A plain-language, continually updated guide from Dr. Matt Chalmers’ clinical reference on hormones and peptides.
CJC-1295 is a lab-made peptide that mimics growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the signal your brain uses to tell the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. It is built on the same 29-amino-acid active fragment of GHRH used in Sermorelin, with small changes that make it far more stable in the body.
It comes in two forms. CJC-1295 with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex) binds to albumin in the blood, which stretches its activity to roughly a week; a 2006 study in healthy adults found a single injection raised growth hormone and IGF-1 levels for several days. CJC-1295 without DAC, often called Mod GRF 1-29, acts for a much shorter time and produces a more natural, pulse-like release.
CJC-1295 is most often paired with Ipamorelin. CJC-1295 works on the GHRH receptor while Ipamorelin works on the ghrelin receptor, so together they produce a stronger, more coordinated growth hormone pulse than either alone. Patients consider it for muscle and strength, skin, hair and collagen, recovery and sleep quality. We monitor IGF-1 with lab work to keep levels in a healthy range. Whether CJC-1295 fits your plan, and which form, is decided individually by our providers.
Growth hormone and IGF-1 drive protein synthesis, so your body needs enough dietary protein and amino acids to build anything with that signal. Zinc, vitamin D and magnesium support the growth hormone pathway, and deep sleep is when most natural growth hormone release happens.
CJC-1295 is not FDA-approved for any use, and the FDA restricts how it can be compounded. Your provider will explain its current availability. As with all growth-hormone-axis peptides, active or suspected cancer is treated as a reason not to use it. This page is educational and not an offer to prescribe CJC-1295 outside an individualized evaluation.
Both are based on the same active fragment of growth hormone-releasing hormone. CJC-1295 has been modified to last much longer in the body, especially the version with DAC, while Sermorelin is cleared quickly and needs more frequent dosing.
They trigger growth hormone release through two different receptors. CJC-1295 primes the pituitary through the GHRH receptor and Ipamorelin triggers release through the ghrelin receptor, so the combination produces a stronger, more natural growth hormone pulse.
With DAC, CJC-1295 binds to albumin in the blood and stays active for about a week. Without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29), it acts for a short time and creates a pulse more like the body’s natural rhythm. Your provider chooses based on your goals and labs.
No. CJC-1295 is not FDA-approved for any use, and its compounding is restricted. Your provider will explain current availability and whether it is appropriate for you.
Written by Dr. Matt Chalmers, DC, CCCN, CCSP · Updated October 2026
