Not medical advice. Talk to your provider before using any peptide.
Full disclaimerDr. Edwin Lee's Longevity Protocol
Epithalon at 5mg daily for 10 days (2x/year) as his "#1 longevity peptide," plus TA-1 at a lower-than-standard 250mcg maintenance dose (1-2x/week, daily when sick). Discussed on the Dr. Hyman Show podcast.
Peptide Schedule Research TeamReviewed Apr 2026
For longevity through telomere maintenance and low-dose immune support, using two peptides with minimal time commitment.
What This Protocol Does
Epithalon at 5mg daily for 10 days, repeated twice per year. Lee calls epithalon his "#1 longevity peptide" for telomerase activation. TA-1 at 250mcg runs 1-2 times per week as maintenance immune support, with the option to increase to 1mg daily when sick. The TA-1 dose is lower than the standard clinical dose (1.5-1.6mg), reflecting Lee's preference for conservative long-term maintenance.
Who Should Use This
Intermediate users looking for a simple longevity protocol with a low injection burden. Epithalon only requires 10 days of injections twice per year. TA-1 maintenance is 1-2 injections per week. Budget is modest compared to multi-peptide stacks. Good for people who want an anti-aging baseline without the complexity of 4-5 peptide protocols. The lower TA-1 dose makes this more conservative than Johnson's or Holtorf's approaches.
What the Research Says
Epithalon follows the Khavinson protocol. Published data shows telomerase activation in human cell cultures and improved survival in elderly subjects treated with the thymic peptide preparation (Khavinson, PMID 14523363). The 5mg daily dose for 10 days totals 50mg per pulse, which matches the standard Khavinson dosing. TA-1 at 250mcg is below the Zadaxin clinical dose (1.6mg). Lee discussed this protocol on the Dr. Hyman Show, positioning epithalon as the most important longevity peptide based on its telomere data.
Important Notices
- TA-1 dose (250mcg) is lower than standard clinical dosing (1.5-1.6mg)
Protocol Overview
Telomere Maintenance
Epithalon
10-day pulse, 2x/year
Immune Support
Thymosin Alpha 1
1-2x/week, daily when sick
Dosing Details
| Peptide | Dose | Frequency | Route | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5mg | Daily | subcutaneous | Weeks 1-2 | |
Thymosin Alpha 1Maint. | 250mcg | Custom Schedule | subcutaneous | Week 1+ |
Epithalon: 5mg daily for 10 days, 2x/year. "#1 longevity peptide."
Thymosin Alpha 1: 250mcg 1-2x/week maintenance. 1mg daily when sick. Lower than standard (1.5mg).
Metrics Tracked
Schedule This Protocol
Set your start date and track every dose in your calendar.
Peptide Profiles & Calculators
Related Anti-Aging Protocols
Bryan Johnson's Thymus Rejuvenation Protocol
Epithalon + Thymosin Alpha 1
Bryan Johnson's thymus rejuvenation protocol from Project Blueprint. Epithalon (10mg/day) and Thymosin Alpha-1 (1.5mg/day) injected IM for 5 consecutive days, then nothing for 6 months. Follows the Khavinson protocol. Dosing sourced from tweets; the original post had ambiguous wording that the community later resolved. Budget $100-250 per pulse cycle.
30-Day Longevity Stack
SS-31 (Elamipretide) + Epithalon + Thymosin Alpha 1 +1
Four peptides, four aging mechanisms, 30 days. Ben Pakulski targets mitochondria with SS-31 (10mg daily), telomeres with Epithalon (5mg, 5x/week), immune function with TA-1 (1.5mg daily), and senescent cells with FOXO4-DRI (10mg EOD for 2 weeks). The FOXO4-DRI dose is 3.3x the standard aggressive tier. Budget $500-1,200 and consider starting with 1-2 peptides rather than all four simultaneously.
JF Tremblay's Anti-Aging Stack
Epithalon + BPC-157
A biochemist's anti-aging approach: Epithalon at ~3.3-5mg/day for 20-30 days (100mg total per cycle, 2-3x/year) plus BPC-157 in two modes: 10mg monthly high-dose pulse or 250mcg daily for 2 weeks on / 6 weeks off. Tremblay owns CanLab and has 30+ years in peptide manufacturing.