Every review we publish carries an evidence grade. The grade describes the quality of the human research behind a compound, not how effective users believe it to be — and for most of this field, the honest grade is low.
What the grades mean
Moderate means multiple human studies exist, including controlled trials or substantial cohort data. Limited means small or short human studies plus case reports. Very limited means isolated or largely indirect human data. Preclinical only means animal or cell-culture evidence with no adequate human trials.
No compound in this field carries a strong grade, because none has the long-term randomised outcome data that would justify one.
Why the grade is separate from effect
A compound can be reliably effective and still poorly evidenced. Testosterone at replacement doses has genuinely good trial data; the same molecule at physique doses does not, because those trials have not been run and largely cannot be.
Conversely, plenty of compounds with enthusiastic user reports have no human data at all. Grading effect and grading evidence separately is what keeps the two from being confused.
Absence of evidence
A compound with no published harms is not a compound with no harms. It is usually a compound nobody has studied. Reporting systems only capture harms among people who present for care and disclose what they took, so the recorded rate is a floor, not an estimate.
We state what is unknown as explicitly as what is known, in a dedicated section of every review, because the unknowns are where the actual risk sits.
What we cite and what we exclude
We cite peer-reviewed literature and link each study so readers can locate the original rather than take our summary on trust. We do not use government sources.
Vendor claims, manufacturer marketing and influencer content are not evidence and are not cited as such. Community reports are included, clearly labelled as anecdotal, and never allowed to override published findings.
In short
- Grades describe research quality, not effectiveness or safety.
- No compound in this field earns a strong grade.
- No published harm usually means no study, not no risk.
- Every claim links to the literature; community reports are labelled and kept separate.
Unfamiliar terminology is defined in our glossary. How we research and grade evidence is set out in our editorial standards, and errors can be reported through corrections.
This article is educational. It is not medical advice, a dosing recommendation, or an endorsement of use. Speak with a qualified medical practitioner about your circumstances.