What Is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide analog of the immune peptide tuftsin, developed in Russia as an anxiolytic (“calming”) nootropic. Like Semax, it is typically administered intranasally and is used in Russia as a prescription anxiolytic; it is not approved by the FDA or EMA. It is promoted for anxiety with a claimed absence of the sedation, dependence, and withdrawal associated with benzodiazepines, and its proposed mechanism involves modulation of GABAergic, serotonergic, and monoamine signalling and possibly enkephalin metabolism.
Evidence
The most-cited human trial is a Russian study in patients with generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia, in which intranasal Selank produced anxiolytic effects reported as broadly comparable to the benzodiazepine medazepam, with additional anti-asthenic/activating effects 1Reference 1Clinical trialEfficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia — clinical trialView study →. That trial is real and indexed, but it is Russian-language and modest in size, and much of the wider “anxiety and focus” evidence base for Selank sits in similar Russian sources that are hard to verify independently in a quick pass; I did not find a large Western-conducted randomised controlled trial here. Preclinical work supports anxiolytic-like and GABA-modulating activity in rodents. In short, there is at least one genuine clinical trial signal, but the overall human evidence is thinner and less independently verifiable than marketing suggests.
Dosage & Safety
Selank is a prescription drug in Russia and is not an approved dietary supplement in the US, UK, or EU; product sold internationally as “Selank” for research use is unregulated, so this is informational only and not a recommendation. A commonly referenced format is an intranasal 0.15% solution dosed in micrograms per day, but a reliably studied human dose range is not established from verifiable sources in this pass. Human safety data, drug interactions, contraindications, and use in pregnancy are not assessed here and should be treated as unknown. Identity and purity of grey-market peptide product cannot be assumed.
References
- Zozulia AA, et al. (2008). Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia — clinical trial. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18454096/