GHK-Cu dose range
The amounts people commonly use, from the low end to the high end, with syringe units, schedule and half-life. The 7 published studies are one click away.
Animal studies only Repair Also called Copper peptide
Common use ranges
From published clinic and pharmacy protocols. No drug label exists. Fair agreement on 1 to 2 mg once daily, but only one clinic source gives a full schedule and the rest are community guides.
- Half-life
- Not measured in any published study
- How it is taken
- Subcutaneous injection, usually at night
- How long people use it
- 30 days on then 30 days off in the clinic protocol. Community guides say 4 to 8 weeks.
- Mixing used for the units
- 50 mg vial + 2 mL water. 1 unit on a U-100 insulin syringe = 250 mcg.
Pick your vial size and how much water you add. The units below change to match.
50 mg vial + 2 mL water: 1 unit = 250 mcg
| Tier | Each dose | Syringe units50 mg vial + 2 mL water | How often | Schedule | Vial lastsat this tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting [1] | 1 mg | 4 units 0.04 mL | once a day | 1 mg once a day before bed for the first two weeks | 6+ weeks |
| Typical [2] | 2 mg | 8 units 0.08 mL | once a day | 1 to 2 mg once a day. The clinic protocol moves to 2 mg for days 16 to 30 | about 4 weeks |
Good to know
- 50 mg is the most common vial for injection. One 50 mg vial covers the 30 day clinic cycle (45 mg used).
- One large clinic pulled its old 1 to 4 mg a day injectable range, saying no human study backs a shot under the skin.
- The FDA bulk list covers GHK-Cu except for injectable routes, so injectable GHK-Cu is not authorized for compounding.
- Copper build-up with long use is raised as a theoretical worry, which is why sources cycle it.
Sources for these amounts
- Starting: Perfect B clinic, GHK-Cu Dosage and Protocol (days 1 to 15 at 1 mg) · The Dose Guide, GHK-Cu (beginners start at 1 mg daily)
- Typical: Perfect B clinic, GHK-Cu Dosage and Protocol (days 16 to 30 at 2 mg, do not exceed 2 mg per shot) · The Dose Guide, GHK-Cu (1 to 2 mg daily)
How long people use it: Perfect B clinic · The Dose Guide
Take the GHK-Cu chart with you
Get a one-page printable chart for GHK-Cu, with the syringe units for each vial and water mix. We can also email you when a new GHK-Cu study is published.
This page shows what labels, clinics and users report, and what studies gave. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation for anyone. Many of these compounds are not approved for human use. Check your own medicines and lab work with a licensed clinician before using anything.
See the science: 7 published studies
No human dose data. No published human study of GHK-Cu states an amount given. Every figure on this page comes from animal studies.
Amounts given to animals in studies
Read this first. The only human data is creams and gels, and most of those abstracts do not state the amount.
Every study used for this page
Proof grade: Animal studies only. No human dose data has been published. Amounts are quoted as each study reported them. Where the abstract does not state an amount, the row says so.
| Study | Who was studied | Amount given, as reported | Route | How often | How long | What the authors reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMID 1495150venous stasis ulcers1992 | Human, 86 evaluable | "Biologically active tripeptide copper complex" 0.4% cream (concentration; abstract does not say GHK-Cu by name) | Topical cream | Not in abstract | Not in abstract | No difference vs placebo. Silver sulfadiazine 1% cream was better |
| PMID 16847171CO2 laser skin, 2006 | Human, 13 completed | Not stated in the abstract | Topical | Not in abstract | 12 weeks | No objective difference, higher patient satisfaction (P=.04) |
| PMID 14648529ischemic wounds, 2003 | Rat Sprague-Dawley, 24 (3 groups) | Iamin 2% Gel, GHK-Cu tripeptide-copper complex (2% gel, concentration) | Topical | Daily | 13 days | Wound area down 64.5% (TCC) vs 45.6% vehicle vs 28.2% control |
| PMID 25731775rat ACL reconstruction, 2015 | Rat, 72 (24 per group) | Not stated in the abstract | Intra-articular | Once weekly | 4 weeks of injections from week 2, harvest at 6 or 12 weeks | Less knee laxity at 6 wk, effect gone by 12 wk |
| PMID 36905132smoke-induced muscle dysfunction, 2023 | Mouse C57BL/6 (n not in abstract) | 0.2 and 2 mg/kg | Not in abstract | Not in abstract | Not in abstract | Reduced smoke-induced muscle mass loss |
| PMID 38014118intranasal, aging mice, 2023 | Mouse C57BL/6, 20 months, male and female (n not in abstract) | 15 mg/kg daily | Intranasal | Daily | 2 months | Better memory and learning tasks, less neuroinflammation |
| PMID 23744835irradiated rat flaps, 2013 | Rat Sprague-Dawley, 13 test, 10 control | Not stated in the abstract | Topical | Twice daily | 10 days | No difference in ischemia, vessels or VEGF |
How to read the study numbers
- One study, one group. Each figure is what one team chose for its own participants or animals.
- Route matters. An amount given into a vein (IV) is not the same as the same amount under the skin, in the nose or by mouth.
- Animals are not small people. An animal amount is shown as the study gave it. It is not a human amount.
- Short studies. Many studies ran days or weeks. They do not show what happens over longer use.
Common questions
Is there a human dose for GHK-Cu?
No published human study of GHK-Cu states an amount given. The figures on this page come from animal studies only.
Where do these GHK-Cu numbers come from?
From 7 published studies, each linked to its PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov record. Every figure was checked against the study abstract or its open full text. Proof grade: Animal studies only.
How long does GHK-Cu stay in the body?
No published study has measured the half-life of GHK-Cu, so nobody knows exactly how long one dose stays in the blood.
Is this a recommendation for how much GHK-Cu to use?
No. This page shows the amounts reported by drug labels, clinics and users, next to what researchers gave in studies. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation for anyone. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any of it.