SARMs Store sells research compounds only. Nothing on this page is medical advice or an instruction for human use.
People arriving at this subject for the first time usually search for a protocol. We do not publish protocols, because these compounds are sold strictly for laboratory research and because nothing in the published literature supports an instruction aimed at a healthy adult. What we can do, and what this page does, is set out everything a first-time research buyer should understand before spending money: which compounds have real human evidence and which have none, what the pharmacokinetic literature reports, what a certificate of analysis is and how to read one, where UK law sits, and the supplier signals that reliably separate a serious operation from a repackager.
What this category actually contains
The retail term SARMs covers at least three unrelated pharmacological classes. True selective androgen receptor modulators bind the androgen receptor and include Ostarine, LGD-4033, RAD-140, S-4, S-23, ACP-105 and YK-11. MK-677 is a growth hormone secretagogue acting at the ghrelin receptor and is not a SARM. Cardarine is a PPAR-delta agonist and Stenabolic is a REV-ERB agonist, both metabolic compounds with no androgen receptor activity. A prohormone, such as Epistane or Trenavar, is a different thing again: a compound metabolised into an active androgen. Knowing which class a compound belongs to tells you more than any forum ranking.
Evidence tiers, which is the most useful thing on this page
Sort the category by how much human evidence exists and the picture becomes clear.
Tier one, full human trial programmes. Ostarine, with phase I, II and III data including the Dalton phase II study in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle in 2011, the phase II cancer trial reported by Dobs and colleagues in Lancet Oncology in 2013, and the POWER phase III trials. MK-677, with multiple trials including the two-year study by Nass and colleagues in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2008.
Tier two, a single human study. LGD-4033, with the phase I safety and pharmacokinetic study by Basaria and colleagues in the Journals of Gerontology in 2013, plus a later sponsor-reported phase II in hip fracture. RAD-140, with the first-in-human oncology trial reported by LoRusso and colleagues in Clinical Breast Cancer in 2022. These are the two compounds supplied as separate bottles in the LGD-4033 and RAD-140 beginner stack. Cardarine, with short human metabolic studies including Risérus and colleagues in Diabetes in 2008.
Tier three, animal or cell data only. S-4, S-23, ACP-105, YK-11 and SR-9009. YK-11’s reputation rests on cell-culture work by Kanno and colleagues in the Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin in 2011. SR-9009’s rests on mouse work by Solt and colleagues in Nature in 2012, using injected material because oral bioavailability is poor.
If a page ranks a tier three compound above a tier one compound without mentioning that difference, it is marketing.
Side effects reported in the literature
Androgen receptor agonists produced dose-dependent falls in total and free testosterone, SHBG, LH and FSH, and dose-dependent reductions in HDL cholesterol, both reversing after discontinuation in the trial populations. RAD-140’s human trial was limited by raised liver transaminases. Outside the trials there is a case-report literature on drug-induced liver injury associated with products labelled as SARMs, including the series by Flores and colleagues in Hepatology Communications in 2020 and the cases reported by Barbara and colleagues in ACG Case Reports Journal in 2020. Cardarine’s development was discontinued after long-term rodent carcinogenicity findings. There is no long-term human safety data for anything in this category.
What a certificate of analysis is
A certificate of analysis is a laboratory document reporting what a specific manufactured batch contains. A useful one names the compound, states the analytical method, gives a purity figure, carries a batch or lot number that matches the bottle in front of you, and is dated. Identity is usually confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography or by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Identity and purity are different questions: identity says the right molecule is present, purity says how much of the material is that molecule rather than anything else.
The reason this matters more here than in most retail categories is one study. Van Wagoner and colleagues, publishing in JAMA in 2017, analysed 44 products sold online as SARMs. Only 52 per cent contained the compound named on the label. Thirty-nine per cent contained a different unapproved drug. Only 41 per cent contained the stated amount. Several of the liver injury case reports involved exactly this kind of product.
Legal status in the UK, 2026
None of these compounds is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and none is listed as a Class C anabolic steroid, so buying and possessing them as research material is lawful. Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 a SARM offered for human use is an unlicensed medicinal product, and selling or advertising it that way is an offence the MHRA enforces. That is why every legitimate UK product page, including ours, carries a research-only notice. All of these compounds are prohibited in sport at all times under the WADA list, and anti-doping cases arising from contaminated supplements are well documented.
How to check a supplier, and the red flags
The positives to look for are a batch-specific certificate of analysis rather than a generic sample, identity by HPLC or LC-MS, a stated purity percentage, a batch number matching the bottle, UK manufacture, a clear amount per capsule and capsule count, a research-only notice, and reviews collected through a verified-purchase system. Dexterz Labs products are made in the UK, supplied as 90 capsules per bottle, and batch certificates of analysis are being published on the product page as testing is completed.
The red flags are consistent. No certificate, or a single undated certificate used across every product. Dosing instructions or cycle charts on a product page, which indicate a seller happy to market an unlicensed medicine. Before and after photographs. Claims of a compound being clinically proven or approved, since none is. No company address, no UK entity, or payment only by bank transfer or cryptocurrency. Prices far below the market, which usually means underdosed or substituted material.
Frequently asked questions
Which compound has the most human evidence? Ostarine, by a distance. It is the only SARM to reach phase III trials.
Will you tell me how much to take? No. These are research compounds and we do not publish dosing guidance for human use.
Is buying SARMs legal in the UK? Yes, as research material. Selling or advertising them for human consumption is not.
What is the difference between identity and purity on a CoA? Identity confirms the compound is the one named. Purity states the proportion of the material that is that compound.
Are liquid products as reliable as capsules? Suspensions raise stability and dosing accuracy questions that capsules do not, which is covered in our guide to capsules versus liquid.
What should make me walk away from a supplier? No batch certificate, human dosing advice on the product page, or claims of clinical approval.
Related reading
- Ostarine (MK-2866): the complete research guide
- Third-party testing: how to read a certificate of analysis
- Are SARMs legal in the UK? 2026 update
- Are SARMs safe? What the evidence says about side effects
- Browse the range: SARMs UK range, or the single compounds grouped in our beginner SARMs collection
Research product: Dexterz Labs Ostarine MK-2866 10 mg, 90 capsules
Sources
- Dalton JT et al., J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2011;2:153-161. PubMed 22031847
- Dobs AS et al., Lancet Oncol 2013;14:335-345. PubMed 23499390
- Basaria S et al., J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2013;68:87-95. PubMed 22459616
- Nass R et al., Ann Intern Med 2008;149:601-611. PubMed 18981485
- LoRusso P et al., Clin Breast Cancer 2022;22:67-77. PubMed 34565686
- Risérus U et al., Diabetes 2008;57:332-339. PubMed 18024853
- Solt LA et al., Nature 2012;485:62-68. PubMed 22460951
- Kanno Y et al., Biol Pharm Bull 2011;34:318-323. PubMed 21372378
- Van Wagoner RM et al., JAMA 2017;318:2004-2010. PubMed 29183075
- Flores JE et al., Hepatol Commun 2020;4:450-452. PubMed 32140660
- Barbara M et al., ACG Case Rep J 2020;7:e00409. PubMed 33062783
- WADA Prohibited List 2026.