About Deer Velvet

The History of Deer Velvet

 Velvet antler has been used extensively in Asia, particularly China for over 2,000 years. The male deer antlers are prized for their powerful health promoting properties.

The first documented evidence of the use of Deer Velvet Antler as a health tonic was found in the silk scroll recovered from a Han Tomb in Hunan Province in China. The scroll has been precisely dated at 168BC and contained a range of significant medical treatments and prescriptions using Deer Velvet Antler. Traditional Asian usage has focused on the promotion of well-being and prevention of illness.

What is Deer Velvet Antler?

Velvet antler can be defined as “Deer Antlers during their phase of rapid growth”. Considered by the Chinese, to be one of the most powerful animal based medicines in the Traditional Chinese Pharmacopoeia.  It contains many naturally occurring components such as, essential amino acids, minerals including selenium, chondroitin and collagen.

The annual growth cycle of antlers starts in spring with rapid development of a soft cartilaginous tissue core from each of two bony protuberances or “pedicles” on the stag’s skull. This core is connected with a layer of connective tissue, then with a dense covering of fine hair, and the whole antler is well supplied with blood vessels and nerves. Growth takes place very rapidly, at a rate of up to 2cm per day. When growth is complete, the antler “hardens” or calcifies completely, the blood vessels at the junction between the pedicle and the antler close off, and the skin, nerves and connective tissue dry, shrivel and flake off. The bony core remains as hard antler and ready for the “rutting” season. After the rutting season, (early spring) the pedicle-antler junction weakens and the antlers are cast naturally.