MODULE 007 min read · free lesson

The words you'll see

Twenty terms, explained in plain English. Everything else in the course builds on these.

LISTEN INSTEAD · 7 MIN

You don't need a science background for this course. You do need these words. Read them once. You can come back any time.

About the peptides themselves

Peptide: a short chain of amino acids that acts as a signal in the body. Small enough that your stomach breaks it down, which is why most are injected instead of swallowed.
Compound: just a general word for "the substance." Used so we don't say "peptide" a hundred times.
Research chemical, or RUO (research use only): the legal label on most peptides sold online. It means the seller is not allowed to say it's for people. It says nothing about who actually buys it.
FDA-approved: officially allowed as a medicine in the United States, after big safety trials. Only a few peptides in this course are. The rest are not, which means nobody has done those trials.
Half-life: how long it takes for half of a dose to leave your body. A short half-life means it wears off fast and is used more often. A long one means once a week can be enough.
Mechanism: the way a compound works. What it tells the body to do.

Vendor: a company that sells peptides. Almost none of them make peptides. They buy powder in bulk and put it in vials.
Vial: the tiny glass bottle a peptide arrives in, usually holding a dry powder.
COA, certificate of analysis: a lab report saying what is in one batch of vials, and how pure it is. The single most important document in this course.
Lot number, or batch number: the code on a vial that connects it to its lab report. No lot number, no proof.
Purity: what percentage of the powder is actually the peptide you paid for. Measured by a lab.
Third-party testing: when someone other than the seller tests the product. It's the only testing that counts.

Reconstitution: mixing the dry powder with sterile water so you can measure it. Sounds technical. It's a two-minute job.
Bacteriostatic water, or BAC water: sterile water with a small amount of preservative. It's what people mix peptides with, because the vial gets used over several weeks.
Subcutaneous, or subq: an injection into the fat just under the skin, with a tiny insulin needle. This is how almost all peptides are taken. Millions of people with diabetes do it daily.
Dose: how much you take at once, usually written in micrograms (mcg) or milligrams (mg). One milligram is a thousand micrograms.
Cycle: taking a compound for a set time, then stopping for a set time.
Stack: using two or more compounds together.
Side effect: something the compound does that you didn't want. Some are harmless, some mean stop.

Animal study: tested in mice or rats. It's a hint, not proof. Most peptide research is this.
Human trial: tested in people, ideally against a fake version (a placebo) so we know the effect is real. This is what actually counts, and most peptides don't have it.
WADA: the World Anti-Doping Agency. It keeps the list of banned substances for tested sports. Most peptides in this course are on it. If you compete in a sport with drug testing, that matters a lot, and it's flagged wherever it applies.

WORTH KNOWINGThat's it. If a lesson ever uses a word not on this list, it explains the word in the same sentence.