About this reading room

What GHK-Cu Prescribed is

GHK-Cu Prescribed is an independent editorial project that publishes summaries of the peer-reviewed research literature on GHK-Cu. We are not a clinic. We do not employ clinicians and we do not provide medical advice. We do not manufacture, sell, or distribute any product. Our work is editorial commentary on publicly available science.

The name 'Prescribed' is a kitchen-prescription conceit: a recipe is a kind of prescription passed down, and this site treats the accumulated GHK-Cu literature — Pickart 1973 onward — the way a family treats accumulated recipes: hand-set, annotated, plated with care, and always traceable to who measured it first. It is an editorial position relative to the literature, not a claim about the services offered. There is no prescribing here, no clinic behind the door.

What this site covers

GHK-Cu (Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper complex) is a naturally occurring tripeptide-copper(II) chelate found in human plasma, saliva, and urine. It has been the subject of peer-reviewed research since 1973, with a literature spanning collagen synthesis, wound healing across multiple species, skin anti-aging RCTs in humans, hair follicle stimulation including one RCT, anti-inflammatory and lung-protection models, broad gene expression modulation, and emerging neuroprotective animal studies.

This site summarizes that literature. The research record includes strong in vitro and rodent evidence and limited human clinical data (primarily topical). Injectable GHK-Cu has not been evaluated in published human pharmacokinetic or safety studies. We report what the studies measured, including their gaps and limitations.

For the GHK-Cu mechanism of action, the GHK-Cu dosage in preclinical research, GHK-Cu skin and collagen studies, and GHK-Cu hair loss research, see those respective pages.

Sources and editorial standards

Every quantitative claim on this site cites a peer-reviewed study. Sources are drawn from PubMed, PMC, peer-reviewed journals (FEBS Letters, Journal of Clinical Investigation, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Frontiers in Pharmacology, BioMed Research International, Genome Medicine, Oncotarget, Annals of Dermatology, Metallomics, and others), ClinicalTrials.gov-registered studies, and two preprints indexed in PubMed (Tucker et al. 2023). Preprint status is disclosed. All citations include DOIs or PubMed links; see published GHK-Cu references for the full list.

We do not accept sponsored content. We do not accept advertising. No financial relationship exists between this site and any peptide vendor, clinic, or compounding pharmacy. No claims made on this site should be construed as medical advice, a treatment recommendation, or an endorsement of any product or service.

GHK-Cu is not FDA-approved for any therapeutic indication. The research summarized here is preclinical and early clinical in nature. We make no representation that any compound described on this site is safe or effective for human use.