Preparation & measurement
- Lyophilised — freeze-dried into a powder for stability; must be reconstituted before use.
- Reconstitution — dissolving a powder in a liquid (usually bacteriostatic water) to make a solution. See Learn.
- Bacteriostatic water — sterile water with ~0.9% benzyl alcohol that inhibits bacterial growth, allowing a reconstituted vial to be used over a period rather than once.
- Sterile water — plain sterile water with no preservative; typically for single use.
- Concentration — how much substance is dissolved per unit of liquid (e.g. mg/mL). The number that determines your draw volume.
- mg / mcg — milligram / microgram. 1 mg = 1,000 mcg. Confusing the two is a 1,000× error.
- IU (International Unit) — a measure of biological activity used for some compounds; the mg-per-IU relationship is compound-specific and not interchangeable across substances.
- U-100 syringe — an insulin syringe where 100 "units" of volume = 1 mL. A "unit" is a mark on the barrel, not a dose of drug.
Pharmacology concepts
- Half-life (t½) — the time for half of a substance to clear the body. After ~5 half-lives it is essentially gone. See the visualiser.
- Bioavailability — the fraction of a dose that actually reaches circulation, which varies by route (injection, oral, nasal, etc.).
- Peptide — a short chain of amino acids; many act as signalling molecules in the body.
- Titration — adjusting a dose gradually rather than starting high; a general risk-reduction principle in clinical dosing.
Quality & verification
- CoA (Certificate of Analysis) — a lab document claiming a product's identity and purity. Useful in principle, but a CoA can be faked, outdated, or unrelated to the vial in hand — treat it as a claim, not proof.
- Third-party testing — independent lab verification. More credible than a seller's own paperwork, but still doesn't guarantee the specific unit you received.
- Purity — the percentage of a sample that is the intended compound. Cannot be verified at home; unregulated products carry real uncertainty.
Marketplace terms (and why to be careful)
- Group buy — pooling many buyers' money for a bulk order. Some are legitimate; many are vehicles for fraud. See Safety.
- "Research compound / not for human use" — a labelling convention often used to sidestep regulation. The label does not make a substance safe, legal to use, or tested.
- Rug / "the vendor rugged us" — a claim that an upstream supplier vanished with the money. Sometimes true, often a cover story. Verify before believing.
What the Codex is — and isn't. Peptera's Codex profiles compounds: what each is, how it works, its legal status, and its risks (contraindications and side effects). It deliberately carries no doses, no schedules, and no sources — because *that* is the material that turns "education" into "how to obtain and use." For anything specific to your situation, a licensed clinician is the right and safest source.