Oral human growth hormone (hCG) is available in different preparations that use type-specific routes of administration. There are three basic types of oral hCG supplements, and each one encourages higher levels of hormone within the human body in different ways. The first type of supplement is pure human growth hormone, which is made using recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology in a lab that must be certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The second type is called sectretagogues, and they attempt to stimulate the anterior pituitary gland to produce higher levels of hCG. The last type of supplement, hCG precursors, works by supplying the body with constituents of the hormone, often times found in herbs, to increase the production of hCG.
Taking hCG as an oral supplement has some inherent disadvantages. While studies have proven that injections of medical-grade hCG provide patients with the benefits associated with supplementation, like ant-aging and lean muscle development, pure oral human growth hormone does not perform as well. This is mainly due to two reasons. The first reason is that hCG does not stand up to the stomach’s enzymes and other digestive juices, rendering it practically ineffective if it is taken as a traditional capsule-style supplement, as it is subjected to full digestion. The second reason that pure hCG does not perform well in lab studies is because, despite the fact that it can and has been formulated to be taken as a spray to bypass digestion, the hCG molecule has proven too big to pass through the mucosal membranes in the mouth and nose.
The second type of oral human growth hormone supplement, which contains secretagogues, aims to encourage hCG production by way of specific chains of six to eight amino acids. While a slight increase of hCG has been observed, there is also an unintended rise in levels of cortisol, hCG’s “nemesis” hormone, which seems to cancel out most potential benefits. Herb-based hCG supplements, which act as precursors to the hormone, are available over-the-counter as well. These supplements have been shown to increase levels of hCG, but only in relatively young and athletic individuals. In light of this data, oral human growth hormone precursors are unable to effectively treat the majority of patients seeking treatment, who tend to be middle-aged or elderly.
In the realm of more alternative hCG supplementation, homeopathic preparations have been gaining popularity. These preparations dilute hCG compounds to minuscule levels and are thought to act clinically by way of their energy signature. While it is hard to construct hard laboratory data from homeopathic treatment, anecdotal evidence has led some researchers to begin to more fully explore the topic.