Semax
What to know about Semax
Semax is a synthetic ACTH(4-7)-related heptapeptide developed in Russia and studied through intranasal administration. English-language human evidence is limited.
- How it may work
- Proposed mechanisms include changes in neurotrophin expression, oxidative-stress responses, and neurotransmitter systems. Much of this work is preclinical.
- What research found
- A small study of 30 adults after ischemic stroke reported short-term neurologic and laboratory differences. The size, setting, and older evidence base limit certainty.
- What is not settled
- Large, independently replicated safety studies and long-term surveillance are missing. FDA flags immune-reaction and peptide-impurity concerns for compounded Semax.
- Research and product status
- Semax is not a licensed U.S. medicine. Authorization in another country does not establish U.S. product quality or claims.
Research reference
- Research amount range
- 200–600 mcg per administration — not a starting amount
- Reference frequency
- Every day — catalogue input, not a personal schedule
- Evidence route
- Intranasal in the cited evidence; formulation matters.
- Reported timing context
- Daytime dosing is typical; the peptide is short-acting so it's often split.
- What people report
- Focus and mood contexts are discussed acutely to within days.
- Model accumulation timescale
- ~3 hours — about five half-lives with regular repeated exposure; not time to a result
- Storage
- Storage and in-use limits depend on the exact formulation and packaging. A compound name alone cannot establish temperature, diluent, or shelf life. Details
- Reported course context
- 2–4 weeks
- Reported break context
- 1–2 weeks Why
A research and community reference, not medical advice. Figures are descriptive, vary between sources, and are not a recommendation for use.
When results may show
- When change was measured
- The cited human report involved only 30 adults in an acute neurologic setting. It cannot establish when a healthy user should expect focus, mood, memory, or productivity changes.
- When to assess
- No modern, adequately controlled program supplies a reliable day or week for general cognitive goals. An immediate subjective sensation is not proof of a durable cognitive outcome.
- Conditions and limitations
- No robust evidence establishes a required time of day, work task, fasting state, cycle pattern, or companion compound for the commonly marketed use.
- When to stop
- No validated target, course length, maintenance phase, or quit rule exists for general cognitive use. Do not prolong exposure solely because a hoped-for focus effect is absent.
Research timing is descriptive, not a promise or personal instruction. A severe or persistent reaction needs prompt clinical review. This is not medical advice.
Combination evidence and cautions
What is known and unknown about Semax alongside other compounds or medicines.
Key properties
- Formula
- C37H51N9O10S
- Mol. weight
- 813.9 Da
- CAS
- 80714-61-0
- PubChem CID
- 9811102
Sequence (one-letter)
MEHFPGP
External references
Structure note
A diagram is a reference representation of the named chemical structure. It does not establish the composition, purity, or identity of any particular vial.
Degrades fast in plasma; estimates are rough.
Used intranasally where it is licensed; no Western dose-ranging trial fixes an injected schedule, so no schedule table is shown.
Modelled level — every day
1× is the peak after a single dose.
- Steady-state peak
- 1.00× single dose
- Time to steady state
- 3hours
- Administrations
- 7/ week
Read off the modelled curve, not an even-interval formula
About five half-lives
Where these numbers come from
- Russian Semax neuropeptide literatureMost Semax evidence is Russian-language clinical and preclinical work.