What is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide derived from the body's own immune peptide tuftsin, extended by a stabilising end group. It was developed in Russia and is used there clinically as an anxiolytic, that is, against anxiety and inner restlessness.
The notable part: Selank calms without making you tired or foggy. It also lacks the dependence and withdrawal risk of classic sedatives. It also has a mild nootropic and immune-modulating component. It is used nasally or subcutaneously, dosed in micrograms.
Comparison
Russian neuropeptides compared
Selank next to related peptides, as described in the TPD lexicon. Tap a card to open its entry.
How it works
Selank acts on several systems tied to anxiety and mood. It influences the GABA and serotonin systems, stabilises the body's own enkephalins (which get broken down under tension) and, like Semax, drives BDNF production. Through its tuftsin origin it additionally has an immune-modulating effect.
In a research context, users report a calmer, clearer mood and less rumination, without the dampening veil that sedatives often bring.
Where it acts
Where Selank acted in experiments
Tap a point or a card. Colour = target. No single receptor is established.
What you need
What you need depends on whether you use it nasally or subcutaneously:
- The Selank vial with the freeze-dried powder
- Bacteriostatic water to dissolve it
- For nasal: a small nasal spray bottle or a dropper
- For subcutaneous: U-100 insulin syringes
- Alcohol swabs and, for injection, a sealable sharps container for used needles
Reconstitution
The powder is dissolved in bacteriostatic water. How much water you add sets the concentration, that is, how many micrograms are in a drop or in a syringe unit.
Use the peptide calculator for this: it shows the concentration and, for subcutaneous use, the units per dose. You can use the same solution nasally as drops, in which case the concentration helps you estimate the micrograms per drop.
When dissolving, just add the bac water, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly. Then swirl or shake until everything has dissolved, both are fine.
Step by step
Dissolving the powder
Four steps, the same for every vial size.
- 1Wipe the cap
Clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.
- 2Add BAC water
Just add it, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly.
- 3Swirl or shake
Until everything has dissolved, both are fine.
- 4Draw up
With the U-100 insulin syringe.
Use (nasal or subcutaneous)
Dosing
Dosing
Dosing, titration and syringe
Loading the dosing information …
- Getting started and stepping up, drawn as a staircase
- Units on the U-100 syringe for every step
- How long one vial lasts
What the research shows
For a neuropeptide, Selank is comparatively well documented clinically, though mainly in Russia. In a controlled study (Zozulya, 2008), Selank was about as anxiolytic in generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia as a classic sedative (medazepam), but additionally anti-asthenic, that is, against the exhaustion component. On top of that comes a preclinical base on GABA, serotonin and BDNF. Large Western double-blind studies are largely missing here too. That belongs in the picture honestly.
The studies with links are in the source block below.
Study results
What the trials measured
Interactive: switch tabs, tap points, show or hide arms. Arms are named relative to each other, no dosing advice.
Genes with changed activity in the brain5
Share of 77 studied neurotransmission genes, frontal cortex of rats after nasal dosing
Values from the full text (29 and 17 genes with Selank). After one hour Selank and GABA changed many genes in the same direction. In nerve cells in culture, Selank alone changed nothing. Animal study, no statement about humans.
Research status
Where the research stands
Selank was developed in Russia and approved there as nasal drops. Neither ClinicalTrials.gov nor the WHO search portal with the other registries lists a trial. The comparison trials in humans appear without a registry number in a Russian journal, their abstracts do not name the dosage form. As of 26 Oct 2026. 1413
- Preclinical Rats, mice and cell cultures
- Phase 1 no registered trial
- Phase 2 no registered trial
- Phase 3 no registered trial
- Approval in Russia, as nasal drops
Show all 3 trials on a timelineHide timeline
Zozulya 2008 · no registry number · 62 participants, published 2008.
Publication: Zozulya et al., Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii, 2008 (russisch, ohne DOI)
Medvedev 2014 · no registry number · 60 participants, published 2014.
Publication: Medvedev et al., Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii, 2014 (russisch, ohne DOI)
Medvedev 2015 · no registry number · 70 participants, published 2015.
Publication: Medvedev et al., Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii, 2015
Bar: start to primary endpoint (planned for running trials), for published trials without a stated period the year of publication. Green = completed, blue = progress until 26 Oct 2026.
Side effects
Selank is considered very well tolerated. A central point from the studies: unlike classic sedatives, it does not cause dependence, produces no withdrawal and little sedation. Mainly mild things are reported, such as irritation of the nasal lining with nasal use. Data on very long continuous use are limited, so phases make more sense than continuous running.
Contraindications: the Russian label of the approved nasal drops rules out pregnancy, breastfeeding and an age under 18, as well as hypersensitivity to the compound.
Practice
A few things get more out of Selank:
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Because it is not sedating, you can use it across the day, whenever tension typically shows up.
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In phases rather than endlessly.
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Selank and Semax are often combined: Selank for the calm, Semax for the focus.
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Sleep and basics first, the peptide builds on that.
Storage
The undissolved powder is robust, normal room temperature (around 20 to 25 degrees) is fine, ideally kept in the dark. The reconstituted solution goes into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees) and stays stable there for at least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency, in practice considerably longer. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative. Especially with nasal use, keep the bottle clean.
Shelf life
How long it keeps
Robust, no fridge needed.
At least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency. Keep the bottle clean for nasal use.
- Keep it dark
- Dissolved: 2 to 8 degrees
- Note the mixing date on the vial
