Semax Explained: Benefits, Dosages and Use Cases

*The below article and information are based on lab research data of Semax, this is not medical advice in any kind of shape or form.

There’s no shortage of nootropics — but where many only have early research in their favor, Semax comes backed by an extensive clinical history. Hospitals in Russia have been prescribing this synthetic peptide for decades to treat serious neurological conditions like stroke, circulatory disorders, and optic nerve damage.

Its main power? Semax triggers an enormous BDNF and Nerve Growth Factor surge. That action shields neurons from damage and creates an environment ripe for new neural connections. It also opens a window of neuroplasticity, so learning, building memories, and adapting quickly becomes possible. The bottom line? Semax starts by protecting the brain and continues by expanding its abilities. 

It all starts making sense when you hear why it was developed in the first place. Its history of clinical use sounds impressive (and it is), but the Russian Academy of Sciences had even bigger ambitions for Semax. They built this ACTH fragment for better performance under extreme stress and in extreme conditions — for cosmonauts, who clearly need the best support they can get out in space.

A Brief History of Semax & Its Purpose

Many peptides are discovered (accidentally or after a long search), synthesized, and then researched to find out more about their effects. 

That’s not the story of Semax. 

This synthetic ACTH fragment was designed with a clear goal in mind right from the outset. Nikolai Myasoedov and his team at the Russian Academy of Sciences had the explicit objective of creating a compound that could boost mental sharpness and fight stress. In the most extreme of all possible environments — on the battlefield and in space. 

They knew ACTH, a stress hormone, had strong cognitive effects, but they also knew it came with nasty cortisol-related side effects. They tried to tweak ACTH to harvest the benefits without the side effects, and did so by isolating just a fragment. ACTH (4-10). Myasoedov and his team added a Pro-Gly-Pro tail for better stability, and that’s how they created Semax. [1]

Semax was made by scientists who were sure that it was possible to “pick and choose” — just the effects they wanted, minus those that would harm the cosmonauts it was intended for. They were right, but you don’t reserve a peptide powerful enough to heal the brain after a stroke only for the few people lucky enough to go to space. A few decades later, Semax has been trialed and used in a surprisingly large number of different fields — with impressive results. 

How Does Semax Work?

That’s complicated, because Semax modulates the central nervous system in all sorts of ways — exactly why it has such diverse research applications. 

• Semax floods the brain with Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Nerve Growth Factor. That protects the brain from damage, but it also sets people up for easier learning and more effective memory building. 
• Because Semax is an ACTH fragment, the peptide works melanocortin receptors as well — another win on the memory front that also happens to fight inflammation.
• Semax normalizes dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels — great for people under extreme stress, whether they’re in space or simply doing a high-pressure corporate job.
• Finally, there’s the neuroprotective effect that guards against all sorts of neuronal damage — from oxygen deprivation, oxidative stress, and excessive excitement, among other types. 

Think that’s a long list? Wait until you see where researchers have taken these effects over the decades. 

What Applications Has Semax Research Looked at So Far (and What Could Be Next)?

We can’t sum decades of interesting research up very effectively on just one page, but we can certainly give you a closer look at some of the most exciting Semax applications so far. They include treating acute and life-threatening neurological damage — and helping healthy people with healthy brains perform even better. 

Semax in the Treatment of Stroke and Brain Injury

Semax has made it onto Russia’s list of essential drugs, and this application is why. Most of the research done to date has emphasized the immediate aftermath of a stroke. Semax multi-tasks on this front. It reduces neuronal death and inflammation, and gets the brain into “healing mode” more quickly. 

That makes all the difference in those early hours. The potential of Semax doesn’t end after just a few hours, though. Ongoing administration can support patients as they begin a long recovery period — and studies demonstrate improved outcomes. [2, 3, 4]

Semax for Sharper Mental Performance and Better Focus

Semax was built for nootropic effects, so it’s hardly surprising that its potential to boost cognitive performance and improve focus is still a huge area of interest. Studies long ago demonstrated that this neuropeptide has the power to improve memory consolidation, processing speed, and attention. 

Early research zoomed in on its ability to help people think clearly under stress. More recent, on the other hand, is interest in the exciting possibility that Semax might give people with ADHD a treatment option that’s not a stimulant. [5, 6]

Implications for Depression and Anxiety

Fairly effective treatments for depression and anxiety exist, but they take time — and they come with side effects that negatively impact quality of life right when people most benefit from feeling better. Plus, a significant minority of people with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant forms, for which seemingly nothing works. 

What if Semax could step in to save the day? It’s already clear that depression and low BDNF levels usually coincide, so it makes sense. Research based on the idea that Semax could stabilize and repair the circuits damaged in depression has already started. In a way, the potential to calm without sedating (= anxiety-fighting) ties into the original purpose. Except in depression and anxiety, the perceived threat comes from within. [7, 8]

Research Into Semax as a New Hope for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Given the long history of Semax as a supportive treatment after stroke, does this learning and memory peptide also have the potential to slow the course of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s? It was only a matter of time before researchers would turn their attention here, and animal models are promising. Further research is very much needed, but the hope is that Semax might slow progression or even reduce symptoms. [9, 10]

Semax Applications in the Treatment of Eye Diseases

Don’t forget that the optic nerve is part of the central nervous system. Semax is already used to treat glaucoma, optic neuritis, and other eye diseases in Russia, but research into future applications is still in full swing. Semax protects the retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve from damage — and that makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of progressive eye diseases like macular degeneration. [11, 12, 13]

Other future research directions? Take a deep dive into the literature, and you’ll see researchers are studying Semax in the context of long COVID, tinnitus, and addiction recovery, too. Semax was developed five decades ago, but new applications are still on the horizon. 

How Is Semax Administered in Research Settings?

Multiple different delivery routes are viable. They all have pros and cons, and researchers designing new studies have to think about how each influences bioavailability and onset. 

Semax nasal spray has actually become the most popular route of administration in clinical use. Intranasal administration has some of the same benefits as subcutaneous injection. It starts working quickly. It’s also easier for patients to use themselves, or for relatives to help with, than subQ delivery — exactly what you want after a stroke. 

Clinical studies still usually depend on the more traditional delivery method, subcutaneous and IM injections. Researchers see it as the more reliable option because it provides better systemic bioavailability and steadier, more predictable action. SubQ/IM delivery is superior in designs with research objectives related to the long-term cognitive benefits of Semax. 

IV and intramuscular injections are two more options in controlled experimental studies, so you might see these delivery methods referenced if you dig through the current body of science. They’re much less popular, though, and reserved for studies where acute effects need to be observed. 

What Are The Common Dosing Protocols Researched for Semax So Far?

You’ve had a glimpse of all the different research applications — stroke, depression, glaucoma, mental focus, and more. Taking those radically diverging objectives into account, it’s only natural that Semax doesn’t have a standardized dosing protocol that’s suitable for all goals. Researchers need to build their own.

That starts with reviewing established Russian clinical trials in the same area, if available, and making adjustments based on the model and design from there. 

Semax is a rather potent peptide, so researchers measure doses in micrograms. To give curious minds a rough idea, intranasal doses tend to be between 50 mcg and 900 mcg a day. Nasal sprays work faster and wear off more quickly, so those doses are split over two or three sessions.

Subcutaneous and intramuscular injection dosing cited in Russian studies is more likely to fall between 250 mcg and 750 mcg daily. 

Of course, dosing is also tailored to the goal at hand:

• High doses are suitable for immediate post-stroke care in clinical settings.
• Ongoing stroke recovery treatment or cognitive performance goals can be met with lower doses administered over a longer period of time. 
• Semax has been researched in children, especially for ADHD. Researchers designing clinical trials use weight-based dosing protocols in those cases. 

Who Shouldn’t Take Semax According to Studies?

Semax is a modified fragment of a natural hormone — modified only to discard the portion of ACTH that induces stress. As such, it’s not surprising that most people tolerate it well and that side effects are most likely to be associated with the delivery method. They include nasal irritation for the nasal spray, and redness for subQ delivery. 

Even medications with few side effects aren’t suitable for everyone, however, and Semax is no exception. People taking antipsychotic medications, stimulants, and other drugs that act on the CNS should be excluded from participation in clinical trials, as should anyone with a known sensitivity to Semax. 

One Targeted Compound — Numerous Different Applications

The team that built Semax wanted to push the best and brightest minds in the Russian space program forward by helping them survive extreme conditions. As it turns out, extreme conditions can be found much closer to home, too. In hospital beds in the critical hours after a stroke. Decades of studies have made Semax a household name in that context, but the research continues. 

Can Semax give people with ADHD focus, depressed people hope, and elderly patients suffering from cognitive decline better memory? Early research shows promise in these areas and more, and that’s exactly why scientists still find a peptide made for the space age so interesting.

FAQs

Scientific References and Sources

1. https://semaxint.com/history.htm[↩]
2. https://europepmc.org/article/med/10358912?javascript_support=no[↩]
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925443925003187[↩]
4. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/12/2830[↩]
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987706005391[↩]
6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1062359018060055[↩]
7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11064-005-8826-8[↩]
8. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cns-spectrums/article/therapeutic-possibility-of-semax-for-depression/E2293226BFBE224272AA7C8CE60AD7C0[↩]
9. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3233/RNN-2008-00419[↩]
10. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2025/posters/50/[↩]
11. https://www.actabiomedica.ru/jour/article/view/3439/0?locale=en_US[↩]
12. https://journals.eco-vector.com/ov/article/view/387[↩]
13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1819712420040121[↩]