Cerebrolysin
Porcine brain peptide preparation
What it is
An injectable mixture of low-molecular-weight peptides derived from pig brain tissue, used in parts of Europe and Asia for stroke and dementia. Marketed online to biohackers as a cognition/neuro-repair agent.
What human evidence shows
Dozens of trials exist for stroke and Alzheimer's — but Cochrane reviews rate the evidence low-quality with unclear benefit: some trials show modest functional improvement, publication quality is weak, and Western regulators have never been persuaded. For cognitive enhancement in HEALTHY people, controlled evidence is essentially nonexistent.
Risks
As an injectable biological product bought gray-market: sterility, provenance, and prion-theoretical concerns dwarf the drug's own side-effect profile (dizziness, agitation reported in trials). Injecting animal-derived biologics of unknown handling is a categorically different risk class from a mislabeled pill.
Legal status
Approved in ~45 countries (Russia, parts of Europe/Asia); NOT approved in the US — importation for use is unlawful.
Evidence base
established literature
Large human evidence base: several phase 3 or 4 trial reports, plus multiple meta-analyses or systematic reviews.
- phase 3/4
- 5
- randomised
- 62
- reviews
- 29
- human trials
- 91
Counts are of published papers, not distinct trials, and measure how much research exists — not whether this works or is safe for you.
Research (12)
- Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic strokeCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2023
- Cerebrolysin for vascular dementiaCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2019
- Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic strokeCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2020
- Cerebrolysin in Patients with TBI: Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisBrain Sci · 2023
- Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic strokeCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2017
- Cerebrolysin: a multi-target drug for recovery after strokeExpert Rev Neurother · 2018
- Cerebrolysin in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJ Clin Med · 2023
- Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic strokeCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2015
- Nanodelivery of cerebrolysin reduces pathophysiology of Parkinson's diseaseProg Brain Res · 2019
- Cerebrolysin for vascular dementiaCochrane Database Syst Rev · 2013
- Cerebrolysin: a review of its use in dementiaDrugs Aging · 2009
- Cerebrolysin for stroke, neurodegeneration, and traumatic brain injury: review of the literature and outcomesNeurol Sci · 2021
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