Growth Hormone Secretagogue (endogenous) · Hunger Hormone
The hunger hormone — appetite, GH release, and gut motility.
FDA
Research Only
WADA
Banned
HALF-LIFE
~30 minutes
ROUTE
SubQ injection
SCHEDULE
Pre-meal or pre-workout
In Plain English
The hunger hormone — appetite, GH release, and gut motility.
Status & Legality
NATTY?
Not NattyWADA banned substance. Tested athletes will fail.
FDA
Research OnlyFor research purposes only. Not FDA approved.
WADA
BannedOn WADA prohibited list. Use disqualifies in tested sports.
COMPOUNDING
Not from pharmaciesNot available from licensed compounding pharmacies.
PRESCRIBED
Not prescribedNot prescribed in conventional medicine.
ROUTE
SubQ injectionAdministration via subq injection.
GH stimulation
Appetite enhancement
Gut motility
Gastroparesis
Ghrelin is the endogenous peptide produced by the stomach that signals hunger to the hypothalamus and stimulates GH release via the ghrelin receptor. Its gut motility effects make it relevant in gastroparesis treatment. GHRP-6 mimics ghrelin's effects on both GH and appetite. Exogenous ghrelin research focuses on cachexia and GI motility disorders.
Hunger/appetite stimulation
GI distress
Cortisol elevation
Water retention
Using native ghrelin when GHRP-6 is more practical — GHRP-6 mimics ghrelin's effects with far better stability and predictability
Not planning around the intense hunger spike — ghrelin and ghrelin mimetics cause significant appetite stimulation; have food prepared
Expecting significant GH release without combining with a GHRH — ghrelin/GHRP provides the pulse, but GHRH amplifies it 2–5×
GLP-1 agonists (semaglutide) — directly antagonistic on appetite signals; do not combine when weight management is the goal
Insulin — ghrelin has anti-insulin effects; monitor glucose during combined use
GH secretagogues — ghrelin is the endogenous GH-releasing signal; combining with synthetic analogs is generally synergistic
Exogenous ghrelin has a very short half-life that makes it impractical for most research applications. GHRP-6 provides the same receptor activation with better stability and is far more commonly used. Native ghrelin's most interesting application is gastroparesis — gut motility restoration — where 3× daily pre-meal injections have direct research support.
Stats
Sources & Studies
Kojima M. et al., Nature, 1999