Epitalon

What it is claimed to help

These are the uses attached to Epitalon in research, clinical practice, or marketing. Listing a claim is not endorsing it — tap any of them to see every other compound carrying the same claim.

What the human evidence actually is

Weak and unreplicated. The frequently cited human work comes from Vladimir Khavinson's group in St Petersburg, including long-term follow-up in elderly patients reporting reduced mortality, and small studies in retinitis pigmentosa reporting improved visual function. These have not been replicated by independent Western groups and generally lack modern controls. The telomerase-activation claim rests on cell culture. FDA staff recommended against listing; the panel recommended it 7-5.

How it is supposed to work

Derived from epithalamin, a pineal extract. Proposed to activate telomerase and normalise melatonin rhythm.

Safety

No modern safety database. Telomerase activation is not unambiguously desirable — it is a core mechanism of cellular immortalisation in cancer.

Storage and handling

Lyophilised peptide is generally stored at 2–8 °C, or below −20 °C for long-term storage. Reconstituted in bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol) a solution is typically treated as usable for about 28 days refrigerated, versus roughly 24 hours for plain sterile water, which has no preservative. Add the water slowly down the vial wall and swirl — never shake, which shears peptide chains and foams the solution.