial in seven cancer patients with poor appetite, ghrelin infusion increased energy intake by 31 percent versus saline (PMID 15181065), and in ten patients with diabetic gastroparesis it increased gastric emptying (PMID 16085693). An uncontrolled pilot study in five patients with restricting-type anorexia nervosa reported increased hunger and energy intake (PMID 19755753). In the circulation, acyl ghrelin is converted to des-acyl ghrelin, which has different metabolic properties (PMID 23482590). No formulation of native ghrelin has received FDA approval.
03 · Regulatory status
Ghrelin (Native) is in the investigational stage. While preclinical and early-phase data exist, it has not received regulatory approval for clinical use in the United States.
No lawful pathway today
Ghrelin (Native) is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding. If you are working on the goal it is studied for, a licensed clinician can tell you what is lawfully available, which may be something else.
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Looking for a lawful, clinician-prescribed option for hormone optimization?
Ghrelin (Native) is an investigational compound, is not FDA-approved, and has no lawful US compounding pathway, so we do not offer it and no clinician we work with will prescribe it. Products sold online as “research chemicals” are not made or tested to the standards required of medicines. If you are working on hormone optimization, a licensed clinician can tell you at a free consultation whether an FDA-approved or lawfully compounded treatment fits you, or whether nothing does.
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04 · Administration routes
- Intravenous
References
- [1]Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach Nature, 1999. PMID 10604470
- [2]Ghrelin increases energy intake in cancer patients with impaired appetite: acute, randomized, placebo-controlled trial J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2004. PMID 15181065
- [3]Ghrelin enhances gastric emptying in diabetic gastroparesis: a double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study Gut, 2005. PMID 16085693
- [4]Ghrelin stimulates gastric emptying and hunger in normal-weight humans J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. PMID 16772353
- [5]Ghrelin increases hunger and food intake in patients with restricting-type anorexia nervosa: a pilot study Endocr J, 2009. PMID 19755753
- [6]The pharmacokinetics of acyl, des-acyl, and total ghrelin in healthy human subjects Eur J Endocrinol, 2013. PMID 23482590
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Ghrelin"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Ghrelin"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Ghrelin"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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