The Use of Deer Velvet Antler
by Collier Isaacs
Oriental medicine, shrouded in mystery and ancient beliefs, has been keeping Asians well for thousands of years. Fundamental to its practice is the use of deer velvet antler. The basis of this ancient medicine is the philosophy of Yin and Yang, cosmic forces which are said to control all natural phenomena and life processes. Both forces are dependent on each other, and the ideal state within the body and within the universe is to have the two forces in relative balance and harmony. Traditional oriental medicine is used to keep the two in balance, preventing the ill health which is said to result whenever imbalance occurs.
The most important animal to oriental medicine is the deer, because it is the animal with the greatest Yang energy. Of the products derived from deer, the most prized is deer velvet antler. Dr. Peter Yoon, a highly regarded doctor of oriental medicine from Seoul, South Korea, says the deer is recognized as a lucky animal which brings health and longevity. “Our tradition has it the god of longevity lives deep in the mountains, eats medicinal plants like ginseng and is always accompanied by a spotted deer. We Koreans think that the deer is one of the symbols of longevity, along with the turtle and the crane”, he says. Samson Wong, of the Tak Tai Ginseng Firm, Hong Kong, says Asians take deer velvet as a tonic to maintain good health, cure sickness and strengthen a weakened body. He says deer velvet is both a tradition and a medication, because the Yin and Yang theory encompasses every aspect of Asian life. Yin and Yang have their own domains within the human body, he says. Half the vital organs pertain to the Yin and the other half are part of Yang. “For example, Yin governs the blood and Yang controls the ‘qui’ (energy). Blood carries nourishment throughout the body to produce qui, while qui is the force which carries blood throughout the body”, Mr.Wong says. In Chinese medicine, deer velvet antler is the main medicine for increasing blood. This includes blood volume and its components as well as blood flow, he says. When blood is increased then more energy will be generated and the body will be maintained in better health.”
Oriental medicine also differs from the scientific western approach in that it is based on the promotion of health and the prevention of illness through righting the Yin and Yang balance, rather than concentrating on treating sickness. Often a doctor’s only paid when the patent is well, not sick—a practice which probably would not be greeted with enthusiasm by western medical professionals.
According to journalist Lee Cho-Ho writing in Asiana magazine, the Oriental doctor does not simply look at the patient’s symptoms when prescribing a treatment. He also takes into full consideration many other things such as the patient’s constitution,medical history, age, possible side effects and even the patient’s physical appearance and personality. Dr. Yoon confirms this. He says the pulse and the visual appearance are keys to prescribing the correct tonics. “When a disease appears in one part of the body, oriental medicine does not limit its treatment to that part of the body line but treats the entire body and works to achieve an ideal physiological and spiritual balance, thereby bringing about a complete cure and a return to a state of total health”, Mr. Cho-Ho says. “In oriental medicine, mankind is thought of as nature’s most special creation, indeed as a representation in miniature of the universe as a whole, and practitioners of Oriental medicine work to bring the microcosm of the human body into accord with the macrocosm (universe).”
The first documented evidence of the use of deer velvet as a health tonic was found on a silk scroll recovered from a Han tomb in Hunan province, China. The scroll is believed to be around 2000 years old and suggests several significant medical treatments and prescriptions for 52 different diseases. Since three deer carcasses were found in the same tomb, some believe that deer farming was already practiced during the Han Dynasty (202 BC. to 200 AD ) for meat and possibly also for medicine. Some 200 yearsl ater further reference to the use of deer parts and velvet was made in a book called Shin Nong Bon Cho Kyung. An English translation of an excerpt from the book reveals some of the health problems velvet and velvet products were used to overcome 1800years ago. “Deer velvet tastes sweet and its property is warm. Deer Velvet is used for reinforcing vital energy, strengthening memory and will, generating teeth, curing persistent vaginal blood discharges, lochia (discharge following childbirth), and treating fevers and epilepsy. Deer velvet antler cures sores, carbuncles (boils), expels pathogens as well as retained blood in the uterus. It is also used for treating consumptive disease and illness caused by over-exertion, lumbago, excessive loss of weight, repairing the body, reinforcing vital energy, curing infertility, stopping pain, and preventing miscarriage. Prolonged consumption would keep the body light and extend longevity.”
Some 1800 years later, deer velvet is still being used to prevent and right many ills in Asia. Westerners, on the other hand, have only recently begun to make use of this ancient remedy and tonic. Most have been unwilling to take it seriously because of the notion that it is an aphrodisiac. In a sexual context, Mr. Wong says velvet is used to remedy sexual disorders in men such as impotence, premature ejaculation and watery semen. But few users claim any aphrodisiac effects. He says velvet is also used to increase the blood, remedy kidney deficiency and gastrointestinal disorders,to improve low blood pressure and eliminate anemia. It is also used to promote rapid healing by aiding the regeneration of damaged tissue, to treat menstrual disorders and menopause in women, to relieve lumbago and improve weak bones and sinews. Dr.Yoon often prescribed velvet at his Seoul clinic. He says it is mostly consumed in spring and autumn and is often prescribed with a mixture of other herbal medicines,commonly served as a soup.
Preparing the deer velvet is a simple procedure. First the hair is removed and then the deer velvet is cut into small parts for easy slicing. Alcohol is also added to make the slicing easier as well as to ensure good circulation to the whole body. It is left in the alcohol for a day and then sliced for prescribing to patients. The velvet antler is divided into four sections, classified according to the different composition of each section. Each section has different uses. The two upper sections are used as preventative medicines and tonics for children and young people while the middle portion is used in the treatment of arthritis and osteomyelitis. The lower part is regarded as being of particular benefit to older people subject to calcium deficiency.
In Dr. Yoon’s clinic 70 percent of deer velvet consumers are children who are prescribed it as a tonic to improve growth. He says it is very popular for mothers in Korea to bring their babies to the doctor soon after their first birthday. In general,he prescribes 4 grams of deer velvet in one package of herb medicine. A one year old child takes one package a year, a three year old takes three packages and an adult is typically prescribed 20 packages a year. “We have experimental results which show deer velvet as a good effect in preventing respiratory diseases such as influenza. Also when a pregnant woman takes velvet powder during childbirth (one dose, four grams of velvet powder), it is very helpful for an easy delivery”, he says.
Dr. Yoon also uses an extract of deer velvet at his clinic for aqua-acupuncture.“I inject the extract into the meridian point in the human body and it actually has a very strong effect, equal to taking lots of deer velvet. It can be applied to most of the diseases but I especially use it for sciatic neuritis, impotence, shoulder pain, neck stiffness and the after effects of paralysis”, he says.
Dr. Lee Sang-In of Kyung Hee University, South Korea says deer velvet is also used to treat infertility in women and promote skin growth where there has been long-lasting infection. Liver problems and high cholesterol levels can also be alleviated with velvet, he says. Because it is a product of the precious deer, the greatest source of Yang energy, velvet will always be a valuable component of oriental medicine.
Korea is the biggest market in the world for deer velvet and Dr. Yoon believes as the country’s economy continues to grow so will the consumption of deer velvet.
The way deer velvet is administered may begin to change as modern Asian lifestyles move into the fast lane, but it will always have a fundamental place in societies where Yin and Yang are central to medical and consumer thinking.
From: Proceedings World Deer Congress, 1993. Collier Isaacs is on the New Zealand Game Industry Board. He has traveled extensively in Asia and has developed grading and quality standards for the deer velvet industry.