Semax is a seven amino acid peptide built from a piece of a hormone. The piece comes from ACTH, the hormone that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol, but Semax was engineered specifically to keep the brain activity of that fragment and drop the hormonal part. Then a short tail, Pro-Gly-Pro, was added to stop enzymes taking it apart.

It is written Semax, se max and sometimes seemax, and searched as Semax peptide and peptides Semax. This guide covers how it is built, why it is not ACTH, what BDNF and NGF actually are, how it compares with Selank, the nasal spray question, the honest problem with its literature, reconstitution volumes, and how to check a batch. Semax is supplied by PhaseOne in 10mg vials, strictly for laboratory research.

On this page

What is Semax | Why it is not ACTH | BDNF and NGF | vs Selank | Nasal spray | The literature problem | Reconstitution | Checking purity | FAQs

Key points at a glance

• A seven amino acid peptide, CAS 80714-61-0, sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro
• Built from the ACTH(4-10) fragment with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail added for stability
• Engineered to keep central nervous system activity and drop the cortisol-stimulating part
• Written Semax, se max, seemax; all the same compound
• Studied for its proposed influence on BDNF and NGF expression
• Developed in Russia from the 1980s, which is why most of the literature is Russian
• Not a nootropic in any regulated sense; that word describes the research interest, not an established effect
• PhaseOne supplies lyophilised powder in 10mg vials, not a nasal spray
• At least 99% HPLC purity, certificate published publicly, laboratory research only

What is Semax?

Semax has seven amino acids: Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. The first four are lifted straight from ACTH, specifically positions four to ten of that hormone, which is the stretch carrying its effects on the brain. The last three are an addition.

That addition is the engineering. Pro-Gly-Pro sits at the end and makes the molecule much harder for enzymes to chew through, which is the difference between a fragment that disappears in minutes and one that survives long enough to study.

Why it is not ACTH

ACTH is adrenocorticotropic hormone. Its job is telling the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol, which makes it a classic endocrine hormone with system-wide effects.

Semax shares a short stretch of that molecule and almost nothing else. The design brief was to isolate the central nervous system activity found in the four-to-ten fragment while leaving behind the adrenal stimulation, because the adrenal effect is exactly what you do not want when the research question is about the brain.

Treating Semax as a cortisol-raising compound because of the family resemblance is the most common error in discussion of it, and it gets the mechanism backwards. The modification exists to prevent that.

What BDNF and NGF actually are

These two acronyms carry most of the Semax literature and are rarely explained. BDNF is brain-derived neurotrophic factor and NGF is nerve growth factor. Both are proteins the body already produces, and both are studied for keeping neurons alive and for plasticity, meaning the capacity of connections between neurons to change.

Semax is studied for influencing how much of these the body expresses. Note the shape of that claim carefully: the proposal is not that Semax does something neurons cannot, but that it shifts the level of signals they already respond to.

That is the mechanistic basis for the cognitive and neuroprotective research interest, and it is where the honest limit sits too. A measured change in BDNF expression in a model is not a cognitive outcome, and the distance between those two things is large.

Semax vs Selank

Semax and Selank are the two peptides in this range that get grouped as nootropics, and they come from the same Russian research programme. They are not the same thing and they are not studied for the same question.

The shared Pro-Gly-Pro tail is not a coincidence. It was the same stabilising trick applied to two different parent fragments by the same group, which is why the two compounds look structurally similar while targeting unrelated research questions.

The nasal spray question

A large share of Semax searches are for a nasal spray, and that reflects something real: the Russian clinical formulation was intranasal, which is why the spray is the form most written about.

PhaseOne does not supply a nasal spray. What we supply is lyophilised Semax powder in a 10mg vial, for laboratory research. Those are not the same product and it is worth being blunt about it rather than letting the search term imply otherwise.

If you are looking to buy a Semax nasal spray in Australia, this is not that, and a research supplier is not where that question gets answered. If you are sourcing Semax for research work, the 10mg vial is the listing you want.

The problem with the literature

Semax has a longer research history than most compounds in this catalogue, going back to the 1980s, and that sounds like a strength until you look at where the research comes from.

Almost all of it is Russian. The compound was developed there, trialled there, and is registered as a medicine there, so the literature is geographically concentrated in a way that very little other peptide research is. Much of it is published in Russian-language journals, and the replication you would normally look for across independent groups in different countries largely does not exist.

That is not a claim that the work is wrong. It means the usual cross-checking is unavailable, and anyone citing Semax research should know they are citing one research tradition rather than an international consensus. It also means the English-language summaries circulating online are often several steps removed from the primary source.

Reconstituting a 10mg Semax vial

Semax arrives as a lyophilised powder and is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water . Research quantities are in micrograms, so the volume added determines whether a draw is measurable. Units are on a 100 unit U-100 syringe.

3ml to 5ml keeps the draws comfortably measurable. Work out any combination with the peptide dosage calculator , and see the reconstitution guide for technique.

Add the water slowly down the vial wall, swirl rather than shake, then refrigerate once dissolved and keep it out of light. The storage guide covers the stability variables in full.

What the research does not establish

Four limits, and the first two are the ones that matter most.

• The literature is almost entirely from one country and one research tradition, with little independent international replication.
• A change in BDNF or NGF expression is a biochemical measurement, not a cognitive outcome. The gap between those is where most overreach happens.
• The word nootropic has no regulated meaning and no agreed standard of evidence behind it. It describes why people are interested, not what has been shown.
• Semax is not registered on the ARTG. Its registration as a medicine in Russia has no bearing on its status in Australia, where it is supplied for laboratory research only.

Anyone presenting Semax as an established cognitive enhancer is going a long way past what the available literature supports.

Checking purity before you order

A seven amino acid peptide is cheap and easy to synthesise, which is mostly good news for consistency but also means the economics reward cutting corners. The check to ask for is HPLC, which separates a sample by retention time so anything else in the vial appears as its own peak.

Every PhaseOne batch is independently tested to a standard of at least 99% purity by HPLC, and the certificate for each batch is published in our public COA library . You can read the result before ordering rather than taking a purity claim on trust. No COA is shipped with the vial; it is simply public.

For how to read a chromatogram, see the HPLC testing guide , and for what any supplier should be able to show you, the research standards guide .

Buying Semax in Australia

PhaseOne supplies Semax in 10mg vials from Australian stock, shipped Australia-wide, for laboratory research only, with every batch HPLC tested to at least 99% purity and the certificate published publicly.

Two checks specific to this compound. First, confirm whether a listing is selling powder or a pre-made nasal spray, because they are different products and the price per milligram is not comparable. Second, check the certificate identifies the seven amino acid sequence rather than just quoting a purity figure.

Researchers working across the Russian nootropic pair usually order Selank alongside it. Browse the full research range .

Related research guides

For the other Russian heptapeptide, see Selank . For handling, the reconstitution guide and storage guide . For verification, the HPLC testing guide , the research standards guide and the COA library . For the dosage maths, the peptide dosage calculator .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Semax in simple terms?

A seven amino acid peptide, sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, built from the ACTH(4-10) hormone fragment with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail added so enzymes cannot break it down quickly. It is studied for its proposed influence on BDNF and NGF expression.

Is se max the same as Semax?

Yes. Semax, se max and seemax all refer to the same compound. The space and the misspelling are common in search but there is only one molecule.

Is Semax the same as ACTH?

No. Semax uses a short stretch of ACTH and was engineered specifically to keep the central nervous system activity while dropping the cortisol-stimulating hormonal effect. Treating it as a cortisol-raising compound gets the design backwards.

What does the Pro-Gly-Pro tail do?

It sits at the end of the molecule and makes it much harder for enzymes to break apart. Without it the fragment would not survive long enough to be useful.

What are BDNF and NGF?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. Both are proteins the body already makes, studied for keeping neurons alive and for plasticity, meaning the ability of connections between neurons to change.

Does Semax improve cognition?

That is not established. Semax is studied for influencing BDNF and NGF expression, which is a biochemical measurement rather than a cognitive outcome. The gap between the two is where most claims about this compound overreach.

Is Semax a nootropic?

The word nootropic has no regulated meaning and no agreed evidence standard behind it. It describes why researchers are interested in Semax, not anything that has been demonstrated.

Does PhaseOne sell Semax nasal spray?

No. We supply lyophilised Semax powder in a 10mg vial for laboratory research. The Russian clinical formulation was intranasal, which is why the spray dominates the search results, but a research vial is not a spray.

Why are most Semax searches for a nasal spray?

Because the form developed and used clinically in Russia was intranasal, so that is the form most of the writing about it describes.

What is the difference between Semax and Selank?

Both are seven amino acid peptides from the same Russian research programme and both carry the same Pro-Gly-Pro stabilising tail, but they come from different parent fragments. Semax comes from an ACTH fragment and is studied for cognition; Selank comes from tuftsin and is studied for anxiety-related and immune signalling.

Where did Semax come from?

Russian neuroscience research starting in the 1980s, investigating ACTH fragments that act on the brain without the adrenal effects of the full hormone.

Is the Semax research reliable?

It is unusually long-running but almost entirely from one country and one research tradition, much of it in Russian-language journals, with little independent international replication. That does not make it wrong, but the usual cross-checking is not available.

Is Semax approved in Australia?

No. It is not registered on the ARTG and is not approved for supply as a medicine here. Its registration as a medicine in Russia has no bearing on its Australian status.

What vial size does Semax come in?

10mg of lyophilised powder.

How much bacteriostatic water should a 10mg Semax vial be reconstituted with?

3ml to 5ml keeps the draws comfortably measurable, giving 3.3mg/ml or 2mg/ml. The table above converts each option to syringe units.

How should Semax be stored?

Lyophilised vials refrigerated and out of light. Once reconstituted, refrigerate immediately, keep it dark, and prepare only what the work needs.

How is Semax purity verified?

By independent HPLC testing, which separates the sample by retention time so anything else in the vial shows as its own peak.

What purity is PhaseOne Semax?

At least 99% by independent HPLC testing, with the certificate for each batch published in our public COA library.

Does a COA come with the vial?

No. Certificates are not shipped with orders. Every batch certificate is published in our public COA library instead, so anyone can check a result before buying.

Where can I buy Semax peptide in Australia?

PhaseOne supplies Semax 10mg vials from Australian stock, shipped Australia-wide, for laboratory research only. Check whether a competing listing is selling powder or a pre-made spray before comparing prices.

Disclaimer

All products supplied by PhaseOne are intended strictly for laboratory research purposes only. Products are not intended for human consumption, therapeutic use, cosmetic use, veterinary use, or diagnostic applications.