Thymus Extract

Thymomodulin · Thymic extract · Thymus glandular

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease¹ Infections during chemotherapy² Chemotherapy-related myelotoxicity² Childhood asthma attacks³ Immune markers in athletes⁴ Chronic hepatitis C⁵	Pregnancy or lactation⁶

Thymus extract, also called thymomodulin, is a calf-derived peptide preparation that acts on T-lymphocyte maturation and function⁷. It is taken for immune support, and the uses follow from that effect: fewer exacerbations in chronic bronchitis, fewer infections during chemotherapy, and prevention of childhood asthma attacks. Hepatitis C is a further use, with mixed results.

A Cochrane review of immunostimulants, thymomodulin among them, found more participants free of exacerbations and fewer needing antibiotics in chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease¹. In a 1998 randomized, placebo-controlled trial, an oral thymic formula did not change viral load in patients previously treated with interferon. Most products are capsules sold as single-ingredient extracts or inside multi-ingredient formulas; see Form comparison.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

44 sources, 34 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources