Epitalon: The Fountain of Youth

For centuries mankind has searched for the “Fountain of Youth”; that proverbial source of everlasting life. Herodotus wrote of a spring that gave the water of youth to all who bathed in it. Juan Ponce de Leon looked for it in south Florida centuries later but didn’t find it. Man’s quest for such a fountain failed until Dr. Vladimir Khavinson discovered Epitalon in the 1980’s. The fountain turned out to be a peptide produced by the pineal gland.

There are many theories of aging, one of which is the shortening of telomeres in our DNA. A telomere is like the plastic tip on the end of your shoe lace. It protects the DNA from unraveling during each cell division. Each cell division results in a slightly shorter telomere length, and eventually, the cell can no longer divide. This is called the Hayflick Limit, after Dr. Leonard Hayflick’s discovery that cells have a limited number of times that they can divide. In mammals, the telomeres are protected from shortening until the onset of sexual maturity. After that, they begin to shorten with each cell division, eventually leading to an inability to divide any more in order to replace worn out, damaged or diseased cells. There is an enzyme called telomerase that is produced in the cells which stimulates the lengthening of the telomeres. The pineal gland produces a hormone called epithalamin that tells the cells to produce telomerase which in turn results in longer telomeres in our DNA. The functionality of the pineal gland declines with age, and is partly responsible for age related diseases.

What Dr. Khavinson found was that introducing epithalamin into mammals resulted in a reversal of age related diseases, and a reversal of the signs of aging. He was able to take geriatric female mice, who were no longer fertile, give them epithalamin, and after about two weeks of treatment, the mice became fertile again, got pregnant and had pups. He showed that Epitalon induces telomerase activity in human somatic cells, proving that telomeres were lengthened by the peptide. The synthetic version of epithalamin was patented by Dr. Khavinson and called “Epitalon” (also sometimes called epithalon since the original word is in Russian). It was approved for general use in the Soviet Union in 1990 and has been used in gerontology there ever since. No adverse side effects have ever been reported, according to Dr. Khavinson.

Since Epitalon is patented and trademarked, no drug company will research it. Since drug companies pay for almost all of the research on new medicines, no human clinical trials have been done in the West on it. Almost all of the research has been done by Dr. Khavinson and his associates. The results of his research are startling: for example, the application of Epithalamin diminished mortality in aged humans by 1.8 times over a 6 year period of observation. Here in the West, Epitalon is sold as a research chemical, not approved by the FDA for any purpose, but unregulated for research purposes. Anyone who uses it is considered a “researcher,” in other words.

Epitalon is a small peptide of 4 amino acids: Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly and can be administered via injection, as a nasal spray, or through the skin. The most effective route of administering it is via injection, either subcutaneously or intramuscularly. The peptide is typically given 2-3 times a day for 10-20 days in doses of 5-10 mg each. This cycle is repeated once every six to twelve months, but Epitalon can be given as often as desired. There are no negative side effects from the drug ever reported in over 100 studies on the peptide and from clinical use in Russia since 1990. Epitalon works mainly on the endocrine system but has effects on the entire body.

When I first started taking it, my sense of smell returned, my digestion improved and I slept better. I have also noted positive changes in my vision and hearing. All of these functions are related to the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. Epitalon has been shown to restore normal melatonin production in aging monkeys, as well as restore the normal circadian rhythm for cortisol production, both of which result in better sleep at night.

Epitalon is certainly one of the most interesting anti-aging substance on the market, but further studies are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of telomerase activators.