Dermorphin
What do these badges mean?
Evidence tier
- AHuman-validated — Human trials showing positive results and good safety.
- BAnimal-grade — No human trials yet, but solid animal/preclinical evidence of effect and safety.
- CAnecdotal — No human or animal trials — only anecdotal/observational reports.
- DInsufficient evidence — No or insufficient evidence (encyclopedia only — never recommended by the builder).
Safety light
- 🟢 Green — Only mild, manageable side effects; reasonable safety data.
- 🟡 Yellow — Needs active management, has a meaningful contraindication/interaction, or has thin long-term data.
- 🔴 Red — Risk of a hospital-level event — treat with serious caution.
Browse-only — not on the protocol builder's curated shortlist, so the builder won't recommend it.
What is it?
Dermorphin is a naturally occurring opioid heptapeptide first isolated from the skin of Phyllomedusa (South American) frogs. It is an extraordinarily potent selective µ-opioid receptor agonist — the foundational pharmacology paper behind it put its potency at ~752–2,170× the potency of morphine in animal models, with the 0035 deep-research categorization pass summarizing it as ~40× morphine potency in practical human terms. It is best known publicly as a racehorse doping agent (“frog juice”), banned by WADA and racing authorities.
What does it do in my body?
Dermorphin is a selective µ-opioid receptor agonist with very high analgesic potency. It acts on the same receptor as morphine, fentanyl, and heroin — which is exactly why the caution applies: µ-opioid agonism brings the full opioid liability with it, regardless of the fact that the molecule itself is a peptide rather than a classic opioid alkaloid.
How can it help me?
- Where the science stands: Animal pharmacology strong (30 studies); review-level human discussion; zero controlled human trials
The full evidence — every human, animal, and lab study, graded — is one tap away: use the See the deeper science → toggle at the top.
Is it dangerous? What are the side effects?
Dermorphin is an opioid. A µ-opioid agonist of this potency carries respiratory depression, physical dependence, tolerance, and overdose risk — and dependence was demonstrated directly in the 1985 rat study cited above. Per the 0035 deep-research pass: an opioid agonist with a respiratory-depression and dependence profile does not belong in a consumer-recommendable surface under any goal; it is encyclopedia-only as a curiosity. Dermorphin was previously mis-tagged in an older directory pass under a “sexual-function” category — that tag has been removed; dermorphin has nothing to do with libido. OHM does not recommend it. It belongs in the encyclopedia as a real and pharmacologically remarkable compound — and as a clear example of why a “research peptide” label does not mean low-risk.
Regulatory status: Research compound, not approved for human use; the only real human use is illicit analgesia/doping. Tier B / safety RED / no consumer-goal mapping.
Typical dosing
Educational context only — talk to a licensed medical provider before any protocol. What follows describes the doses and schedules most commonly reported in the research and by practitioners, shared so you can have an informed conversation. These compounds are sold for research use only, are not FDA-approved drugs, and this is not medical advice.
There is no legitimate self-directed protocol to give, and it would be irresponsible to imply one. The only documented real-world human use of dermorphin is illicit analgesia and equine doping — not a consumer wellness or performance protocol. Any dosing figures that circulate outside veterinary-doping and forensic contexts are not backed by legitimate human trial data.
What should I avoid combining — and what's synergistic?
Dermorphin doesn't have a dedicated stacking protocol in our notes — the interactions that matter most are in the safety section above. For how people combine it with other peptides, the deeper-science view has the full detail.
Where do people source this?
OHM does not sell or handle any compound. Research-use-only material is sold by third-party vendors; our vetting notes and disclosures are on the Where to buy page. If you'd rather have a physician in the loop, see the telehealth option. Whatever the route, the supply chain is the real risk: only consider vendors that publish batch-level third-party Certificates of Analysis.
A naturally occurring opioid heptapeptide from frog skin, extraordinarily potent as a µ-opioid receptor agonist — and, precisely because of that, a compound OHM does not recommend under any framing. Real pharmacology, real dependence risk, documented plainly.
| Class | Naturally occurring opioid heptapeptide, first isolated from Phyllomedusa (South American) frog skin |
| Mechanism (one line) | Selective µ-opioid receptor agonist — the same receptor as morphine, fentanyl, and heroin |
| Evidence base | Animal pharmacology strong (30 studies); review-level human discussion; zero controlled human trials |
| Safety record | Dependence and tolerance demonstrated directly in animal models; full opioid liability (respiratory depression, dependence, tolerance, overdose risk) |
| Regulatory status | Research compound; not approved for human use; only real human use is illicit analgesia/doping — banned by WADA and racing authorities |
What it is
Dermorphin is a naturally occurring opioid heptapeptide first isolated from the skin of Phyllomedusa (South American) frogs. It is an extraordinarily potent selective µ-opioid receptor agonist — the foundational pharmacology paper behind it put its potency at ~752–2,170× the potency of morphine in animal models, with the 0035 deep-research categorization pass summarizing it as ~40× morphine potency in practical human terms. It is best known publicly as a racehorse doping agent (“frog juice”), banned by WADA and racing authorities.
How it works
Dermorphin is a selective µ-opioid receptor agonist with very high analgesic potency. It acts on the same receptor as morphine, fentanyl, and heroin — which is exactly why the caution applies: µ-opioid agonism brings the full opioid liability with it, regardless of the fact that the molecule itself is a peptide rather than a classic opioid alkaloid.
What the research shows
The evidence is graded “emerging” (30 studies, 0 human trials) — meaning real animal pharmacology plus review-level human discussion, but no controlled human trials. The 0035 pass grades it Tier B (animal opioid-receptor data + illicit human use). Representative citations (all):
- Broccardo M, et al. — Br J Pharmacol 1981 — potent analgesia 752–2,170× morphine. 7195758
- Broccardo M, et al. — Eur J Pharmacol 1985 — dermorphin induced tolerance and physical dependence in rats, similar to morphine. 4040026 — this is the dependence signal, stated plainly.
- Hesselink JMK & Schatman ME — J Pain Res 2018 review — intrathecal dermorphin showed superior analgesic efficacy vs morphine in postoperative pain. 30538538
Real-world protocol
There is no legitimate self-directed protocol to give, and it would be irresponsible to imply one. The only documented real-world human use of dermorphin is illicit analgesia and equine doping — not a consumer wellness or performance protocol. Any dosing figures that circulate outside veterinary-doping and forensic contexts are not backed by legitimate human trial data.
Side effects & management
Dermorphin is an opioid. A µ-opioid agonist of this potency carries respiratory depression, physical dependence, tolerance, and overdose risk — and dependence was demonstrated directly in the 1985 rat study cited above. Per the 0035 deep-research pass: an opioid agonist with a respiratory-depression and dependence profile does not belong in a consumer-recommendable surface under any goal; it is encyclopedia-only as a curiosity. Dermorphin was previously mis-tagged in an older directory pass under a “sexual-function” category — that tag has been removed; dermorphin has nothing to do with libido. OHM does not recommend it. It belongs in the encyclopedia as a real and pharmacologically remarkable compound — and as a clear example of why a “research peptide” label does not mean low-risk.
Regulatory status
Research compound, not approved for human use; the only real human use is illicit analgesia/doping. Tier B / safety RED / no consumer-goal mapping.
Sources
- (thepeptidelist.com directory capture, 2026-06-07)
- Tier B / RED grading, de-mapping from “sexual-function,” ~40× morphine potency summary
- PMIDs 7195758, 4040026, 30538538 — all
- Migrated from
frontier-investigational-peptides-cluster.md(Section 2)
Sources & references
- (thepeptidelist.com directory capture, 2026-06-07)
- Tier B / RED grading, de-mapping from “sexual-function,” ~40× morphine potency summary
- PMIDs 7195758, 4040026, 30538538 — all
- Migrated from
frontier-investigational-peptides-cluster.md(Section 2)