Epitalon
/EP-ih-tah-lon/aka Epithalon, Epithalone, AEDG peptide
A synthetic four-amino-acid peptide modeled on a pineal gland extract, promoted for telomerase activation on the strength of cell and rodent studies.
Epitalon: educational research discussion. Not medical advice. Not a protocol for you.Details
- Reported range
- 5–10 mg daily
- Frequency
- Daily during a course
- Cycle length
- 10–20 day course, 2–3× per year
- Half-life
- Unknown in humans; likely short
- Route
- SC
Reported figures describe what is published or discussed. None of them is a dose for you.
Mechanism
What it is proposed to do
Three claims dominate. Epitalon is said to activate telomerase and lengthen telomeres (reported in human fibroblast cultures), to normalize melatonin rhythms in older animals and people, and to act as a short regulatory peptide that binds DNA and changes gene expression. The first two rest on cell, animal and small human studies from the developer's group. The gene-regulation idea is theoretical. None of it has been independently confirmed in people.
- 01
Epitalon
Synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide; human PK poorly characterized
established - 02
Telomerase activation
Human fibroblast cultures (2003)
proposed - 03
Melatonin rhythm
Small studies in old monkeys and older adults, one research group
proposed - 04
Longer lifespan
Rodent studies from the same group
proposed
Half-life. Poorly characterized. As a small unmodified tetrapeptide it is expected to clear from plasma quickly, but we found no published human pharmacokinetic data.
Dosing & cycles
What is reported, and where it comes from
Numbers below are labeled FDA label, clinical trial range or commonly reported range. They describe the published and discussed landscape. They are not instructions and not a protocol for you.
Dosing studio
Every figure is labeled by where it comes from.
Scale view: Commonly reported course range
Probe at 7.5 mg: inside the reported band (5–10 mg). Drag it to read the scale. It does not pick a number for you.
Typical cycle, as a calendar
20-day course
20 days on, then months off
The most repeated shape: a daily course of up to 20 days, then nothing. Course length is inherited from Russian protocols, not from human pharmacology.
Cycle patterns
20-day course
The most repeated shape: a daily course of up to 20 days, then nothing. Course length is inherited from Russian protocols, not from human pharmacology.
10-day condensed course
Same total per course, packed into 10 days at the higher daily amount. No study compares the two shapes.
Courses across the year
The long view: short courses separated by months off. The 4–6 month spacing is convention; there is no human data on how long any effect lasts.
Stacks
What it gets combined with
Why people pair things, and what nobody has tested.
Khavinson bioregulators
2 compounds- Why people combine these
- Both come from the same Russian short-peptide program and are often discussed together for ageing and brain health.
- Caution
- Same research group, same replication problem, now twice.
- What is unknown
- No published human data on this combination: dosing, interactions and long-term effects are all unstudied.
Longevity stack
3 compounds- Why people combine these
- Pitched as covering telomeres, NAD and mitochondria at once.
- Caution
- Three thin evidence bases do not add up to a strong one, and there are no interaction data.
- What is unknown
- No published human data on this combination: dosing, interactions and long-term effects are all unstudied.
Evidence
How much of this is known
Evidence grade
D
Little useful signal
Mechanism speculation, marketing, or almost no useful human signal.
How we gradeGraded D, not C: the synthetic peptide has almost no human signal of its own, and the cell and animal work has not been replicated outside one research group.
Human trial status
Human studies come from Vladimir Khavinson's group in St Petersburg and mostly used epithalamin, the pineal extract, not synthetic epitalon. They include 266 older adults given pineal and thymic extracts, with lower mortality reported over years of follow-up, and small studies of melatonin rhythm in older people. None were independently replicated. The telomerase finding comes from human fibroblast cultures (2003).
Limitations
- Almost all cell, animal and human work comes from one research group, without independent confirmation.
- Most human data are for epithalamin, a different product from synthetic epitalon.
- Telomere lengthening has not been shown in living people, or linked to health outcomes.
- We found no published human pharmacokinetic or dose-finding study.
Sources to read
- Khavinson VKh et al. Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells (Bull Exp Biol Med 2003)
- Anisimov VN et al. Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female SHR mice (Biogerontology 2003)
- Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life (Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003)
- Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. Cognitive Vitality report: Epithalamin/Epithalon
- FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, July 23–24, 2026
Links open PubMed, DailyMed, FDA or trial-registry searches. We do not cite what we have not described accurately.
Safety
Side effects, cautions, status
Commonly reported effects
- Russian studies of the parent extract reported no serious adverse events, but they were not designed or reported to modern safety standards.
- Community reports are mostly mild: injection-site irritation, headache, sleep changes.
- Theoretical concern: telomerase activation is also a feature of cancer cells. There is no human data either way.
- Product quality is the largest practical risk: gray-market vials vary in purity, content and endotoxin.
Who should be extra cautious
- Active or past cancer. Telomerase activation is a theoretical concern with no human data to settle it.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding. No data at all.
- Tested athletes. Prohibited at all times (WADA S0).
- Gray-market product. Purity, dose accuracy and endotoxin vary between vendors and batches.
Legal & regulatory status
Not an FDA-approved drug. In April 2026 FDA removed it from its Category 2 compounding-risk list, and in July 2026 an FDA advisory committee recommended it for the 503A bulks list. Until FDA finishes rulemaking, that is a recommendation, not permission to compound.
2026 compounding context. April 15, 2026: removed from Category 2. July 23–24, 2026: FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted to recommend epitalon for the 503A bulks list. The vote is advisory; FDA must propose and finalize a rule before pharmacies can compound it under 503A.
WADA. Prohibited at all times under S0 (non-approved substances). Not named individually.
Storage & handling, high level
Sold as lyophilized powder. Reconstituted peptides are generally kept refrigerated, away from light, and degrade over weeks. Sterile technique and product quality matter more than any number on this page.
Reconstitution and injection technique are clinical skills. The reconstitution calculator does arithmetic only.
FAQ
Questions people ask about Epitalon
Does epitalon lengthen telomeres?
Epitalon or epithalamin: what is the difference?
Why is it discussed in short courses?
Is epitalon legal to compound now?
The monthly Evidence Brief
Keep up with the evidence
One email a month: new trials, grade changes and FDA or WADA updates across the whole atlas, Epitalon included. You get the free guide right away.
Free guide · PDF
10 Peptide Claims, Fact-Checked
13 pages · sent to your inbox right away
Email only. Unsubscribe from any email in one click. We do not sell or rent your address. Nothing we send is medical advice. Privacy