Peptides/Sleep, mood and focus
Selank
Also sold as TP-7
A Russian anti-anxiety peptide sold as a nasal spray. Approved in Russia, unapproved elsewhere, and barely studied outside it.
At a glance
What people use it for
- Everyday anxiety without sedation
- Focus under stress
- Sleep, indirectly, by lowering anxiety
How it is taken
Sold as a nasal spray, occasionally as a powder for injection.
Evidence
No human trials
Good to know
- Almost all trial evidence comes from one country and is hard to verify independently
- Not approved outside Russia, so western supply is entirely unregulated
- Long-term effects on brain chemistry have not been studied
- Nasal irritation and, occasionally, headache
Selank is a short synthetic peptide based on tuftsin, an immune fragment your body makes. It was developed in Russia, where it is an approved medicine for anxiety, and it reaches everyone else through the grey market.
What people take it for
Anxiety without the fog. The appeal is a calming effect that does not sedate, in contrast to benzodiazepines, and without the dependence that comes with them. People also use it for focus during stressful periods.
What the evidence shows
There is human research, and this is where it gets awkward. Russian trials report reductions in anxiety comparable to standard medicines, along with effects on brain chemistry involving serotonin and BDNF.
Most of that work is published in Russian journals, is difficult to access, and has not been independently replicated in western trials. That does not make it wrong. It does mean the usual checks described in how to read a peptide study cannot be applied to it, which is a real limitation on how much confidence anyone can take from it.
Outside Russia there is essentially no regulatory assessment.
What to know before
Anxiety has treatments with much stronger evidence behind them, including therapy and licensed medication. Those are worth exploring first, and a GP can help you get there.
Nasal sprays sold online for this are compounded by the seller, and concentration is whatever they say it is.
Last reviewed .