Dosage protocol · Brain Health & Nootropics
Semax 5 mg
10 mL final volume: 0.5 mg/mL, 50 mcg per verified 0.10 mL spray, and 100 nominal sprays.
- 5 mL final volume: 1 mg/mL, 100 mcg per verified 0.10 mL spray, and 50 nominal sprays.
- 10 mL final volume: 0.5 mg/mL, 50 mcg per verified 0.10 mL spray, and 100 nominal sprays.
- Label and research log: Record the peptide amount, final volume, concentration, pump output, preparation date, priming sprays, and actuation count.
- Storage materials: Light-protective refrigerated storage appropriate to the validated formulation.
Reconstitution
Semax dosage chart
| Draw | Vehicle Added After Transfer | Final Concentration | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 mL | About 2.0 mL | 1,000 mcg/mL | 100 mcg 50 nominal sprays |
| 10.0 mL | About 7.0 mL | 500 mcg/mL | 50 mcg 100 nominal sprays |
| Dose | Draw | Draw |
|---|---|---|
| 200 mcg | 2 sprays | 4 sprays |
| 300 mcg | 3 sprays | 6 sprays |
| 400 mcg | 4 sprays | 8 sprays |
| 500 mcg | 5 sprays | 10 sprays |
| Source | Research Context | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Kaplan et al., 1996 [1] | Healthy volunteers in operator and EEG experiments | Experiments included 0.25 mg and 1 mg exposures. The operator experiment reported 1 mg in 0.4 mL physiological solution. |
| Lebedeva et al., 2018 [2] | Healthy volunteer fMRI study | One 1.2 mg exposure using a 1% solution, with 60 microliters placed into each nostril. |
| Gusev et al., 2018 [3] | Condition-specific post-stroke research | 6,000 mcg per day for 10 days, followed by a second 10-day course after a 20-day interval. |
| Official 0.1% Semax instructions [4] | Registered intranasal drop formulation | 1 mg/mL in purified water with methylparaben. Each 0.05 mL drop contained 50 mcg. |
| Verified Actuator Output | Draw | Draw |
|---|---|---|
| 0.05 mL | 50 mcg | 25 mcg |
| 0.10 mL | 100 mcg | 50 mcg |
| 0.13 mL | 130 mcg | 65 mcg |
How much to draw
The Draw column shows exactly where to stop on a U-100 insulin syringe. Different vial size or dose? The calculator below recomputes it live.
Supplies needed
Supplies needed
Peptide vial
The lyophilized compound
Bacteriostatic water
For reconstitution
U-100 insulin syringes
One per injection
Alcohol swabs
Stopper + site each time
How it works
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide derived from a fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), commonly described as ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro or an ACTH(4-10) analog depending on the source.[1] It was developed in Russia and is studied mainly as a nootropic and neuroprotective compound, with research focused on stroke recovery, cognition, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling.
Like Selank, Semax has a history of clinical use and regulatory standing in Russia — it appears on that country's list of essential medicines — but this does not carry over to U.S. regulatory status, where no equivalent approval exists.[2]
Benefits & side effects
Human evidence for Semax is limited and concentrated in Russian clinical literature. A 1997 study evaluated Semax in 30 patients during acute ischemic stroke, using daily doses of 12 mg for moderate strokes and 18 mg for severe strokes, compared against 80 conventionally treated controls.[5] A later study reported that Semax combined with early stroke rehabilitation was associated with higher plasma BDNF and faster functional recovery.[6]
A small 2018 neuroimaging study measured brain activity by fMRI in 14 people given intranasal Semax versus 10 given placebo, reporting short-term changes in default-mode network activity — an interesting signal, but far from proof of cognitive enhancement.[7] Broader claims about focus, memory, or mood in healthy users rest mainly on preclinical rodent data and small studies like these, not large controlled human trials.
Calculator
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Reconstitution
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