Recovery
Wolverine Stack
BPC-157 and TB-500, a recovery combination sold either as two separate vials or as one pre-blended vial. In one vial, the seller sets the split, and every draw holds both.
At a glance
- Sold as
- Separate vials or one blended vial
- The evidence
- The one controlled study of the pair we found is a 2026 rat study. After Achilles tendon repair, 32 rats got a daily blank shot, BPC-157, TB-500 or both for 30 days, 8 per group (Biçer et al. 2026, Jt Dis Relat Surg). On strength, only TB-500 alone beat control by a statistically clear margin. BPC-157 alone came out about as strong as TB-500 but not clearly stronger than control, and the pair was not clearly different from any group, control included. The authors call it exploratory and say larger animal studies should come next. In people there is one 16-patient chart review (Lee & Padgett 2021): knee injections of BPC-157, 4 of them with TB4 added, and no control group. BPC-157 on its own has dozens of animal studies and five small human studies by FDA's July 2026 count; the TB-500 fragment has never been studied separately in humans, and the one in-vitro test of TB-500 itself was negative.Combination-specific research is limited. Treat each compound’s evidence as separate unless a study of the combination itself is named here, and review the complete plan with a qualified clinician.
Running this stack, with the schedule, the vials it takes and a log of what you took, happens in the app: Claritide for iPhone.
Why people explore it
Common reasons for exploring it
- Recreational athletes, lifters and runners with soft tissue injuries: tendons, ligaments, joints
- People whose rest and physical therapy have stalled on a nagging shoulder, knee or elbow
- Post-surgical recovery
- Gut issues, where the oral BPC-157 route becomes relevant
Where clinician input matters
- Anyone with active or recent cancer, or a significant family cancer history
- Anyone on therapeutic anticoagulation or with a known bleeding disorder
- Competitive athletes tested under WADA rules
- Pregnant or nursing
- Under 25
- Anyone who has not yet run a single compound solo. The Playbook rule is one peptide at a time for at least two weeks first
The science
Read the compound mechanisms
BPC-157 appears to work by improving the blood supply to damaged tissue and then telling the repair machinery to switch on. It increases expression of VEGFR2, a receptor that drives angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, so more oxygen and nutrients reach the injury. It also interacts with the nitric oxide system, which controls how wide blood vessels open and how strongly the inflammatory response fires, counteracting both too little and too much nitric oxide. Separately it raises growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts and activates the FAK-paxillin pathway, the signalling route cells use to stick, crawl and divide during wound repair. It is named for a cytoprotective effect: shielding tissue from NSAIDs, alcohol and other stressors. That effect is most pronounced in the gut.
Read the molecule before the mechanism. TB-500 is the acetylated seven-amino-acid fragment Ac-LKKTETQ, residues 17–23 of the 43-amino-acid parent, Thymosin Beta-4. Everything that follows is Thymosin Beta-4's pharmacology, and FDA states that acetylation irreversibly alters charge, hydrophobicity and size, so results for the parent cannot be extrapolated to TB-500. The mechanism below is inherited by argument, not demonstrated for this compound. Thymosin Beta-4 is the main G-actin sequestering peptide in cells. Actin is the scaffolding protein that gives a cell its shape and lets it crawl; by binding free actin monomers, it regulates that scaffolding and therefore controls cell shape, motility and division. The practical result, in lab and animal studies, is that repair cells migrate toward wound sites. It upregulates migration across several cell types at once: keratinocytes, endothelial cells, stem cells. It also reduces inflammatory markers and has shown anti-fibrotic properties, meaning less scar tissue laid down during healing. TB-500 carries the stretch of the parent that binds actin. FDA says it remains to be determined whether that binding explains any healing effect, and in the one cell-culture test of TB-500 itself, it did not close scratch wounds in cultured cells.
Commonly researched ranges
| Compound | Amount | Frequency | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-157 | 250–500 mcg | Twice daily (AM + PM) | Injected subcutaneously near the injury site |
| TB-500 | 2–5 mg | Twice per week | Any subcutaneous site |
- BPC-157: The local angiogenic effect is why injection proximity matters here. Oral 500 mcg twice daily is the alternative for gut-specific issues. FDA found no human studies of BPC-157 by the oral, subcutaneous, nasal or transdermal route, for any indication.
- TB-500: Protocols treat TB-500 as acting through the whole body, so they do not tie the injection site to the injury. Drops to once weekly after the loading phase. One source (Peptibase) publishes 250–500 mcg for TB-500, a 10× understatement against every other source; it is excluded from this range deliberately.
- Duration
- 4–6 weeks, then reassess. A second cycle after a 2–4 week break is common for chronic injuries.
Mixing each compound
- 10 units = 0.25 mg
- 20 units = 0.5 mg
- 30 units = 0.75 mg
- 40 units = 1 mg
- 60 units = 1.5 mg
- 100 units = 2.5 mg
- 80 units = 2 mg
- 60 units = 1.5 mg
- 40 units = 1 mg
- 20 units = 0.5 mg
Week by week
BPC-157
- Week 1–2
Subtle. Reduced inflammation, warmth or increased blood flow near the injection site, slight pain reduction. Some people feel nothing yet. The Playbook describes this as normal.
- Week 3–4
Noticeable improvement in most reports. Pain drops on movements that previously hurt, range of motion improves, swelling decreases.
- Week 5–6
People describe significant functional recovery for acute injuries in this window. Chronic injuries may need a second cycle.
- Week 6–8+
For stubborn or chronic problems, a second cycle after a 2–4 week break often brings further improvement. Chronic tendinopathy may need two full cycles.
- After stopping
Benefits generally persist. The Playbook frames this as tissue actually repairing rather than pain being masked.
TB-500
- Week 1–2
Subtle. Reduced inflammation and mild pain reduction are the commonly described early signals.
- Week 2–3
Our recovery guide places initial noticeable change here, later than BPC-157, and reads that as a body-wide rather than local effect.
- Week 4–6
Loading phase completes. Functional improvement in soft tissue injuries; the dosing schedule drops to weekly.
- Week 6–8
Our recovery guide describes significant improvement in this window for TB-500 run solo.
What it costs
- BPC-157: $80–120 per 4–6 week cycle (two 5 mg vials)
- TB-500: $80–120 per 4–6 week cycle (two 5 mg vials)
Cautions
- TB-500 is not thymosin β4. TB-500 is Ac-LKKTETQ, the acetylated 17–23 fragment; thymosin β4 is the full 43-amino-acid peptide, and Ac-SDKP (sold as "TB4 Frag") is a third molecule again. The human trials people cite for "thymosin beta-4" are trials of a different molecule.
- The one in-vitro test of TB-500 itself was negative. FDA identified Rahaman et al. 2024: cultured confluent fibroblasts, controlled scratch wounds, 8-hour incubation. TB-500 free base at 50 μg/mL produced no significant wound closure against vehicle, while the metabolite N-acetylated LKKTE did.
- A FAERS report worth knowing about: report 26053573, a woman in her 40s using a "research purposes only" BPC-157 + TB-500 product subcutaneously twice daily, developed diffuse hyperpigmentation and gingival darkening after one week. It resolved on discontinuation and reproduced identically on rechallenge at two weeks. FDA: "The AEs were likely due to the drug product considering that the AEs occurred upon rechallenge." The product contained two peptides, so which one caused it cannot be determined.
- FDA's 28-day repeat-dose toxicity studies of BPC-157 in rats and dogs found aPTT shortening in rats and prolongation in dogs, "suggestive of altered clotting properties", plus increased serum ALT, glucose and triglycerides.
- Both compounds are pro-angiogenic. Active or recent cancer, or a family cancer history, means talk to a physician before starting.
- Both are on the WADA prohibited list, and TB-500 is named under S2.3 as non-Specified, a harsher classification than BPC-157's S0. FDA's 2026 reclassification changes nothing about either.
- BPC-157 affects nitric oxide pathways; there is a theoretical interaction with blood pressure medication and PDE5 inhibitors.
- TB-500 is immunomodulatory, a specific concern on immunosuppressants or after an organ transplant.
- Do not mix two peptides in the same syringe. We found no study that tested any two research peptides mixed in one syringe, these two included. The tirzepatide and semaglutide labels keep insulin in a separate shot, never mixed, and a pharmacy review warns that mixed drugs can lose their activity even when the mix looks unchanged.
- FDA's briefing packages record zero FAERS reports for TB-500, with FDA's own footnote that almost nobody reports. Zero reports is not "safe".
Absence from this list does NOT mean safety. It means lack of research.
Keep reading
Every stack here is free to read, and it stays free. Your own schedule, vials and log live in the app: Claritide for iPhone.