Peptides For Dummies: A Beginner’s Guide

Nov 4th 2025

1. Introduction

What this guide is: a clear, no-nonsense breakdown of what peptides are and why people use them.
Who it’s for: curious beginners, people dealing with injury or recovery, athletes, or anyone researching wellness, fat loss, and longevity tools.
Quick disclaimer: Do your own research from multiple sources to help you with confidence in your knowledge base. I’m happy to share resources that I learned from.

Plain definition: Short chains of amino acids that act like messengers in your body. Think of “peptides” as a blanket term, similar to “supplements,” as there are many different types that serve various purposes and many that are not worth the investment.
Why that matters: Peptides offer a wide range of benefits, including promoting healing, muscle development, improved skin and collagen, fat burning, increased mental clarity, better sleep, boosted energy, and overall longevity.
Fragility factor: Most peptides break down in stomach acid if swallowed, which is why they’re usually injected. (BPC-157 is one of the few that partly survives digestion, but its impact is mostly limited to gut healing when taken orally.)

Healing & Recovery – Speeding up recovery from soft tissue injuries, tendons, and ligaments.
- BPC-157/TB-500 is often called “The Wolverine Stack” because of its almost “miraculous” healing reputation. Many people, including myself, use it to treat sprains, post-surgical recovery, and pretty much anything soft tissue related (it has not been proven to help bone issues)
Fat Loss & Muscle Preservation – Tesamorelin + Retatrutide help shred fat (especially visceral fat around organs and in the liver) while preserving muscle.
Longevity & Anti-Aging – Compounds like GHK-Cu and NAD+ support skin, energy, and cognitive health.
Cognitive & Memory Support – Semax can help reduce brain fog, improve focus, improve stress resilience, and has also been known to improve memory.

Each one broken down like this:

BPC-157 / TB-500 – “The repair duo” → Famous for injury recovery. Doesn’t regrow bone, but is unmatched for ligaments, tendons, and soft tissue repair.
Tesamorelin – “The metabolism booster” → Helps cut visceral fat and protect muscle while dieting.
Ipamorelin – “The gentle GH releaser” → Boosts growth hormone without harsh side effects. Often linked to recovery, better sleep, and anti-aging.
GHK-Cu – “The beauty peptide” → Collagen stimulator. Supports skin repair, elasticity, and hair growth.
Retatrutide – “The body-fat shredder” → New, advanced peptide that significantly lowers body fat % by regulating appetite and metabolism.
NAD+ – “The cellular battery” → Supports energy production, mental clarity, and healthy aging.
Semax – “The brain booster” → Known for sharpening focus, memory, and mental clarity, while also supporting brain health and stress resilience.

Forms: They all come lyophilized (powder) and are easily reconstituted with Bacteriostatic or BAC water, which can be purchased from many reputable sources.
Storage: Powder form (frozen) can last for over 2 years in the freezer. Once reconstituted with bacteriostatic (BAC) water, it should be stored in the fridge and is good for around 2 months.
Duration: One vial with a normal dosing schedule usually lasts ~1 month, but it varies based on the peptide in question and its protocol.

“Are they steroids?” → No, totally different category. They send signals, not force growth.
“Will I feel them right away?” → Depends. NAD+ can be felt quickly, while healing peptides or fat-loss peptides work best with consistent use over weeks.
“How long does a vial last?” → Roughly a month with standard dosing, but it varies based on the peptide in question and its protocol.
“How do I know it’s working?” → People usually notice faster recovery, leaner physique, better energy, or improved skin/hair health over time.