In today’s episode, I’m doing a much-needed update on one of the most underrated peptides in the entire space: VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide). This is one of those “ancillary” peptides that people usually only associate with lungs or mold, but the deeper you go, the more you realize VIP is a master regulator that touches almost every major system in the body.

I walk you through what VIP actually is (a 28–amino acid peptide discovered in 1970), why it’s produced all over the body (brain, lungs, heart, gut, endocrine organs), and why it works so differently than peptides like BPC-157, TB-500, or the GLP-1s. We’ll cover the core mechanisms in a way that’s technical but practical: VPAC1/VPAC2 receptors, cAMP signaling, smooth muscle relaxation, glandular secretion, and immune modulation.

Then I zoom out into a broad “survey” of VIP’s real-world use cases: lung function and oxygenation, gut motility and stool quality, autoimmune regulation, brain fog, mood/anxiety, circadian rhythm, and even dysautonomia patterns like POTS and long COVID. I also break down dosing best practices for subcutaneous vs intranasal, what to expect the first time you use it (including the niacin-like flush), and how I personally think about cycling VIP long-term.

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