@brentlajeunesse 'I would never inject this, but if I did' stack: Reta + KLOW + Selank + Semax + HCG + MOTS-c
I would never inject Chinese research grade material into my body, but if I did, I would do.... -Retatrutide -KLOW -Selank -Semax -HCg -MOTS-c ..and I would feel like a Savage God! Drop your stack below, lets keep this building... -B
The 'I would never inject Chinese research-grade material, but if I did' framing is the peptide community's standard legal fiction. It's also self-aware: author openly acknowledges the sourcing reality most peptide influencers paper over. The stack itself is community-standard: Retatrutide as the metabolic backbone, KLOW for recovery, Selank + Semax for cognition, HCG for HPG-axis (implying androgens not listed), and MOTS-c. No doses given, which keeps this in C territory. The 'drop your stack below' close makes this a community thread-starter, not a protocol.
| Goal | Score | Grade | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longevity | 70 | C- | 10% | Indirect via GHK-Cu (in KLOW) collagen mechanisms; nothing in the stack is longevity-targeted, but the metabolic-improvement axis of Retatrutide is longevity-relevant in older adults. |
| Cognition | 75 | C | 20% | Selank + Semax are the right compound choices for nootropic / anxiolytic cognitive support; Russian clinical evidence base is the floor. |
| Sleep & recovery | 75 | C | 20% | KLOW (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu + KPV) is the community-recognized recovery blend; mechanism is real, doses aren't specified. |
| Energy & metabolism | 75 | C | 20% | Retatrutide triple agonism + MOTS-c mitochondrial mechanism is the metabolic axis. Without doses, can't evaluate magnitude. |
| Body recomposition | 75 | C | 30% | Retatrutide drives the fat-loss mechanism; HCG inclusion implies androgens elsewhere that aren't listed, which is the most informative omission in the post. |
Ingredients (6)
Retatrutide
Retatrutide on peptidelist.org ↗
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon triple-receptor agonist. Eli Lilly trial drug; Phase 2 data exceeded tirzepatide and semaglutide on bodyweight outcomes.
- Take
- No dose disclosed. Phase 2 trials titrated to 8-12mg/week subQ with the most extraordinary body-recomp data in the GLP-1-class pipeline. Standard retatrutide caveat applies: Phase 3 trial-stage drug with no legitimate civilian supply chain, anything from a research-peptide vendor is gray-market trial diversion or unverifiable counterfeit. Author's 'Chinese research grade' framing explicitly acknowledges this is the sourcing reality.
KLOW blend
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Community-recognized peptide blend containing BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, and KPV in a fixed ratio. Marketed for recovery and tissue repair.
- Take
- KLOW is a community-recognized blend (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu + KPV) so composition is a known quantity, but no dose is disclosed in this post. Standard enthusiast use is 1-3mg/day total. The blend forecloses per-component titration but is a defensible choice when the user wants the recovery cocktail effect rather than tuning individual peptides.
Selank
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Synthetic heptapeptide based on tuftsin; proposed anxiolytic and nootropic effects via GABA-A receptor modulation and BDNF expression. Studied primarily in Russian clinical literature.
- Take
- No dose disclosed. Published Russian intranasal protocols use 75-250mcg/day. Anxiolytic and nootropic effects have been reported across the Russian clinical literature; Western RCT replication is thin. Standard enthusiast choice for the cognition axis alongside Semax.
Semax
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Synthetic heptapeptide derived from ACTH (4-10) fragment. Approved in Russia for stroke and cerebrovascular indications. Proposed cognitive enhancement via BDNF, NGF, and dopaminergic system effects.
- Take
- No dose disclosed. Published Russian intranasal protocols use 300-1000mcg/day for cognitive enhancement; medical doses go higher. Approved in Russia for stroke and cerebrovascular indications. Reasonable cognition pairing with Selank.
HCG
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Mimics LH at testicular Leydig cell receptors, stimulating endogenous testosterone production and maintaining testicular volume during HPG-axis suppression from exogenous androgens.
- Take
- Standard adjunct to AAS or TRT to preserve testicular function and fertility. Typical protocol is 250-500 IU 2-3x/week subQ. The presence of HCG in this stack strongly implies exogenous androgens elsewhere, since HCG without testosterone is unusual outside fertility contexts. Author's omission of the implied androgens is the single most informative gap in the post.
MOTS-c
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Mitochondrial-derived 16-amino-acid peptide encoded by mitochondrial DNA. AMPK activator with metabolic effects on insulin sensitivity, glucose homeostasis, and exercise capacity in animal and small human studies.
- Take
- No dose disclosed. Typical research-vendor protocols use 5-10mg/week subQ. The mechanism (mitochondrial AMPK activation) is genuinely novel biology rather than a re-skinned recovery peptide; legitimate metabolic mechanism that complements Retatrutide's GLP-1/GIP effects.
Risks & interactions
- Retatrutide has no legitimate civilian supply chainhigh
Phase 3 trial-stage drug, not FDA-approved. Anything sold as 'retatrutide' on the research-peptide market is gray-market trial diversion or unverifiable counterfeit synthesis. Counterfeit GLP-1-class drugs have been documented with off-target compounds. Author's 'Chinese research grade material' framing is the explicit acknowledgment that this is the sourcing reality.
- HCG inclusion implies undisclosed exogenous androgensmedium
HCG without exogenous testosterone or AAS is unusual outside fertility-restoration contexts. Its inclusion here strongly suggests testosterone or AAS is also being run, and the most useful information about the stack (which androgens, what doses, what cycle length) is precisely what's been omitted. The 'I would never inject this' framing extends to the most consequential implicit ingredient as well.
- No doses across six compoundsmedium
Six active compounds with zero dose disclosure makes the stack not replicable, not titrable, and not safety-evaluable. Standard 'list, not protocol' problem; the thread-starter format encourages compound naming over dose specification.
- Research-peptide sourcing acknowledged but unaddressedmedium
'Chinese research grade material' is the explicit sourcing acknowledgment. The standard concerns apply: purity, sterility, endotoxin contamination, and labeling have been documented as inconsistent across the research-peptide market. Acknowledging the sourcing doesn't change the risk profile; it just makes the sourcing transparent.
- 'Savage God' framing is recreational, not therapeuticlow
The closer signals the protocol is aimed at general optimization and recreational use rather than addressing a specific deficiency or condition. That's a legitimate use case but worth naming explicitly when stack-naming threads conflate recreational use with therapeutic intent.
Without doses, '@brentlajeunesse takes Retatrutide' and a reply 'I also take Retatrutide' look identical but could be 0.5mg/wk vs 5mg/wk protocols, which is a 10x difference in effect and risk. The thread-starter framing is good (peptide community has more honest discussions in casual threads than in influencer posts) but for the conversation to actually build, dose ranges matter as much as compound names. Author already showed willingness to be honest about sourcing ('Chinese research grade'); honesty about dose would complete the picture.
Estimated cost
Retatrutide is the dominant variable ($300-1500+ if sourceable, with the standard caveat that it isn't legitimately available). KLOW blend ~$80-150/mo at research-peptide vendor pricing. Selank + Semax ~$60-100/mo combined. HCG ~$50-150/mo. MOTS-c ~$60-100/mo. Wide range driven by Retatrutide and the implied androgens that aren't listed.