The Compound Codex (Page 2)

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Metformin title card: foil tablets beside a research folder tied shut and a blank clipboard, ringed by an empty axis, a dumbbell with a downward arrow, an empty jar and a prescription slip.

Metformin for slowing aging

The trial meant to settle this has never enrolled anyone. The question that has been tested twice is whether metformin blunts what exercise does.

Rapamycin title card: an amber pill bottle on a lab bench with a mouse cage behind it, ringed by a mouse, a lone data point on an empty axis, a crossed shield and a prescription slip.

Rapamycin for slowing aging

The best lifespan result ever produced in mice, and a single 114-person human trial whose positive findings were confined to women on the higher dose.

Modafinil title card: a blister pack of tablets on a prescription slip beside a desk clock, ringed by diverging arrows, an eye, a controlled-substance document and a maze.

Modafinil for cognitive enhancement

It works for the sleep disorders it is licensed to treat. Whether it makes a rested person think better is a different question, with a messier answer.

Ginkgo biloba title card: fan-shaped leaves and a labelled bottle resting on two bound trial reports, ringed by a flat line chart, a crossed-out shield, a calendar and a brain icon.

Ginkgo biloba for preventing dementia

Two multi-year trials in nearly six thousand older adults, one publicly funded and one paid for by the manufacturer. Both found nothing.

Title card reading DHEA, with two weathered stone busts behind a bottle of DHEA capsules, ringed by male and female symbols, a steroid molecule and a prohibition sign.

DHEA for anti-aging

Tested more thoroughly than almost anything else we grade — two years, restored hormone levels, and no benefit. The one positive finding belongs to the hormones it turns into.

Title card reading Growth hormone, with a level balance scale weighing a 1990 research paper against a growth hormone vial, a gavel resting beside it.

Growth hormone for anti-aging

An industry built on twelve men, six months, and no placebo group — and what the seventeen years of controlled trials that followed actually found.

Title card reading Tirzepatide, with a labelled injector pen on sage leaves, ringed by GLP-1 and GIP receptor icons.

Tirzepatide for weight loss

The largest weight loss of any approved drug, and a head-to-head win over semaglutide — with independent replication that amounts to 24 people.

Title card reading Semaglutide, with a labelled injector pen on sage leaves, ringed by appetite, stomach, weight and heart icons.

Semaglutide for weight loss

The best-evidenced compound on this site — and the only one shown to prevent heart attacks, not just move a scale.

Title card reading Retatrutide, with a labelled injector pen ringed by GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptor icons and a stack of identically sealed research papers.

Retatrutide for weight loss

The largest weight-loss results ever published for a drug of this kind — and the lowest grade we have given to a compound that clearly works.

Title card reading Magnesium, with a bottle marked Mg and loose capsules on a pillow beneath a crescent moon.

Magnesium for sleep quality

Does taking magnesium before bed actually help you fall asleep faster or sleep through the night?

Title card reading Testosterone, with a labelled vial and syringe beside an anatomical heart crossed by an ECG trace.

Testosterone replacement and the heart

Does testosterone replacement therapy increase cardiovascular risk?

Title card reading L-theanine plus caffeine, with a cup of green tea and a mug of coffee either side of overlapping circles containing a brain.

L-theanine and caffeine for focus

Does the combination beat caffeine on its own — and how would we know?

Title card reading LGD-4033, with a labelled bottle beside a desk calendar marked with twenty-one study days.

sarms

LGD-4033 for muscle growth

Does ligandrol build muscle in healthy men — and what did its trial run long enough to detect?

Title card reading RAD-140, with an empty specimen rack and a single sealed folder on a bare laboratory bench.

sarms

RAD-140 for muscle growth

Does RAD-140 build muscle in humans — and is "selective" doing the work people think it is?

Title card reading Cardarine, with a research folder tied shut beside a small treadmill and a stopwatch, ringed by a laboratory mouse and a warning triangle.

sarms

Cardarine for endurance

Does GW501516 improve endurance performance in humans?

Title card reading Omega-3, with a fish beside gold softgel capsules and a blood sample vial, ringed by a lipid molecule and a falling chart.

supplements

Omega-3 for triglycerides

Does omega-3 lower triglycerides — and does that translate into fewer heart attacks?

Title card reading Ashwagandha, with roots and leaves beside a stone mortar and pestle, ringed by diverging arrows and a question mark.

supplements

Ashwagandha for stress

Does ashwagandha actually make people feel less stressed?

Title card reading Caffeine, with a mug of black coffee, scattered beans and a balance scale with calibration weights.

supplements

Caffeine for performance and alertness

Does caffeine actually improve exercise performance and mental sharpness?

Title card reading MK-677, with a capsule and pill bottle beside a plate and fork, ringed by a rising line, a flat line, water droplets and a glucose meter.

peptides

MK-677 for muscle and strength

Does ibutamoren build muscle or make people stronger?

Title card reading TB-500, with a roll of gauze and a first-aid tin beside an eye drop bottle, ringed by an eye, a molecule and a crossed-out tendon.

peptides

TB-500 for injury recovery

Does TB-500 accelerate healing of muscle, tendon or ligament in humans?

Title card reading Lion’s Mane, with a shaggy mushroom on a log slice beside an open notebook showing a neuron sketch.

nootropics

Lion's Mane for memory and focus

Does Hericium erinaceus improve cognitive function in humans?

Title card reading Resveratrol, with dark grapes, a glass of red wine and a labelled vial, ringed by a molecular pathway and diverging arrows.

longevity

Resveratrol for metabolic health

Does resveratrol improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes?

Title card reading NMN, with an hourglass beside a labelled bottle, ringed by a rising molecule icon and a flat horizontal line.

longevity

NMN for slowing aging

Does taking NMN improve any measured health outcome in humans?

Title card reading BPC-157, with a peptide vial on a metal tray beside an unlabelled box, ringed by a laboratory mouse, a tendon fibre and an empty chart.

peptides

BPC-157 for tendon and soft-tissue healing

Does BPC-157 accelerate healing of tendons, ligaments, or gut tissue in humans?

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