What it is: Cocoa HGH is a vegetarian, gluten-free, chocolate-flavored, stevia-sweetened amino acid secretagogue drink mix developed by DaVinci Labs, delivering five free-form amino acids — L-Glutamine (6,000 mg), L-Lysine (1,250 mg), L-Arginine (1,000 mg), L-Ornithine (1,000 mg), and Glycine (1,000 mg) — alongside 4,500 mg of Cocoa Powder per serving in a formula specifically designed to support the body's natural pituitary release of human growth hormone (HGH). These five amino acids are the most clinically studied secretagogue compounds — nutrients that stimulate or amplify the natural pituitary secretion of HGH — and are combined in this formula in amounts calibrated to their established secretagogue activity. As human growth hormone production declines approximately 80% between ages 21 and 61, Cocoa HGH is designed for practitioner-directed use in healthy aging, body composition, cardiovascular, and energy support protocols where support of the natural HGH-IGF-1 axis is a clinical objective.
How it works: Cocoa HGH supports the natural HGH-IGF-1 axis through the combined secretagogue activity of its five constituent amino acids, each of which has been demonstrated to stimulate pituitary HGH secretion through distinct but complementary neuroendocrine mechanisms. L-Arginine (1,000 mg) — the most extensively studied amino acid HGH secretagogue — stimulates pituitary HGH release through inhibition of somatostatin, the hypothalamic HGH-inhibiting hormone, effectively releasing the tonic brake on pituitary HGH secretion. L-Ornithine (1,000 mg) — a urea cycle intermediate metabolically related to arginine — amplifies the HGH secretagogue effect of arginine and independently stimulates pituitary somatotroph cells. L-Lysine (1,250 mg) synergizes with arginine to potentiate HGH secretion more effectively than either amino acid alone, through complementary receptor-level somatotroph stimulation. Glycine (1,000 mg) has been shown to stimulate HGH release through its action as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the hypothalamus, supporting somatostatin suppression and HGH secretory pulse amplitude. L-Glutamine (6,000 mg) — the most abundant free amino acid in human plasma and a key nitrogen shuttle — supports HGH secretion while providing critical muscle tissue substrate for post-exercise recovery, immune cell metabolism, and intestinal epithelial integrity. Following pituitary release, HGH circulates to the liver where it is converted to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) — the primary anabolic mediator responsible for HGH's downstream effects on skin elasticity, body composition (lean mass promotion and fat mobilization), cognitive function, cardiac cell health, cholesterol metabolism, energy levels, and libido. Cocoa Powder (4,500 mg) contributes naturally occurring flavanols including epicatechin and catechin that support endothelial nitric oxide production and cardiovascular function, alongside magnesium, iron, potassium, and fiber for nutritional density.
When to use it: Cocoa HGH is appropriate for practitioner-directed use in adult clients seeking to support the body's natural HGH secretory capacity for healthy aging, lean body composition maintenance, cardiovascular health, cognitive vitality, and energy support. It is particularly well-suited for integration into healthy aging protocols where HGH-IGF-1 axis decline is a contributing factor to decreased lean muscle mass, increased fat mass, reduced skin elasticity, or diminished energy levels. The formula is recommended for use on an empty stomach at bedtime — when the primary physiological HGH secretory pulse occurs — or immediately following strenuous exercise, which independently stimulates HGH release, to maximize synergistic secretagogue activity. Clients with kidney disorders should consult their healthcare practitioner before use due to the high amino acid load per serving.
Serving Size: 15.5 g (Approximately 1 Scoop)
Servings Per Container: 30
Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, mix 15.5 g (approximately 1 scoop) per day in 8 oz of water and take on an empty stomach at bedtime or right after strenuous exercise, or as directed by your healthcare practitioner.
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat | 0.5 g | 1%† |
| — Dietary Fiber** | 1 g | 4%† |
| Protein | 3 g | 6%† |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 260 mg | 6% |
| L-Glutamine | 6,000 mg | * |
| Cocoa Powder | 4,500 mg | * |
| L-Lysine | 1,250 mg | * |
| L-Arginine | 1,000 mg | * |
| L-Ornithine | 1,000 mg | * |
| Glycine | 1,000 mg | * |
| Stevia Leaf Extract | 57 mg | * |
† Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
* Daily Value not established. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Note: Calories are not listed for this product because it contains only free-form amino acids. Under FDA regulation 21 CFR 101.36, individual amino acids are not classified as protein and thus do not contribute to the calorie count as defined by federal labeling standards.
Other Ingredients: None.
Caution: Persons with kidney disorders should consult their healthcare practitioner prior to using this product. If pregnant or nursing, consult your healthcare practitioner before taking this product. Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place.
✓ Gluten Free ✓ Vegetarian
Key Ingredients
L-Glutamine — 6,000 mg L-Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in human plasma and skeletal muscle, serving as a critical nitrogen shuttle, primary fuel substrate for rapidly dividing cells including intestinal enterocytes and immune lymphocytes, and a conditionally essential amino acid whose demand substantially exceeds biosynthetic capacity during physiological stress, intense exercise, illness, or aging. In the context of this HGH secretagogue formula, L-Glutamine has been demonstrated to stimulate pituitary HGH release through hypothalamic neuropeptide Y modulation, while simultaneously supporting the downstream anabolic activity of HGH-stimulated IGF-1 by providing the primary amino acid substrate for muscle protein synthesis and tissue repair in exercise-stressed skeletal muscle. At 6,000 mg per serving — the dominant ingredient by mass — L-Glutamine provides the most clinically studied HGH-stimulatory dose range while concurrently supporting intestinal mucosal integrity, post-exercise muscle recovery, and immune cell energetics through its multiple physiological roles.
L-Arginine — 1,000 mg & L-Ornithine — 1,000 mg L-Arginine and L-Ornithine are the two most extensively clinically studied amino acid HGH secretagogues, functioning through complementary and synergistic neuroendocrine mechanisms that amplify pituitary somatotroph HGH secretion beyond what either amino acid achieves independently. L-Arginine stimulates HGH release primarily through inhibition of somatostatin — the hypothalamic hormone that tonically suppresses pituitary HGH secretion — effectively lifting the inhibitory brake and allowing enhanced amplitude HGH secretory pulses, while simultaneously serving as the substrate for endothelial nitric oxide synthase to support vascular endothelial function and cardiac health. L-Ornithine, a urea cycle intermediate formed directly from arginine, independently stimulates pituitary somatotroph cells through a mechanism distinct from somatostatin inhibition, providing additive HGH secretory stimulation that complements arginine's primary action. Human studies administering arginine and ornithine in combination with resistance exercise have demonstrated significantly greater HGH secretory responses than either amino acid or exercise alone, supporting the specific timing recommendation of this formula's use immediately following strenuous exercise.
L-Lysine — 1,250 mg L-Lysine is an essential amino acid — one that must be obtained through diet or supplementation as humans cannot synthesize it endogenously — with well-established activity as a potentiator of arginine-stimulated HGH secretion through complementary somatotroph receptor-level stimulation that amplifies HGH release beyond what arginine achieves alone. Beyond its HGH secretagogue activity, L-Lysine serves as a critical structural component of collagen — requiring hydroxylysine formation for the cross-linking of collagen triple helices — contributing to skin elasticity and connective tissue integrity that are among the most clinically apparent manifestations of healthy IGF-1 levels. L-Lysine additionally supports carnitine biosynthesis — the mitochondrial fatty acid transport compound essential for efficient fat oxidation — connecting HGH-mediated lipolytic activity with the cellular machinery required to oxidize mobilized fatty acids for energy in muscle and cardiac tissue.
Glycine — 1,000 mg Glycine is the simplest proteinogenic amino acid and the most abundant amino acid in collagen, functioning within this formula as a central nervous system inhibitory neurotransmitter that supports HGH secretion through hypothalamic somatostatin suppression — a mechanism complementary to arginine's somatostatin inhibition but operating through glycine's own inhibitory receptor system in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. At the peripheral tissue level, glycine's essential role in collagen biosynthesis — where it occupies every third position in the collagen triple helix — provides direct structural support for the skin elasticity, joint connective tissue integrity, and tissue repair that are among the most clinically meaningful aging-related benefits of maintained HGH-IGF-1 axis function. Glycine additionally supports hepatic gluconeogenesis, creatine biosynthesis for muscle energy reserve, and glutathione synthesis as one of its three constituent amino acids — providing multi-system metabolic support alongside its primary HGH secretagogue role.
