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Selank protocol

Selank is a lab-made peptide based on tuftsin, a natural immune peptide. In Russia it is sold as nasal drops for anxiety and stress. It is not approved in the US or EU.

Registered in Russia · Selank 0.15% nasal dropsNot approved in the US or EU
ProtocolMixingResultsSide effectsHow it worksSources

The protocol at a glance

The Russian label says 2 drops in each nostril, 3 times a day, for 14 days. A doctor can repeat the course after 1 to 3 weeks.

ItemRussian label (0.15% nasal drops)
Strength1.5 mg per mL
Dose2 drops in each nostril, 3 times a day (12 drops a day)
Course14 days
RepeatAfter 1 to 3 weeks, with a doctor
Drop sizeNot stated on the label

From the Russian drug reference RLS (Selank entry, Peptogen, registration number ЛП-№(010951)-(РГ-RU)). Nasal use only. The label does not give a daily amount in mcg.

Community reports

Community notes report 200 to 400 mcg two to three times a day (400 mcg to 1.2 mg a day), 2 weeks on, mostly nasal. These are user reports, not trial data.

What people say they do, collected from community discussions. Not tested in a trial; shown so you can compare it with the evidence above.

Mixing

No mixing table here: this one is used as a capsule, nasal spray or skin product, or has no human amount to calculate from. The general mixing calculator works for any vial.

What the trials found

Small Russian studies in anxiety, compared with older anxiety drugs. The abstracts do not give effect sizes. I found no placebo-controlled trial.

62Patients with generalized anxiety or neurasthenia (2008): Selank (30) and medazepam (32) eased anxiety about equally
60Patients with anxiety disorders (2014), Selank vs phenazepam: Selank's effect lasted a week after the last dose
70Patients (2015): Selank added to phenazepam (40) vs phenazepam alone (30); fewer drug side effects with Selank

Zozulia AA et al. 2008 (PMID 18454096); Medvedev VE et al. 2014 (PMID 25176261) and 2015 (PMID 26356395). All in Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, Russian-language papers.

Side effects

  • The label lists allergic reactions, including delayed ones, and an unpleasant taste when the drops run down the throat.
  • The label says not to use it in pregnancy, breastfeeding or under age 18.
  • I found no large trial that measured safety.

How it works

Enkephalin breakdown

In blood samples, Selank slowed the enzymes that break down enkephalins, which are natural calming peptides.

Tuftsin analog

It is built from tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) with Pro-Gly-Pro added. In rats it changed BDNF levels in memory-related brain areas.

Sources

  • RLS (rlsnet.ru) Selank 0.15% nasal drops entry, Peptogen
  • Zozulia AA et al. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2008;108(4):38-48, PMID 18454096
  • Medvedev VE et al. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2014;114(7):17-22, PMID 25176261
  • Medvedev VE et al. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2015;115(6):33-40, PMID 26356395
  • Enkephalin-degrading enzymes and Selank. Bull Exp Biol Med 2001, PMID 11550013
  • Selank and ethanol-induced memory impairment in rats (BDNF). Bull Exp Biol Med 2019, PMID 31625062
  • ClinicalTrials.gov search by intervention name, run 5 Nov 2026: no Selank peptide trials