PepRank

Cortexin

50%positive20 reports

Also: Кортексин · bovine/porcine cortex polypeptide extract

CautionFocusMemoryInjection

Russian brain-cortex extract, Cerebrolysin cousin; 10-day IM courses.

mixture: bovine/porcine cerebral cortex polypeptide extract; no single sequence

#5 of 61 research peptides · updated
Onset
Some feel calm or stimulated within hours of the first shot; others notice it only late in the 10-day course or not at all.
Lasts
Users describe effects carrying across days between shots and for weeks after a course; the label repeats the 10-day course after 3-6 months.
Access
Grey market
Cost / month
≈ €36–90
researchers' estimate; no listing to price
20 user reports
Glowing 2Positive 8Mixed 7Nothing 1Negative 2

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 3 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I used 10ml of cerebrolysin with 10mg cortexin for about a month straight. Literally destroyed my social anxiety and I just felt much calmer all the time but had much more energy at the same time.

    GlowingSocial · 10 mg/day with 10 mL Cerebrolysin · Injection · about a month

    taken together with Cerebrolysin (used to reconstitute the Cortexin vial)

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 2 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Same here, I did Cerebrolysin for 10 days and had a mediocre experience, but Cortexin for 10 days made a big difference my brain fog is almost gone.

    GlowingFocus · 10 days

    mediocre result from a 10-day Cerebrolysin course first

  • r/TheLongLived· · 6 upvotesOriginal ↗

    So, I'm trying out cortexin at 10mg's a shot and am finding it to stimulating for my over anxious aggressive mind.

    NegativeEnergy · 10 mg · Injection · 3 injections in a week

    anxious baseline; found Cerebrolysin relaxing by contrast

Strict case
Animal-brain extract given by injection: immune/allergic and theoretical prion risk, and it shares Cerebrolysin's SAE signal.
Users report
Small but positive niche: some who felt nothing on Cerebrolysin report clear cognitive and anxiety benefit from Cortexin, and vice versa. Users split on its character: most call it more stimulating than Cerebrolysin (too much for anxious users, even at 2.5 mg), a minority find it calming or sedating. Flat non-response is reported less often than for Cerebrolysin (perhaps 15-25%), but many reports are mixed: a day of brain fog or flu-like symptoms, or effects that stop on a repeat course.
Best effects
Concentration and brain-fog relief · sleep and anxiety improvement · motivation
Downsides
Overstimulation/agitation · injection soreness · inconsistent response
Watch
Animal (cattle/pig) brain-derived: allergic/immune reactions, theoretical prion transmission · pooled with Cerebrolysin in Cochrane 2023 (272-patient Cortexin trial), which found a signal of non-fatal serious adverse events for the class
Evidence
Approved drug — approved in Russia; one RCT in stroke (272 pts) within the Cochrane review
Typical use
10 mg IM daily for 10 days.
Getting it
Prescription drug in Russia and some CIS countries (lyophilised 5 or 10 mg vials); elsewhere bought from Russian online pharmacies. It has to be reconstituted, usually with saline, procaine or Cerebrolysin.
Stacked with
Cerebrolysin: The usual pairing: Cerebrolysin is used to reconstitute the vial and both are injected together, or the two are rotated between courses. · Actovegin: Third member of the 'neuro recovery' trio promoted in Cerebrolysin communities.

User reports 22

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 3 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I used 10ml of cerebrolysin with 10mg cortexin for about a month straight. Literally destroyed my social anxiety and I just felt much calmer all the time but had much more energy at the same time.

    GlowingSocial · 10 mg/day with 10 mL Cerebrolysin · Injection · about a month

    taken together with Cerebrolysin (used to reconstitute the Cortexin vial)

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 2 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Same here, I did Cerebrolysin for 10 days and had a mediocre experience, but Cortexin for 10 days made a big difference my brain fog is almost gone.

    GlowingFocus · 10 days

    mediocre result from a 10-day Cerebrolysin course first

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 11 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I have done 410 ml of cerebrolysin and felt nothing but luckily Cortexin worked for me.

    PositiveMood · 10 mg/day · Injection · 10 injections

    felt nothing from 410 mL of Cerebrolysin

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 6 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I actually like cortexin better than Cerebrolysin. Feel more cognitive benefits.

    PositiveMemory

    TBI and dementia prevention; uses both

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 6 upvotesOriginal ↗

    for me, cortexin has a more calming effect but i don’t feel the effects are as prominent as cerebro in terms of cognition. I think it’s better for stress management.

    PositiveAnxiety

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 5 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I enjoyed Cortexin when I tried it. Can’t say I found it better than cere imo but it’s a solid peptide.

    Positive

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 2 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I have used for TBI both Cerebrolysin and Cortexin from Rupharma. Found Cortexin to be slightly better in terms of improved concentration levels.

    PositiveFocus

    traumatic brain injury

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Also have experienced brain issues and brain injury. I thought the same until I tried Cortexin. I actually like it better.

    Positive

    brain injury; prefers it to Cerebrolysin

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I love cortexin

    Positive

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    There is slight soreness for about 2-3 hours after injection then it’s good. It really helps my memory recall and anxiety

    PositiveMemory · Injection

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 3 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Cortexin is more anxiolytic/sedating so its less functional during daytime.

    MixedAnxiety · Nasal · one intranasal cycle

    post-COVID cognitive issues

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 3 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I used to use this all the time and had pretty profound effects from them both and then I took a break 7 month break and come back to use them and now they don’t work???

    Mixed

    used with Cerebrolysin

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 3 upvotesOriginal ↗

    To me Cortexin was almost identical to Cere. I could tell no difference between them. Both gave me identical side effect an hour after injection I got a subtle feeling tired sleepy yawning a lot

    MixedInjection

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I preferred the feeling of Cortexin to cerebrolysin, it seems cleaner. But the last time I used Cortexin I got flu like symptoms the same day. I rarely get sick so I haven’t used it since

    Mixed

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I don’t know of cortexin is worth the needles. I still have a lot and I’ll probably use the rest of it, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

    MixedMemory · 10 mg twice daily (with procaine) · Injection · 5 days

    ADHD; found memantine more useful

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I have to say that for the last 2 weeks didn't feel much effects from it. But yesterday I felt it instantly the brain fog and a weird feeling I never felt before like hot sensation around the neck.

    Mixed10 mg reconstituted in 5 mL Cerebrolysin, 5 on/2 off · Injection · 20 days

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 1 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I once had really bad brain fog while doing a course of Cortexin, which is similar to Cerebrolysin if you don't know it. But it doesn't happen most times I use it.

    MixedFocus

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 2 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Funny, I felt nothing from Cortexin but cerebrolysin worked great.

    Nothing

    Cerebrolysin worked for them

  • r/TheLongLived· · 6 upvotesOriginal ↗

    So, I'm trying out cortexin at 10mg's a shot and am finding it to stimulating for my over anxious aggressive mind.

    NegativeEnergy · 10 mg · Injection · 3 injections in a week

    anxious baseline; found Cerebrolysin relaxing by contrast

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 2 upvotesOriginal ↗

    I was taking 5 mg of Cerebrolysin with no problems and 2.5 mg of cortexin had me jacked up all day. Anxious n very irritable.

    Negative2.5 mg

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 53 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Now cortexin for me is STIMULATING. Like caffeine without the overstimulation. But if I dose to high on cortexin it’s like friggen overdrive. I can be locked focused for 6-7 hours straight.

    GlowingFocus · microdoses (0.25-0.5 mL of 10 mg in 2 mL) · vendor-adjacent

    ADD, past head impacts from football; rotated with Cerebrolysin; mentions client feedback

  • r/Cerebrolysin· · 5 upvotesOriginal ↗

    Both have a ton of value for me personally. I have ran several courses, as well I have had multiple clients run them with success. That being said, I typically find cortexin to be a bit more stimulating that cerebrolysin.

    PositiveEnergy · several courses · vendor-adjacent

    mentions running it with clients

Safety

Tier by safety barStrict CautionBalanced CautionEvidence only Caution

Seen harmMechanismData gapSilent harmProduct

Seen harm 1/3
Its Russian label lists very rare anaphylactic shock and laryngeal angioedema among adverse reactions, without a warning. In its one RCT (n=272) 7 of 208 treated patients died against 0 of 64 on placebo, judged unrelated and not significant, and Cochrane left it out of the SAE analysis for unclear reporting: confounded serious reports. Cortexin, Russian label (Vidal): very rare anaphylactic shock and angioedema ↗Cochrane 2023 full text: Cortexin trial data (deaths, adverse events) within CD007026 ↗Cortexin in acute ischaemic stroke, RCT n=272 (PubMed 24874316) ↗
Mechanism 2/3
A calf and pig brain-cortex extract injected intramuscularly: immune and allergic reactions are credible, and prion transmission is a theoretical, unquantified risk. Cortexin, Russian label (Vidal): very rare anaphylactic shock and angioedema ↗
Data gap 1/3
Approved in Russia, with one 272-patient stroke RCT of unclear reporting quality. Cortexin in acute ischaemic stroke, RCT n=272 (PubMed 24874316) ↗Cochrane 2023 full text: Cortexin trial data (deaths, adverse events) within CD007026 ↗
Silent harm 1/3
Allergic reactions are immediate; agitation and tachycardia appear within hours.
Product 3/3
Imported Russian ampoules bought without prescription and injected; no testing data exist for what is sold online.
Never if
Allergy to bovine or porcine proteins · Pregnancy or breastfeeding (no human reproductive data)

Where to buy 1 in Europe · 5 total

ShopFormPricePer mgTesting
CosmicNootropicRUpowder · 100 mg€7685 USD€0.76/mgNo public tests
EuropeChemistEU · NLpowder · 100 mg€110€1.10/mgNo public tests
CosmicNootropicRUpowder · 50 mg€6977 USD€1.38/mgNo public tests
Limitless Biotech (Limitless Life Nootropics)USpowder · 10 mg€5459.99 USD€5.39/mgNo public tests
Limitless Biotech (Limitless Life Nootropics)USpowder · 5 mg€3538.99 USD€7.01/mgNo public testsout of stock

Studies 5

Sources 1

More in Neuroprotection & repair all 10 →

  1. 1ARA-290 QEQLERALNSS (11 residues) Caution Injection≈ €180–630 / month56%positive40 reportsNon-erythropoietic EPO-derived peptide for small-fibre neuropathy pain.
  2. 2P21 (P021) DGGL (4 residues) Caution Nasal / Oral / Injection≈ €45–180 / month43%positive15 reportsCNTF-derived neurogenic peptide from Alzheimer's mouse work; grey market only.No human safety data; deliberately drives neurogenesis via a growth-factor pathway, and products are of uncertain identity.
  3. 3NAP / Davunetide NAPVSIPQ (8 residues) Clean Nasal2/10estimateADNP-derived microtubule-stabilising peptide; safe in a large trial but ineffective.
  4. 4Dihexa YI (2 residues) Excluded Oral / Topical / Injection≈ €13–53 / month50%positive30 reportsAngiotensin-IV analogue claimed as potent synaptogenic; hyped, not evidenced in humans.Activates the oncogenic HGF/c-Met pathway, has no human safety data, and its foundational studies are under expressions of concern.
  5. 5Humanin MAPRGFSCLLLLTSEIDLPVKRRA (24 residues) Excluded Injection43%positive1 reportsMitochondrial-derived cytoprotective peptide; anti-Alzheimer's in animals only.Its anti-apoptotic action helps glioma cells survive chemotherapy in animal studies, and there is no human data.
  6. 6FGL EVYVVAENQQGKSKA (15 residues) Excluded Nasal / Injection43%positive1 reportsNCAM mimetic that activates FGF receptors; rodent memory data only.Agonist of the mitogenic FGF receptor, with only phase-1 data and no users to learn from.
  7. 7Cerebrolysin Excluded Nasal / Injection / IV≈ €140–540 / month40%positive29 reportsPig-brain peptide mix for stroke/TBI; strong anecdotes, real safety questions.Cochrane found more non-fatal serious adverse events than placebo; animal-derived injectable with allergy/immune reaction risk.
  8. 8Corticotropin (repository ACTH gel) Excluded Injection43%positive15 reportsPituitary hormone gel approved for MS relapses; works like steroids, costs like a luxury car.Drives the adrenals to flood the body with cortisol, so it carries the corticosteroid label warnings (infection, Cushing's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency on withdrawal, GI perforation, psychosis, high blood pressure and glucose, bone loss) plus anaphylaxis. A prescription relapse treatment under a neurologist, not something to take outside one.
  9. 9Glatiramer acetate Excluded Injection37%positive24 reportsApproved MS drug made of random myelin-mimicking peptide chains; modest relapse cut, injection burden.Prescription immunomodulator for relapsing MS with an FDA boxed warning for anaphylaxis (82 cases, 6 deaths reported to 2024, some years into treatment), plus label warnings for liver injury and skin necrosis. Worth it for MS under a neurologist; not a self-directed peptide.

Sequence beads

Each bead is one amino acid in the peptide's chain, coloured by its side chain: grey for non-polar, cyan for polar, blue for positively charged and fuchsia for negatively charged. Length and mix tell related peptides apart at a glance, from a two-residue dipeptide like carnosine to a 43-residue protein like thymosin beta-4. The colours describe chemistry only and predict neither effect nor safety.

non-polarpolarpositivenegative

Report grades

Every first-hand Reddit or X report is graded on its own, from glowing through positive, mixed, nothing and negative to bad reaction, and the bar shows how those grades split. Posts that look vendor-adjacent stay on the peptide's page but are left out of the counts.

GlowingPositiveMixedNothingNegativeBad reaction

% positive

The share of a peptide's graded Reddit and X reports that are glowing or positive, vendor-adjacent posts left out. A peptide with few reports is pulled toward the average of all reports, as if it had eight average ones besides its own, so two glowing posts cannot top the list. Kept peptides rank by the same reports' mean grade, shrunk the same way, and excluded ones follow in that order.

Researcher estimate

No first-hand report of this peptide has been graded yet, so the figure is the researchers' own rating out of 10 from what they read about it. It ranks alongside the computed scores until reports arrive.

Safety tier

Each peptide is tiered clean, caution or excluded from its five risk axes under the chosen safety bar. An excluded peptide has a plausible route to serious harm, so it stays listed with the reason but ranks behind every other entry, however good its reviews.

Safety bar

The safety bar sets how much risk it takes to exclude a peptide. Strict: out on any serious mechanism with little human data, or any documented serious harm. Balanced: out on documented serious harm (unless it is obvious, reversible and from a regulated product), or a serious mechanism whose harm would be silent with no human data at all. Evidence only: out only on documented serious harm in humans that is lasting, delayed or from grey-market product.

Seen harm

Documented serious adverse events in humans, from 0 for none despite real exposure to 3 for deaths or several well-documented serious harms. Serious means a hospital or emergency visit or harm lasting weeks, so a headache or a bad night does not count.

Mechanism

A plausible biological route to serious harm at the doses people use, such as growth-factor signalling, hormone-axis suppression, heart or blood-pressure effects or immune activation. It runs from 0 when none is known to 3 when a dangerous pathway has been shown in living animals.

Data gap

How little human safety data exists for the molecule actually sold, from 0 for an approved drug with large trials and years of use to 3 for no human safety data at all. A modified analogue does not inherit its parent's trials.

Silent harm

Whether the feared harm would show quickly or stay hidden, from 0 when it is obvious and goes on stopping to 3 when it is silent and delayed, like tumour promotion or slow organ damage. User reports cannot reveal a harm that takes years to appear, so a high score here limits what good reviews can tell you.

Product

The risk of what people actually buy, from 0 for a regulated pharmacy or supplement product taken by mouth or on the skin to 3 for a grey-market injectable. In one dataset of 6,441 grey-market samples, 42–71% failed basic quality criteria and 15% carried endotoxin.

Evidence

The strongest kind of study behind the peptide's effects, from an approved drug through human controlled trials and small human studies to animal work or nothing of its own. Animal results often fail to carry over to people.

Access

How people get it: as an approved drug, a compounded prescription, an over-the-counter supplement or from the grey market, where nobody checks the vial. The channel decides both the legal position and the risk of a bad batch.

Price per month

Thirty days of the typical dose, from its low end to its high end, priced at the listing a careful buyer would choose: in stock, from a shop scoring 4 of 5 on trust (third-party tested where no score is set), failing that 3, a pure pack before a blend, a European shop first, then the cheapest per mg. The range is the dose's, not the shops'. A per-dose amount counts once a day unless the dose says otherwise. Prices are in euros at ECB rates of 2026-10-29, before shipping; the shop table keeps each listing's price per mg, per gram for bulk supplements. Where no listing can be priced the researchers' own estimate stands in, and says so.

Dose users report

The middle half of the daily doses stated in at least five first-hand reports, vendor posts left out. Where its middle sits more than twice above or below the declared dose, the month is priced at it as well, since what people take is what they pay for.

Testing

Whether the shop publishes lab results: third-party tested means an independent lab checks each batch, own COA means the shop's own certificate of analysis, and no public tests means neither. A certificate shows purity, not safety.

Added peptide

Some packs sold under one peptide's name hold a second one, such as 5 mg GHK-Cu in a nasal kit, stated only in the description. Sprayed in the nose or injected it reaches the blood like an injection, so it carries the risk of that route and is tiered as the injectable form, whatever its tier on the skin. A pack whose page gives no contents list may hold more than its name.