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Animal data onlyNot FDA approved

Humanin

Also known as: HN · HNG · S14G-humanin · [Gly14]-humanin · Humanin-G · Humanin peptide

Updated 25 sources

A 24 amino acid peptide coded in mitochondrial DNA, a sibling of MOTS-c. It protects cells from stress-driven death and falls with age; children of centenarians carry more of it. Most animal work uses HNG, a single-swap analog reported about 1000 times more potent, and vials sold as humanin may be either. No human has been given it in a trial.
Calculate with HumaninDosage chart

Quick facts

Half-life
  • About 30 minutes, stated in a 2020 mouse paper's discussion, which does not say whether it means native humanin or HNG
  • HNG lasts longer in rats than in mice, and longer when it cannot bind IGFBP-3; no human data
  • About 3 hours, labelled an estimate with no source given
Routes
  • Subcutaneous injection
Forms
  • Vial (powder)
Reported dose ranges
  • 0.5 to 5 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 25 to 500 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
Vial sizes
  • 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg
Chemistry
  • 2,687.27 g/mol · C119H204N34O32S2 · CAS 330936-69-1
FDA status
  • Not FDA approved
WADA
  • Not confirmed

What people use Humanin for

  • Longevity and healthy aging, often next to MOTS-c
  • Brain protection and memory, from Alzheimer's cell and mouse work
  • Insulin sensitivity and metabolic health
  • Energy and recovery, the benefits users report most, though described as subtle
  • Heart and organ protection under stress, from animal studies

How it is thought to work. Humanin acts on cell surface receptors (FPRL1 and a gp130, WSX-1 and CNTFR complex) and inside cells binds BAX and related proteins that trigger cell death, which blocks them. It also binds IGFBP-3. In rodents it improved insulin action through the brain's STAT-3 signalling. HNG swaps serine 14 for glycine and is far more potent.

Humanin dosing

10 protocols from studies, guides and community reports, grouped by goal. Tap a source badge to see where a number came from.

Native humanin2

Native humanin, standard

Amount
1 to 3 mg
How often
2 to 3 times a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
8 to 12 weeks
Timing and details

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Native humanin, conservative

Amount
1 mg
How often
Twice a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
8 to 12 weeks
Rest
4 to 6 weeks off

HNG3

HNG, low microgram dose

Amount
100 to 500 mcg
How often
2 to 3 times a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
8 to 12 weeks
Timing and details

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HNG, community standard

Amount
1 to 5 mg
How often
2 to 3 times a week
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
4 to 8 weeks on
Rest
2 to 4 weeks off
Timing and details

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HNG, daily

Amount
0.5 to 2 mg
How often
Once daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
8 to 12 weeks on
Rest
4 to 8 weeks off
Timing and details

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Other protocols: injected5

Low daily dose

Amount
0.5 to 1 mg
How often
Once daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
4 to 8 weeks

Weekly dose

Amount
0.5 to 2 mg
How often
Once a week (most common), or 0.5 mg daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
4 to 8 weeks
Rest
2 to 4 weeks off, 2 to 4 cycles a year

Higher daily range

Amount
1 to 5 mg
How often
Once daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
4 to 8 weeks
Timing and details

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Every 4 to 5 days (Reddit)

Amount
5 mg
How often
Once every 4 to 5 days
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Timing and details

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HNG microdose (Reddit)

Amount
25 to 50 mcg
How often
Once daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Timing and details

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Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Full Humanin dosage guideEvery titration step in syringe units, missed doses and how to mix.

Vial strengths and syringe units

Every Humanin vial size with the water volumes sources use. Units are what to draw on a U-100 insulin syringe, worked out exactly.
Humanin: concentration and U-100 syringe units for each vial size and water volume
WaterStrength500 mcgdose, units1 mgdose, units5 mgdose, units
5 mg vial
1 mLCompetitor guide5 mg/mL100.1 mL200.2 mL1001 mL
2 mLCompetitor guide2.5 mg/mL200.2 mL400.4 mL2002 mL2 draws
10 mg vial
1 mLCompetitor guide10 mg/mL50.05 mL100.1 mL500.5 mL
2 mLCompetitor guide5 mg/mL100.1 mL200.2 mL1001 mL
20 mg vial
2 mLCompetitor guide10 mg/mL50.05 mL100.1 mL500.5 mL
All 4 vial sizes on the dosage chart (1 more)
Units are on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). U-50 and U-30 barrels read the same units.† Water volume sourced for a different vial size. The math is exact either way.Water volumes from

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Calculate with this peptideYour vial, your water, your dose: Humanin in syringe units, with the math shown.

Humanin side effects

What trials and labels report, kept apart from what users and guides report. Frequencies are worded as each source states them.

Reported by users and guides6

From community reports and dosing guides. Not measured rates.

  • Injection-site redness or mild swelling

    The main issue reported; described as occasional and minor

    How people manage it

    • Rotate injection sites.

  • Mild fatigue

    Occasional to uncommon, usually brief

  • Headache

    Uncommon

  • Nausea

    Transient, listed by one guide

  • Low blood sugar or lightheadedness when fasted

    Rare in guides; in rats a potent analog lowered blood glucose

    How people manage it

    • A guide says insulin or sulfonylurea users need a doctor involved.

  • Possible protection of cancer cells (theoretical)

    Not seen in people; raised because humanin blocks cell death

    How people manage it

    • Guides say avoid with active cancer.
All 6 Humanin side effects and how people manage themEvery management tip, who should not use it, and side-effect questions.

Who should avoid it

  • Active cancerCondition

    Humanin blocks cell death, so a guide says it could in theory protect tumour cells.

  • Chemotherapy that works by killing cellsSubstance

    A guide says not without an oncologist, since humanin works against cell death.

  • Insulin or sulfonylureasSubstance

    A guide lists low blood sugar as a rare effect and says these need a doctor's supervision.

  • Pregnancy or breastfeedingCondition

    Listed as a reason to avoid by a guide.

  • Under 18Condition

    Listed as a reason to avoid by a guide.

Storage

Powder (before mixing)

Temperature
-80 to -20 °C

Freezer at -20 C for long-term storage; one guide says -20 to -80 C.

Powder (before mixing)

Temperature
2 to 8 °C

Fridge, 2 to 8 C. One guide says stable for up to 6 months that way.

Mixed vial

Temperature
2 to 8 °C
Use within
28 days

Fridge, 2 to 8 C. Guides say use within 28 days; others say about 4 weeks or 4 to 6 weeks. One research guide freezes aliquots at -20 C instead.

Mixed with: Bacteriostatic water

Mixing. Native humanin and HNG are often sold under the same name. The mass on the label means very different strength depending on which one it is.

Stacks people report

Combinations from guides and community posts, with the reason given.
  • MOTS-c

    The classic mitochondrial peptide pair. One guide runs MOTS-c 5 mg 3 times a week with humanin 2.5 to 5 mg 2 to 3 times a week on alternating days, for 4 to 8 weeks. It notes no combination trial supports it.

  • SS-31

    Humanin for cell protection plus SS-31 for the inner mitochondrial membrane, a niche stack in community reports.

  • Epitalon

    A niche anti-aging pairing: mitochondrial protection plus telomere claims.

  • NAD+

    NAD+ precursors NMN (250 to 500 mg a day) or NR (300 to 600 mg) are often paired with humanin.

  • Retatrutide

    The only compound co-logged with humanin in one app's small self-report set (3 co-reports).

Compare Humanin

Evidence and legal status

Evidence: animal data only

No trial has given humanin or HNG to people. Human data are observational: blood levels fall with age, are lower in Alzheimer's and MELAS, and are higher in children of centenarians. In mice HNG improved memory in an Alzheimer model (5 mg per kg a day for 3 months) and metabolic markers in aging (4 mg per kg twice a week for 14 months), with no lifespan gain. More humanin made worms live longer.

FDA and WADA

Not FDA approved

No approval, no trial program and not on FDA's compounding lists.

Not FDA approved. Not on FDA's 503A bulk substance lists (categories 1 to 3, May 14, 2026 update) and not on the Category 2 safety-risk page. No trial has given humanin to people. Sold as a research chemical.

Not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. The S0 class bans any substance with no human approval, which on its plain wording covers injected humanin or HNG. Humanin is also made by the body, which no anti-doping source addresses.

WADA: Not confirmed

Humanin questions

What is humanin?

A small peptide (24 amino acids in its full form) coded by the 16S rRNA gene in mitochondrial DNA. It was found in 2001 while screening for factors that protect brain cells from Alzheimer's-linked damage, and it is studied for cell protection, insulin action and aging.

What is HNG, and is it the same as humanin?

HNG (S14G-humanin, humanin-G) swaps one amino acid, serine 14 for glycine. Lab studies report it is roughly 1000 times more potent than native humanin, and most animal studies use it. Vendors often sell both as humanin, so check which one the label names.

What is the humanin dose?

No human dose has been tested. Guides list native humanin at 1 to 3 mg 2 to 3 times a week, and HNG anywhere from 100 mcg to 5 mg, weekly to daily. Community reports run from 25 mcg a day to 5 mg every few days.

How was humanin dosed in mice?

Only mice have been dosed, always with the HNG analog. Yen et al. 2020 gave 4 mg per kg twice a week into the abdomen for 14 months, starting at 18 months of age; metabolic markers improved and inflammation and IGF-1 fell, with no lifespan difference. Zhang et al. 2012 gave 5 mg per kg a day into the abdomen for 3 months to 9-month-old Alzheimer model mice; memory improved and amyloid plaque fell (the 5 mg per kg figure is read from a guide's summary, since the abstract gives no dose). None of these is a human dose.

How many units is 1 mg of humanin?

20 units on a U-100 insulin syringe with a 10 mg vial and 2 mL of water. With 1 mL of water it is 10 units.

What is the half-life of humanin?

About 30 minutes, per a 2020 paper from the lab that studies it, which does not say whether that figure is native humanin or HNG. In rodents HNG lasted longer in rats than in mice, and binding to IGFBP-3 in blood changes how long it stays. No human figure exists.

Has humanin been tested in humans?

Not as a treatment. Every humanin entry on ClinicalTrials.gov measures blood levels in a disease or after surgery; none gives humanin to people.

Does humanin extend lifespan?

Extra humanin made worms live longer. In mice given HNG from 18 months, metabolic and inflammation markers improved but lifespan did not change. Children of centenarians carry more humanin in their blood than controls, which is an association, not proof.

Do humanin levels drop with age?

Yes in most species studied. Blood humanin fell with age in people and mice, and levels are lower in Alzheimer's disease and the mitochondrial disease MELAS.

Humanin vs MOTS-c: what is the difference?

Both are mitochondrial-derived peptides. Humanin is mostly about keeping cells alive under stress; MOTS-c is an AMPK-driven metabolic signal. For fat loss or insulin goals, guides lean to MOTS-c.

Can you stack humanin with MOTS-c?

It is the most common pairing. One guide runs MOTS-c 5 mg 3 times a week with humanin 2.5 to 5 mg 2 to 3 times a week on alternating days, for 4 to 8 weeks. No trial has tested the pair.

Does humanin raise cancer risk?

Unknown. Because humanin blocks cell death, guides flag a theoretical risk of protecting tumour cells and say to avoid it with active cancer. No human data address it.

What do users report from humanin?

Effects are described as subtle and hard to pin on humanin: a sense of vitality, better recovery, energy. One app's 6 self-reports all rated it favorable, with energy the top pick. These are self-reports, not evidence.

How should humanin be stored?

Powder in the freezer at -20 C, or the fridge for shorter spans. After mixing, fridge at 2 to 8 C and use within about 28 days.

Is humanin FDA approved?

No. It is not approved and does not appear on FDA's 503A bulk substance lists for compounding (May 2026 update). It is sold as a research chemical.

Is humanin banned in sport?

It is not named on the WADA 2026 list. The S0 class bans any substance with no human approval, which on its plain wording covers injected humanin or HNG.

Is there a longevity gene variant of humanin?

Yes. A rare variant, P3S, is enriched in centenarians who carry APOE4, and in mice it cut brain amyloid more than standard humanin.

Ask about Humanin

Answers come from this site's pages only, with a link to each source.

Sources

25 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Reference work1

  1. HumaninWikipedia · checked Oct 24, 2026

Competitor guide7

  1. Humanin dosing calculatorpeptideprotocolwiki.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Humanin peptide: what the 2026 research actually showspeptidedeck.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Humanin dosage chart: HNG daily protocolthepeptidecatalog.com · checked Oct 24, 2026

Community-reported4

  1. Humanin reportoutliyr.com, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Humanin: community protocols and reportspeptideprotocolwiki.com, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Humanin peptide: benefits, dosage and side effectsjaycampbell.com, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026