Semax / Selank
Russian nootropic paired with an anxiolytic, studied for focus and stress
In short
- Semax plus Selank — both from the same Russian research programme, paired as a cognitive and anxiolytic combination.
- NEITHER is a growth hormone compound. The library description previously claimed they were; that was wrong and has been corrected.
- Both are registered medicines in Russia and neither is approved in the US, EU, or UK.
- Both have clinical data only via the INTRANASAL route, which was chosen for nose-to-brain delivery.
- The combination is community convention, not a studied pairing.
Structure
A blend of two peptides. See the Semax and Selank entries for their individual structures.
How it works
Semax is an ACTH(4-10) fragment with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail, stripped of steroidogenic activity. Its described mechanism is rapid upregulation of BDNF and NGF expression, plus dopaminergic and serotonergic modulation.
Selank is a tuftsin analogue with the same stabilising tail. Its described mechanism involves indirect GABA-A modulation without benzodiazepine-site binding, plus serotonergic and noradrenergic effects.
The pairing rationale is functional rather than mechanistic — Semax framed as the cognitive component and Selank as the anxiolytic one. They do not act on a shared pathway in the way the GH blends do.
What the research shows
Russian clinical studies support Semax in stroke and cognitive impairment, and Selank in anxiety disorders. Those are the registrations.
Neither literature has been independently replicated outside Russia, and both are largely untranslated.
The combination has never been studied.
Dosing in the literature
Figures below are quoted from published studies, with the species or population they were measured in. They are records of what was studied, not recommendations.
| Studied in | Amount | Route | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human — Russian clinical use, Semax | 0.1% or 1% intranasal solution, low-milligram daily amounts | intranasal | PubMed |
| Human — Russian clinical use, Selank | 0.15% intranasal solution, low-milligram daily amounts | intranasal | PubMed |
Commonly reported ranges
These are amounts people report using. They are not from any study, have not been evaluated for safety, and are reproduced here only because they circulate widely and are better seen alongside the evidence than instead of it.
| Reported by | Amount | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Commonly reported combined use | 300–600 µg Semax with 250–750 µg Selank daily | intranasal |
No study has tested this specific combination in humans. Whatever evidence exists belongs to the individual components, tested individually. A pre-mixed vial fixes the ratio between components at whatever the vendor chose. You can change the total volume you draw, but you cannot change the proportions — so if one component suits you at a different relative amount, a blend cannot express that. Buying components separately costs more vials and buys back that control. Both compounds have clinical data intranasally and none by injection — the route was selected for direct nose-to-brain delivery, and equivalence between routes should not be assumed for peptides chosen on that basis.
Handling and storage
Both are supplied as nasal solutions in Russian clinical use, or as lyophilised powder for reconstitution into nasal drops in research-market supply.
Courses of one to two weeks rather than continuous indefinite use is the pattern in the clinical literature for both.
Injecting either is improvisation with no supporting data.
Side effects
Both are reported well tolerated in Russian clinical use, with nasal irritation the most common complaint.
Semax lacks ACTH's steroidogenic portion, so it does not raise cortisol. Selank is reported to produce anxiolysis without the sedation, withdrawal, or dependence of benzodiazepines.
Independent long-term safety data exists for neither.
Combinations
Running components together makes attribution impossible in both directions. If something improves you cannot tell which component did it, and if something goes wrong you cannot tell which one to stop. Blends are convenient and they are also the format that teaches you least about your own response.
Because the two are framed as addressing different things — cognition and anxiety — attribution is at least conceptually separable here, unlike blends where both components target one outcome.
Research status
Both come from the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow, with genuine registrations and a real domestic literature.
The limitation is uniform: Russian, largely untranslated, unreplicated independently, and never evaluated by a Western regulator. The combination has no research at all.
Legal status
Both are registered medicines in Russia and some neighbouring countries. Neither is approved in the US, EU, UK, Canada, or Australia. Sold for research use only in Western markets.
WADA status
Not specifically named on the Prohibited List. Falls under WADA class S0, which prohibits any pharmacological substance not currently approved by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. Treat it as prohibited in sport.
Conclusion
A coherent pairing of two compounds that each have a genuine clinical dossier in one country and no independent verification anywhere.
That places this blend above the ones built from compounds with no human data at all, and well below anything approved in a system you can inspect. The intranasal route is the one the evidence used.
Sources
Track your own Semax / Selank protocol
Peppers logs your doses, models your levels from this half-life, tracks your vials and tells you when you will run out. Free on iPhone.
Reference and educational information only. Not medical advice. Nothing here diagnoses, treats, or prescribes, and nothing here is a recommendation to use any compound. The compounds described are research chemicals and are not approved for human consumption. Legal and anti-doping status change — the review date above is when these claims were last checked. Talk to a qualified clinician about anything you intend to take.