Deep in the brain sits the pineal gland, the small organ that makes melatonin at night. Decades ago, scientists in Leningrad made an extract from it and later built a tiny four-part peptide based on that extract. That peptide is Epitalon. This guide explains what it is, what the experiments showed and why it is still not a medicine.
Epitalon was made at the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, the research centre led by Professor Vladimir Khavinson. It is one of the smallest peptides people talk about: only four amino acids, alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and glycine, often written as AEDG.
Its fame comes from one idea. In 2003 the same team reported that Epitalon switched on telomerase in human cells grown in a dish. Telomerase is the enzyme that rebuilds telomeres, the protective tips of our chromosomes that wear down as cells divide. That finding turned a little-known Russian peptide into a favourite topic of anti-ageing forums.
The full picture is more modest. Most results come from fruit flies, rodents and cell cultures, and most were published by a single research group. Solid trials in people are missing. The pages below lay out what is known and what is not.
This site explains; it does not recommend. Research-grade Epitalon is not produced for people to use. If you have questions about sleep, ageing or your health in general, talk to a doctor.
| What it is | A synthetic peptide of four amino acids: alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and glycine |
| Other names | Epithalon, Epithalone, AEDG peptide |
| Formula | C14H22N4O9, about 390 g/mol |
| Based on | Epithalamin, an extract of cattle pineal glands |
| Main claim | Supports the pineal gland and switches on telomerase in cells |
| Developed by | The St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, Russia |
| Status | Not authorised as a medicine in the EU, the UK or the US |
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