Epithalamin extract
Evidence Grade C — Moderate human evidence. 70 published studies, 29 human. 0 registered clinical trials.
Epithalamin is a crude extract from bovine (cow) pineal glands — the parent substance from which the synthetic peptide Epitalon was derived. Unlike Epitalon, it is an undefined biological mixture rather than a single molecule. It has been used clinically in Russia but has not been evaluated through Western regulatory processes.
70 published studies: 29 human, 41 animal, 6 in-vitro, 12 reviews
Epithalamin is approved in Russia. It has not been approved by the FDA, EMA, or other major Western regulatory agencies. A study of elderly subjects reported reduced mortality with combined Epithalamin and Thymalin treatment over long-term follow-up. These results come from the Khavinson research programme and have not undergone Western regulatory review.
As an undefined biological extract from bovine pineal tissue, Epithalamin faces the same molecular characterisation and quality standardisation challenges as Thymalin (#121). See also Epitalon (#117) for the synthetic active component.
Research proposes that Epithalamin's active component is the tetrapeptide Epitalon (AEDG), with a proposed mechanism involving telomerase activation through hTERT gene expression. As an undefined extract, the specific active components and their mechanisms cannot be precisely characterised. See Epitalon (#117) for the proposed mechanism of the isolated active component.
Research from the Khavinson group reports reduced mortality with combined Epithalamin and Thymalin treatment in elderly subjects over long-term follow-up. However, every preclinical and clinical study through 2025 was conducted by the same research group, with no independent confirmation. As an undefined crude bovine extract, Epithalamin faces molecular characterisation and quality standardisation challenges that are more severe than for defined synthetic peptides. A theoretical prion contamination risk exists for animal-derived brain tissue products. No formal pharmacokinetic data or safety trials meeting international standards have been conducted. Approximately half of the published studies are in Russian only.
No trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov for this compound.
The information on this page is provided for educational and research reference purposes only. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
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