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Sleep & circadian

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Synthetic tetrapeptide (AEDG)

Epithalon

Also known as: Epitalon, Epithalamin (related), AEDG, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, AEDG tetrapeptide

Synthetic tetrapeptide claimed to extend telomere length and reduce all-cause mortality in older adults.

Reviewed 2026-05-04

What it does

Epithalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) claimed to extend telomere length, restore melatonin rhythms, and reduce all-cause mortality in older adults. It's positioned as a longevity peptide — short courses run a few times per year, intended to slow biological aging at the cellular level.

Used for

Dose

Starting
5,000 mcg · once daily, courses of 10–20 days
Common
7,500 mcg · once daily, courses of 10–20 days
Upper
10,000 mcg · once daily, courses of 10–20 days
When
BedtimePineal-active. Original Russian protocols dose in the evening to align with melatonin synthesis. The canonical schedule is bedtime, 5 days on / 25 off, 1–2 cycles per year.
How long
30–60 days on / 4–6 months off
Site
subcutaneous (community / Khavinson-protocol)

Need exact volumes? Open the peptide calculator →

⚠ Caution

  • Active malignancy — telomerase activation, if real, is theoretically pro-tumorigenic; absence of evidence cuts both ways here
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding (no human safety data)
  • Known hypersensitivity to peptide formulations or excipients

Often stacked with

  • DSIP — DSIP targets delta-wave sleep initiation via central neuromodulation; Epithalon purportedly restores pineal melatonin rhythms — complementary sleep-phase mechanisms, different courses require separate administration.
  • GHK-Cu — Epithalon is hypothesised to activate telomerase and restore epigenetic gene expression; GHK-Cu modulates ECM gene expression and antioxidant defenses — complementary longevity-adjacent mechanisms requiring separate courses.

Your stack

Track this peptide in your protocol — dose, schedule, vials on hand, refill projection. Stays in your browser; no account needed.

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Use this peptide

Featured in protocols
Cycling

30–60 days on, 4–6 months off.

Original Khavinson protocols used much shorter 5-day-on / 25-day-off courses, repeated 1–2× per year. Modern community variation extends the on-period to 30–60 days, run 2–3 times per year, aiming for sustained telomerase induction. No strong head-to-head evidence either schedule is superior — both are within community practice.

Co-injection & overlap

Inject separately (do not co-mix): DSIP, GHK-Cu

Reconstitution & storage

Lyophilized powder reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. A 10 mg vial in 5 mL BAC water = 2 mg/mL, making a 5 mg dose = 2.5 mL (a large SubQ volume; many users split across two injections). Use the calculator to verify; concentration varies by vendor.

Storage. Lyophilized: refrigerate. Reconstituted: refrigerate 2–8 °C, use within 30 days.

Open the peptide calculator →

Monitoring & questions

Reported side effects
  • Injection-site reactions
  • No published Western adverse-event surveillance
  • Long-term human safety data is essentially absent
  • Theoretical concern: if telomerase activation occurs as claimed, the long-term oncological implications are unstudied
Biomarkers Juno tracks

Reference

How it works

Claimed mechanisms include direct telomerase activation, modulation of pineal melatonin secretion, epigenetic upregulation of antioxidant gene expression, and restoration of T-cell immune function in aged organisms. The molecular targets and pharmacokinetics are not characterized to modern standards. The peptide is small and would be expected to have very short systemic half-life with minimal direct CNS penetration — its proposed mechanisms via central pineal modulation strain biological plausibility for a peripherally administered tetrapeptide.

Juno's take

The longevity claims here are bold, and the supporting clinical evidence comes almost entirely from a single research group — the Khavinson lab in St. Petersburg, where the peptide was originally synthesized. The work hasn't been independently replicated by Western labs or by other Russian groups, and the methodology wouldn't meet modern regulatory standards. That doesn't mean the claims are wrong; it means the evidence is thin enough that competing peptide apps soften it and we won't. Treat the longevity framing with skepticism; the proximal claims (sleep, melatonin rhythm) sit on slightly more direct evidence but still single-source.

EvidenceTier 4 — Anecdotal

Tiers are per indication. The same molecule can be Tier 1 for one use and Tier 4 for another — the tier reflects published literature, not community framing.

Longevity / lifespan extension

Tier 4high confidence

Khavinson and colleagues have published Russian clinical work claiming reduced all-cause mortality in elderly cohorts. The studies have small sample sizes, unclear randomization and blinding, no independent replication, and methodology that does not meet modern standards. By Skill Rule 5 and Rule 8, this is Tier 4. Do not soften.

Khavinson VKh et al. 2003

Telomerase activation / telomere lengthening

Tier 4high confidence

In-vitro work (Khavinson lab) reports telomerase upregulation in human fibroblast cell lines. No independent replication of the in-vivo telomere-lengthening claim in humans. The mechanism would imply theoretical oncogenic risk if true at scale; the absence of replication is itself a relevant signal.

Khavinson VKh et al. 2003

Sleep / melatonin rhythm restoration

Tier 3medium confidence

Some small Russian clinical reports of sleep-architecture improvements in elderly subjects, plausibly mediated by claimed pineal effects. Not replicated; methodologically weak. Tier 3 only because the specific symptom claim is more proximal than the longevity claim.

No primary citations are anchored to this indication — the tier reflects the absence of usable literature, not a missing reference.

Cancer / anti-tumor effects

Tier 3medium confidence

Animal studies from the Khavinson group report reduced spontaneous tumor incidence in aged rodents. No human RCTs. Tier 3 for the animal-only claim; users seeking an anti-cancer benefit have no human evidence to act on.

No primary citations are anchored to this indication — the tier reflects the absence of usable literature, not a missing reference.

Citations (2)
  1. [1]
    Effect of bioregulators on key indicators of biological age and survival of older people
    Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine / Russian-translated literature · 2003 · PMID 12937538
    Anchor citation for the longevity claim — included specifically to be evaluated under Skill Rule 5 (single-lab, unreplicated, methodologically weak).
    View source
  2. [2]
    Peptide promotes overcoming of the division limit in human somatic cell
    Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA, Smirnova TD. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2003 · PMID 14523375
    In-vitro telomerase / Hayflick-limit claim; the mechanistic basis for the most-cited longevity narrative.
    View source