Rx in Russia onlyFor CognitionAnxiolyticIntranasal+2 more

Selank

A Russian-developed analog of tuftsin, marketed for anxiety in Russia since 2009. We read all 60 studies. The protocol is below.

Updated 03 May 2026Read 12 minEvidence ●●○○○Citations 60

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The Selank Report · $19

Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.

One purchase · yours forever

Built from 60 cited studies.

Status

Class

For Cognition

Evidence

2/ 5●●○○○

Approved in Russia

$19 ↓

Approved in US/EU

$19 ↓

English-language RCTs

$19 ↓

Read this if

you have generalized anxiety and you don't want to commit to an SSRI yet, or one didn't work
you're a tech worker or social-anxiety streamer who wants something subtle, intranasal, and short-acting
you grew up with selank in the family medicine cabinet and you trust the Russian Rx

Skip this if

**you're already on an SSRI, SNRI, MAOI, tramadol, triptan, or other serotonergic agent** — Selank's anxiolytic mechanism in the Russian literature involves GABAergic and serotonergic modulation (Kost lab, 2001 onward); stacking is uncharted and a theoretical serotonin-syndrome risk. Don't add without your prescriber
you have severe panic disorder or OCD that needs a real treatment plan
you want US-trial evidence — most of it is Russian
you're trying to inject this — the data is intranasal

The 4 ways you can buy Selank

$30–$50/mo at Russian retail (US import restricted)

Real product but not legally available to US patients without an importation issue.

Compounded 503A

✓

$80–$200/mo where sold

Compounded intranasal formulation is the closest US-legal analog to the Russian brand.

RUO (research-only)

✓

Sold 'for research only'

$25–$70/mo

The dominant channel outside Russia; needs DIY intranasal vehicle formulation.

Gray market

✓

Unregulated overseas import

$7–$9/mo

Crypto/Wise pay; one 10mg×10 box covers many months at typical intranasal dose.

Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown. Prices and lane availability vary by molecule — this is the per-peptide snapshot, not a generic table.

First 90 days · Selank

What we'd actually do

Weeks 1–2

Subjective signal in the first 1–2 weeks if there's going to be one. Cognitive peptides (Selank, Semax) work fast or not at all for a given person.

Weeks 4–8

Either you've noticed a clear, consistent improvement (focus, anxiety reduction, mood stability) or you're imagining it. Track a baseline cognitive task or anxiety scale if you can.

Week 12 — decide

Decide. Cognitive effects are notoriously subject to placebo. If the signal isn't holding without you actively looking for it, it's probably not real.

Quit if

Paradoxical anxiety, agitation, or sleep disruption.
Two-week proper-dose trial with no perceived benefit.
Mood destabilization in either direction.

Identity

What it is.

Selank is a seven-amino-acid synthetic based on tuftsin, an immunopeptide found in human IgG. It was developed in the 1990s by the Russian Institute of Molecular Genetics in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, originally as an anti-anxiety compound without the sedation and dependence problems of benzodiazepines.

It's used clinically in Russia and Ukraine for generalized anxiety disorder, sold under the brand name Selank as an intranasal spray. It is *not* approved by the FDA, the EMA, or any Western regulator. In the US, it's sold strictly as a research chemical (RUO).

The proposed mechanism is unusual — it appears to modulate serotonin and dopamine turnover, influence GABAergic tone indirectly, and affect expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). It's a small molecule with a lot of plausible mechanisms and not enough trials to pin down which one matters.

TL;DR

TL;DR. 30-second version.

The compressed verdict — what Selank actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.

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Mechanism

Mechanism.

Mechanism · in the Selank report

How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.

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Evidence

Evidence. What we actually know in humans.

Evidence · in the Selank report

The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Human-Evidence Factbox

Approved in Russia

$19 ↓

Approved in US/EU

$19 ↓

English-language RCTs

$19 ↓

Russian-language clinical reports

$19 ↓

Animal studies

$19 ↓

Contraindication — active SSRI / SNRI / MAOI use

$19 ↓

Contraindication — pregnancy / breastfeeding

$19 ↓

Caution — benzodiazepines

$19 ↓

Community RUO intranasal dose

$19 ↓

Stack-conflict — SSRI / serotonergic agents

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Major adverse events flagged

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Dose

Dose. The actual protocol.

Dose · in the Selank report

The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

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Sourcing

Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.

Sourcing · in the Selank report

Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Safety

Safety. Side effects.

Safety · in the Selank report

The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Editorial Position

Editorial position.

Editorial Position · in the Selank report

Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.

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Citations

Citations.

+Show all 60 citations

The Selank Report · $19

Everything you need to start.

Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.

Built from 60 cited studies.

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