Improved Athletic Performance with Deer Antler Velvet Extract Pantocrin

Although not widely known in the West, deer antler velvet in the form of pantocrin has been an essential part of Russian athletic training programmes for decades. In fact, the success of Russian athletes has been attributed to deer antler velvet’s use during Olympic training sessions.

In 1969, studies were carried out in Vladivostok to evaluate the traditional use of deer antler velvet in physical tests of stamina and endurance. In an experiment supervised by Dr Taneyeva, the test subjects began cycling on an ergonometer, which is a fixed bicycle with a workmeter attached. The men were then stopped and given either pantocrin or a placebo, and checked again two hours later. The pantocrin [deer antler velvet extract] group showed a much greater increase in the total work achieved.

In another experiment, again designed to test the endurance properties of deer antler velvet, fifty young men ran a three-kilometre race. The group that had been administered pantocrin thirty minutes before the race were considerably faster on average than the placebo group.

Studies similar to those of Dr Taneyeva, carried out in 1974 by Drs Yudin and Dobryakov, showed the performance of average healthy athletes improved considerably after being administered pantocrin. While control athletes on an exercise cycle performed 15 kg/meter of dynamic work, those given pantocrin increased this dramatically to 74 kg/m. Improved performance in running and weight-lifting were also documented.

Not only a tonic for the body, deer velvet antler is also a powerful tonic for the mind as Dr Taneyeva discovered in 1964 when it was demonstrated that the mental capacity of young men improved significantly when they were given pantocrin before sitting down to a mathematical test.

The success of Russian athletes who have demonstrated a significant increase in endurance and muscular strength, has attracted the attention of sports doctors and trainers around the world who are seeking safe and natural alternatives to synthetic steroids. A fitness expert from the United States, John Abdo, who hosts a nationwide television fitness show, visited the Institute of Physical Culture in Moscow in 1989 to investigate Russian training routines. He came away convinced that deer velvet was a key factor in improving athletic performance; a non-toxic remedy for promoting strength, endurance, and swifter recuperation from injury.

Dr Arkady Koltun, Chairman of the Medical Committee for the Russian Bodybuilding Federation, is one of the foremost Russian researchers into anabolic agents that can improve the performance of athletes. Working with kayakers, weightlifters, body-builders and power lifters, Dr Koltun found that deer antler velvet actually increases muscular strength—a property which is termed myotropic. He also found that it had potent nerve strengthening, or neurotropic properties and is beneficial in treating infectious diseases, fatigue and hypertension.

Further research into velvet as an effective nutritional supplement for athletes during their training programmes is proving remarkably successful. A study at Otago University in New Zealand, designed to test the effect of deer antler velvet on athletic performance, was carried out in 1998 during a ten week project. Twenty four physical education students participated in this double blind trial, where neither the athletes nor the trial co-ordinator knew which treatment each group was receiving. The group taking the deer antler velvet showed almost twice the improvement of the group taking a placebo in the amount of work they were able to do in a strength test. Interestingly, the extra strength was discovered to come from improved muscle activity rather than increased muscle size!

Dr Suttie, responsible for the scientific control of the study, noted that the group taking deer antler velvet had a similar level of body protein and fat as the control group, as shown by a sophisticated DEXA scanner.

Contrary to popular misconception, the study showed that improving muscle strength does not necessarily require increasing muscle size. Scanning showed no bulking up of muscles, which suggested the positive results were due to an improvement in the muscle dynamic activity of the students taking deer velvet.

In another study at the University of Otago designed to more closely investigate deer antler velvet’s influence on building endurance and helping to repair injured muscle tissue, both vital issues for the competitive world of international sport, thirty athletes ran downhill on a treadmill to induce tissue damage in their thighs. Blood samples were then taken to measure the level of creatine kinase, a substance found in the bloodstream used as an indicator of muscle tissue damage. Those athletes who had been on a two week course of New Zealand deer antler velvet powder previously showed significantly reduced levels of creatine kinase in their blood.

Athletes taking the deer antler velvet also reported recovery from muscle soreness 24 hours earlier than the subjects receiving a placebo.

A growing number of athletes are discovering the benefits of deer antler velvet as a safe and legal performance enhancer.

Hamish, who recently became the world’s champion triathlete, said, “I really believe it helps my training, energy and endurance. I feel better and recover faster when taking velvet. I’m sure taking deer antler velvet has the potential to give me the incremental improvement all athletes strive for.”

Others taking part in trialing New Zealand deer antler velvet are also excelling in their chosen sports, such as Jannene Harker, World Champion Surf Life Saver who says, “My strength in the gym has increased… I have noticed a significant increase in not only the weight I am moving but on the eccentric phase of muscle contraction.

“Since taking deer velvet I have felt a sustained strength on the blade that has been missing in recent years. I can only put this down to deer velvet. I can definitely recommend deer velvet to anyone wishing to compete in sport or maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Another veteran who takes deer antler velvet daily is top golfer Bob Charles. At the British Open two years ago he said along with healthy eating habits and vitamins, two deer velvet capsules a day kept him feeling young. “I don’t feel a day over 30,” he said. “I’m 60, going on 30.”

By naturally boosting muscular strength and endurance, along with its excellent amino acid composition and mineral content, deer antler velvet may well be the future athlete’s nutritional supplement of choice.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Antler Velvet – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

by James M Suttie, Ph.D. and Stephen Harris, Ph.D.

Everyone is familiar with deer antlers. They are the magnificent racks of branched bone held proudly on the heads of stags during the breeding season. Paintings such as Landseer’s ‘Monarch of the Glen’ popularized the noble image of the antlered stag. A lot of people are familiar with the fact that deer antlers are dropped and regrown each year. While they are regrowing, the developing antlers are covered in a soft skin with short furry hair, which resembles velvet in texture – hence the term ‘deer velvet antler’. A smaller but rapidly increasing number of people are becoming familiar with the positive health benefits which come from the taking of products made from the antlers in their growth stage – what we refer to as deer velvet.

A red deer in velvet

The familiar cycle of annual antler regeneration in deer is in fact a unique phenomenon among higher vertebrate animals. Although all mammals possess the ability to heal wounds, complete regeneration of an organ takes place in no other mammal. This means that each year the entire structure (including all its supportive blood vessels, nerves, skin, hair and sebaceous glands) appears, grows very rapidly at up to 2 cm/day, and then calcifies. After the support structures regress, and the skin peels off, a hard bone structure remains, which itself will subsequently be discarded by the stag and replaced. So, deer velvet antler has some unique and interesting qualities, particularly its very fast growth rate and the fact it fully regenerates each year. Together these might predict why deer velvet has health promoting value.

Deer velvet which is available today as a health food or dietary supplement is produced from domesticated deer which are kept solely for deer velvet production, on well managed farms. Each year, the growing antlers of the deer are removed, under veterinary supervision and with careful application of pain relief. This technique was developed and approved in New Zealand by the Animal Welfare Advisory Council which is a group of animal welfare advocates and government representatives. In New Zealand the removal of antlers takes place about 50-55 days after casting of the previous hard antlers, which is about half way through the period of normal growth. After removal, the antlers are frozen prior to processing (drying) in a New Zealand Government Inspected Facility. The antler loses about 65-70% of its water content during this process. The resultant product is dried deer velvet. Although we sometimes use the word ‘velvet’ alone this is perhaps misleading as some people think that this is simply the soft outer skin, when in fact the health food product is produced from the whole ‘stick’ of growing antler. Deer velvet is therefore the bone cartilage and skin of the rapidly regenerating antler.

Deer velvet has been known to be beneficial for health for more than 2000 years. Silk scrolls found in a Chinese tomb in 168BC clearly documented deer velvet as a part of the Chinese medical pharmacopoeia. In fact deer were often associated with the Chinese God for Longevity. We have speculated that even in pre-historic times people may have marvelled at the rapid growth and regeneration of antlers. Perhaps they ate them after the animal was hunted and experienced some of the health benefits. It would be a short step to specifically removing and preserving the antlers for the collection of natural medicines. It seems strange to us in Western countries to think of deer velvet as a herbal medicine, because we do not associate animals parts with therapeutic value. This is no enigma to the Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) practitioner, however, who accepts a wide range of plant, animal and mineral ingredients for their armoury of health products.

By 1596 AD deer velvet was well established in TCM. In that year Li Shi-Zhen wrote his famous text Grand Materia Medica. He described deer velvet as a ‘herb’ (animal and plant parts are treated the same in TCM) which tonified the Yang and listed the following functions:

• increases vital forces
• boosts the will
• strengthens the muscles and bone
• cures general debility
• reduces the effects of rheumatism
• prevents osteomyelitis
• stops uterine haemorrhage
• delays senility
• prevents male impotence.

Deer velvet has continued to be an important part of the TCM pharmacopoeia to the present day.

The current uses listed in the TCM books are:

• as a cure for systematic exhaustion via effects on
• adrenal cortex function
• energy metabolism
• growth
• disease resistance
• to increase resistance to cold
• to increase cardiovascular function
• to improve strength and decrease fatigue
• to increase red and white blood cell numbers
• to aid in wound healing
• to improve immune function
• as a diuretic
• as an anti-ageing treatment.

This list seems to be rather broad and perhaps overly exhaustive and excessive. From a Western concept of specific drugs and specific functions it seems to be impossible. But curing exhaustion, strengthening resistance to disease and improving strength could all be explained by active substances in the velvet associated with rapid growth and its control. Factors in the antler responsible for rapid nerve and blood vessel development might explain the cardiovascular and cold resistance functions. Finally the anti-ageing effects could be due to substances involved in ensuring that the rapid processing of cell division occurs in an orderly pattern, given that a major effect of ageing is a break- down in cellular metabolism leading to poor tissue maintenance and ‘mistakes’ in cell division. Thus it may be possible to group velvet antler effects into restoration/ regeneration, neuro-vascular and anti-ageing functions. The restoration/ regeneration category can be sub-divided further into subcategories of tissue repair (return to a normal state) and performance enhancement (improvement of the existing state).

In the 1930s an alcohol extract of deer velvet was developed in Russia. This is referred to as Pantocrine and was sold as a liquid. It contains largely the lipid (fat) components of velvet. Russians carried out a series of pre-clinical trials using animals and also extensive clinical evaluation of Pantocrine. This research closed in the 1960s. Some key results are referred to below in the section on Health Benefits.

Asians typically purchase deer velvet from a Traditional Medicine Doctor, who will prepare a prescription of deer velvet together with many other natural medicines. The deer velvet will be cut into thin slices from a whole velvet stick prior to use. The prescription will be taken home by the patient and a soup will be prepared. The soup will be taken hot. In Western countries deer velvet is available in either of two convenient-to-take forms, powder or extract. Deer velvet powder is simply the processed whole antler stick ground to a fine powder and encapsulated. Deer velvet extracts are made by mixing deer velvet powder with water or alcohol and filtering out the residue. The water extracts contain mainly protein and some polar lipids and the alcohol extracts (like the Russian Pantocrine) contain polar and non polar lipids. The extracts can be dried and encapsulated or can be incorporated into a variety of foods and beverages as functional ingredients.
Health Benefits Shown by Research

In discussing the health benefits from velvet, I will use the application categories I described above.
Restoration/Regeneration – Tissue Repair/Healing

Deer velvet has been shown to have a number of key functions which can loosely be grouped as restoring an organism which had been subject to illness or injury to its former state. I will first discuss deer velvet’s effect on osteoporosis and its anti-anaemia action.
Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease primarily of old age, mainly in women. The bones progressively lose mineral making them prone to fractures. Osteoporosis significantly worsens after menopause primarily due to a reduction in the ovarian hormone, oestrogen.

A useful clinical model in which to study osteoporosis is the female rat with the ovaries removed. Such ovariectomized rats rapidly loose bone density. This effect can be reversed by the administration of synthetic oestrogen. Ahn et al (1994) studied the effects of administration of a water extract of New Zealand deer velvet to ovariectomized rats. This work showed that ovariectomized rats treated with deer velvet retained more mineralised bone than control ovariectomized rats which were not treated with deer velvet. In a follow up study, also using a water extract of New Zealand deer velvet, bone density was measured in ovary intact control rats, and rats which had been ovariectomized and treated orally with either deer velvet or saline (Shim and Ahn 1999). The results are shown in Table 1. The deer velvet effectively maintained bone density after ovariectomy at a level close to that of the ovary intact control rats. In contrast bone density fell in the ovariectomized rats which were not treated with deer velvet.

As deer velvet does not contain appreciable amounts of oestrogen, this product presents an opportunity to protect the skeleton against the type of osteoporosis seen in post menopausal women without the side effects typical of hormone replacement therapy.

Anaemia

Kim et al (undated) studied the influence of water based extracts of deer velvet from NZ red deer, on erythrocyte numbers and blood haemoglobin (Hb) levels of rabbits with experimentally induced anaemia. The worst anaemia was evidenced on day 4, and on that day and for the next 12 days 250 mg/kg of antler extract was administered to each rabbit.

A group of control rabbits was made anaemic but received no further treatment. The data are presented as percentage changes relative to day 4. Haemoglobin levels (Figure 1) improved in all groups, including the control.

A group of control rabbits was made anaemic but received no further treatment. The data are presented as percentage changes relative to day 4. Haemoglobin levels (Figure 1) improved in all groups, including the control. The rate of improvement was greater for the group receiving an extract of NZ red deer velvet. Likewise, percentage improvement of erythrocyte numbers was higher for the red deer velvet group compared with the control (Figure 2).

The rate of improvement was greater for the group receiving an extract of NZ red deer velvet. Likewise, percentage improvement of erythrocyte numbers was higher for the red deer velvet group compared with the control (Figure 2).

These results show a strong anaemia alleviating effect. Although the factors responsible are unknown, there is clear evidence that a component in deer velvet antler can alleviate experimentally induced anaemia, thus clearly demonstrating a restorative function.
Performance Enhancement

Sports people, whether professional or amateur, continuously strive to improve physical performance. The disciplines of sports medicine and sports nutrition have arisen from the need to develop combined training, injury treatment and nutritional programmes to permit the best possible athletic performance.

Deer velvet antler is exquisitely placed to impact on sports medicine and nutrition. Deer velvet antler could be used as a training aid, a performance booster, a recovery promoter after physical activity, a treatment for injury and possibly an injury preventative. These possibilities are consistent with velvet’s use as a food and not necessarily a pharmaceutical.

Deer velvet antler could improve athletic performance by increasing strength, endurance (stamina), increasing oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, repairing minor tissue damage occurring either during training or in a competitive event and by boosting the immune system of athletes whose immune system has been compromised during extreme exertion. Many of the above can be rationalized as examples of the protective or healing efficacies of velvet antler.

Taneeva (quoted by Brechman, undated) tested the effect of alcohol velvet antler extract in athletes running 3000 m races. 50 men aged 18-23 years ran 3000 m and the time each took to complete the event was recorded. A single administration of 20 ml velvet antler extract 30 minutes before the next race lowered the average time to complete the event from 14 minutes 48 seconds to 14 minutes 4 seconds. In a second experiment the alcohol velvet antler extract was administered for 12 days and the race was re-run 24 hours after the last treatment. The time taken to complete the event was reduced in the majority of subjects. Interestingly, improvement was noted in runners who were in the top middle or the lower categories of the group in terms of initial performance. That is, alcohol velvet antler extract improved the performance of both above average as well as below average athletes.

A collaborative trial was recently carried out by AgResearch Invermay and the Human Performance Centre at the University of Otago in Dunedin. The aim was to determine whether treatment with NZ velvet antler powder could enhance gains in strength made as a result of specific training in male athletes.

34 male volunteers were randomly allocated to a daily dose for 70 days of either 1.5 g/day NZ deer velvet powder (n=17) or an inactive placebo control (n=17), in a double blind trial. During the treatment period the volunteers trained their upper leg muscles 3 days each week using isoinertial training equipment and an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex, NY). The muscular strength and endurance of the volunteers was tested twice pre-training and twice after the 70 days of training. Five subjects from each group pulled out part way through the experiment, for reasons not associated with their allocated treatments.

The major finding of the study was that isokinetic strength and muscular endurance improved to a significantly greater extent in the group treated with NZ deer velvet as compared to the placebo group (Table 2). Strength was taken as the maximum torque generated during 3 maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) on the isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 60 deg/s. Muscular endurance was determined using a similar protocol, but was measured as the average torque generated over 25 MVCs at an angular velocity of 120 deg/s. The improvement was specifically observed during leg extension exercises on the isokinetic dynamometer, and consequently involved the quadriceps muscle. This movement was specifically trained during the study.

Strength was also assessed using an isoinertial parallel squat exercise. The maximum weight subjects could lift six but not seven times (six-repetition maximum) was tested on a Smith machine. In this case, although the amount of weight lifted increased slightly more after the training period for the deer velvet treated group than the placebo group (Table 2), the difference was not significant. Similarly, there was no difference between groups in a 90 second cycle ergometer sprint test of endurance (data not shown).

This study suggests that deer velvet is able to augment the gains in muscular strength and endurance that result from specific training of muscle groups. Although not providing a mechanism for the effect, the trial provides a solid basis for future investigations of deer velvet’s potential role as a physical performance enhancer.

Another collaborative trial recently carried out by AgResearch Invermay and the University of Otago investigated the possibility that NZ deer velvet might assist athletic performance by protecting against, or speeding recovery from, muscle damage.

In this double blind experiment, subjects received a daily dose for 14 days of either 1.5 g/day NZ deer velvet powder (n=8) or an inactive placebo control (n=6). They were then subjected to an eccentric exercise (30 minute downhill run) designed to induce mild ultrastructural damage to the quadriceps muscle. Blood samples were obtained before and 96 hours after the eccentric exercise for measurement of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) as serological markers of muscle damage. Muscle biopsies were also taken and were examined using a transmission electron microscope for degree of ultrastructural damage. In addition, subjects were asked to rate their degree of muscle soreness on a scale of 1 (normal) to 10 (very sore), at daily intervals for four days following the eccentric exercise. Daily consumption of either NZ deer velvet or placebo continued throughout this post-exercise testing period.

Treatment with NZ deer velvet significantly lowered the increase in CK caused by the muscle damaging exercise. The mean increase in CK of the NZ deer velvet treated group was only 11%, as compared with 95% for the control group. AST also increased less in the NZ deer velvet treated subjects than in the controls (5% and 21% increases, respectively), but the difference was not statistically significant. LDH levels rose by an average of 7% in the control group, as against a slight decrease (2%) in the NZ deer velvet-treated group, but again the difference was not significant. A trend also emerged in the subjective muscle soreness rating data (Table 3). On average, subjects taking NZ deer velvet reported a return to essentially normal levels of muscle soreness (soreness rating below 2) 24 hours before subjects in the control group. No evidence for an effect of deer velvet on the degree of ultrastructural muscle damage was found, though, by electron microscope examination, and no mechanism for the effect on CK levels was able to be postulated from the results of the experiment.

These results add scientific weight to the anecdotal evidence provided by a number of top New Zealand athletes, who claim that NZ deer velvet enhances their recovery from training and competition. On balance, the results are certainly supportive of a positive effect of NZ deer velvet on prevention or repair of muscle damage following exercise, even though the mechanism is unclear at this time.

Neuro-Vascular Function

In the Russian literature there are many studies in which neuro-physiological experiments have been carried out to determine the tissue responses to Pantocrine. It is outside the scope of this review to detail these but the overwhelming conclusion is that there are active ingredients in velvet antler which act on peripheral nerve endings. These may well control the hypo- and hypertensive effects and be responsible for the vaso-dilation which causes the nose bleed and ‘warming’ side effects of velvet antler that have been reported.
Blood Pressure

The Russian clinical literature contains apparently paradoxical references to the use of alcohol extract of deer velvet for both the reduction and raising of blood pressure i.e. hypo- and hypertensive functions. Although active components are not fully characterized, we consider this paradox is evidence, in part, for a homeostatic restorative function. Albov et al (1969) studied 32 patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) caused by cardiac disease, early onset menopause or obesity. They were treated with alcohol extract of deer velvet either orally or by injection for 20 or 30 days respectively and then examined by a physician. Twenty six of the patients (81%) had measurably lower blood pressure and reported an improvement in condition. Those reporting no improvement had had high blood pressure for an extended period of 9-10 years.

The same authors also studied the effects of alcohol extract of deer velvet on 13 patients with hypotension caused mainly by disorders of heart muscle activity. The patients were given 20 daily injections of Pantocrine and were examined 10 days after the final treatment. Eleven of the patients (84%) showed an improvement.

Dose levels in both studies were one ampoule/day (2 ml) by injection, or 30 drops (about 4.5 ml) orally three times a day. Mainly female patients were studied but successful treatment of some men was also reported. In the women treated for premature menopause, menses resumed in most. On balance it must be stated that data from untreated control people were not presented. Consequently no scientific evaluation of this finding is possible and the results are presented for information only.

How can alcohol extract of deer velvet apparently have opposite effects at the same time? Arguably there are different active ingredients present, that act together in a balanced fashion. The overall effect is thus that velvet ‘treats’ the abnormality and ‘returns’ it to the normal level, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.

This enigma prompts us to advise that persons with either extremely high or low blood pressure should avoid the use of deer velvet.

Anti-Ageing

Wang Ben-Xiang et al (1988a, b) studied the effects of deer velvet antler extracts on the ageing process using a special breed of mouse which had been selected for its propensity to exhibit early senility. They showed that velvet antler increased testosterone in male mice, and decreased the activity of enzymes associated with the ageing process. In addition, velvet antler extract raised levels of liver superoxide dismutase, a free radical scavenging enzyme. Velvet antler extract also increased liver and kidney protein synthesis by enhancing enzyme activity. Taken together the data are powerful evidence of an anti-ageing effect of velvet.

We consider that these diverse effects of deer velvet antler extract on the ageing process could, in part, be due to substances produced in the deer velvet during growth which act to maintain the integrity of cell multiplication. While deer velvet is growing rapidly, errors of cell division, and possibly protein synthesis, may occur frequently unless some system is in place to control and minimize the potentially deleterious consequences of such errors. We present this speculation as a theory to explain the anti-ageing phenomenon.

Safety

As with all dietary supplements product safety is of paramount importance. We have studied acute and sub-chronic toxicity of powdered deer velvet at a dose level of 2000 mg/kg in a single oral treatment and 500 mg/day orally for 90 days respectively in rats. There were no pathological findings. In a subsequent study we have tested the effect of orally administered deer velvet powder on reproduction and developmental toxicity. Deer velvet powder had no effect on conception rate in pairs of rats in which both sexes were treated compared with untreated pairs. The pregnant females gave birth normally to normal pups and lactation was established irrespective of whether they were treated with deer velvet powder or were untreated controls.

Composition

For analysis the deer velvet antlers were separated into four major portions (tip, upper, mid and base)

The fat and mineral analysis of red deer velvet antler is shown in Table 4. The velvet antlers from 17 stags were processed and analysed using standard laboratory procedures. For analysis the antlers were separated into four major portions (tip, upper, mid and base) (Figure 3). These portions differ in their chemical composition and indeed used by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine for different functions. Broadly lipid and protein (nitrogen x 6.25) decrease from the tip to the base and ash and calcium increase. This reflects the fact that mineralization of the velvet antler from the initial matrix of cartilage increases from the base to the tip. As most of the active ingredients of velvet (see below) are likely to be proteins or lipids this explains why upper parts of the velvet are more heavily prized for their efficacy.
Dose

Deer velvet capsules which are available in the West typically contain 250-350 mg. Although no dose-response work has been published to date from clinical studies, there is a groundswell of opinion among users that one capsule/day is sufficient to maintain health and alleviate minor fatigue. In contrast for healing or performance enhancement (to return a person to a balanced position or improve a person to a higher equilibrium) higher doses are used. We have successfully used 1.5 g/day but even higher doses – up to 9 g/day are used by TCM doctors for brief periods of up to 10 days.

Some minor side-effects have been noted at higher dose levels. These include headaches and nose bleeds. Many people who take higher doses of deer velvet feel warm – and indeed Korean people deliberately take deer velvet in winter to take advantage of this effect.
Active Ingredients

Relatively little research has taken place on the active ingredients found in deer velvet. Wang et al (1990a and b) have isolated polyamines which increase protein synthesis in the livers of mice. A number of growth factors have been shown to exist in deer velvet including epidermal growth factor (Ko et al, 1986), insulin like growth factors I and II, transforming growth factors a and b, (Francis and Suttie, 1999) and neurotrophin-3 (Garcia et al, 1997). Wang (1996) lists a number of phospho- and glycolipids which influence blood pressure and monoamine oxidase activity.

As deer velvet has a wide spectrum of human benefits it is very unlikely that there is one single active ingredient. Rather there are likely to be several which may interact with each other in a complex way as is often the case with natural health promoting agents.

Conclusion

Deer velvet is an ancient health product that has been revived with the global up swing in the international use of natural health products, assisted by the increase in deer farming. Working from the basis of TCM philosophy, deer velvet is a healer or restorer and at certain doses a performance enhancer. Clinical evidence in the West is at an early stage, but support is mounting that deer velvet is a safe natural health product. In the future, research currently being undertaken on arthritis and ulcer healing will no doubt lead to another range of products with the ability to safely, and positively enhance human health.
References

• Ahn DK, Kim Ho Cheol and Choi Ho Young. Effects of the Cervi Parvum Cornu on the aged ovariectomized rat model of post-menopausal osteoporosis. International Symposium on Cervi Parvum Cornu, Seoul, Korea. The Korean Society of Pharmacognosy, pp 65. 1994.
• Albov NA and Krupernikov LF. The influence of Pantocrine on menopause. In S.M. Pavlenko (editor) Pantocrine. A Publication of Articles on Studies of the Curative Properties of in Pantocrine. Sojuzchimexport, Moscow, USSR, 26-40. 1969b.
• Albov NA, Borovskaya VA and Kofanav IF. Clinical observations on the influence of Pantocrine on cardiac patients. In S.M. Pavlenko (editor) Pantocrine. A Publication of Articles on Studies of the Curative Properties in Pantocrine. Sojuzchimexport, Moscow, USSR, 21-26. 1969a.
• Brechman II. Pantocrine. Medexport, Moscow, USSR. Undated.
• Francis SM and Suttie JM. Detection of growth factors and proto-oncogene mRNA in the growing tip of red deer (Cervus elaphus) antler using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The Journal of Experimental Zoology 281: 6-42. 1998.
• Garcia RL, Sadighi M, Francis SM, Suttie JM and Fleming JS. Expression of neurotrophin-3 in the growing velvet antler of the red deer Cervus elaphus. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 19: 173-182. 1997.
• Kim KL, Shin MK, Lee HI, Kim WH and Lee SI. Effect of several kinds of antler (Cervi cornu) on the erythrocytic activity in experimentally induced anaemic rabbits. Samwon Commercial Company, Korea Trading Agents Associations, Seoul. Undated.
• Ko KM, Yip TT, Tsao SW, Kong YC, Fennessy P, Belew MC and Porath, J. Epidermal growth factor from deer (Cervus elaphus) submaxillary gland and velvet antler. General Comparative Endocrinology 63: 431-440. 1986.
• Shim SD and Ahn DK. Effects of Cervi Cornu on the aged ovariectomized rate model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Korean Journal of Herbal Medicine 14:153-166. 1999.
• Suttie JM, Fennessy PF, Haines SR, Kerr D, Sadighi M and Isaacs C. The New Zealand velvet antler industry: Background and research findings. Proceedings of the Korean Symposium on Deer Velvet Antler, Korean Society of Pharmacognosy, 86-151. 1994.
• Wang, Ben-Xiang (1996). Advances in the research of chemistry, pharmacology and clinical application of pilose antler. Proceedings of the ’96 International Symposium on Deer Science and Deer Products. Changchun, China, 14-32. 1996.
• Wang, BX, Zhao XH, Qi SB, Kaneko S, Hattori M, Mamba T and Nomura Y. Effects of repeated administration of deer velvet antler extract on biochemical changes related to ageing in senescence-accelerated mice. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 36: 2587-2592. 1988a.
• Wang, BX, Zhao XH, Qi SB, Yang XW, Kaneko S, Hattori M, Mamba T and Nomura Y. Stimulating effect of deer velvet antler extract on protein synthesis in senescence-accelerated mice in vivo. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 36: 2593-2598. 1988b.
• Wang, Ben-Xiang, Chen H., Xu W., Zhang W and Zhang J. Effect of polyamines isolated from pilose antler on RNA polymerase activities in mouse liver. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 25: 652-657. 1990.
• Wang, Ben-Xiang, Chen X. and Zhang W. Influence of the active compounds isolated from pilose antler on synthesis of protein and RNA in mouse liver. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 25: 321-325. 1990.

New Zealand researchers have found clinical support for the belief that deer antler velvet – a revered tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine – may be useful in improving muscle endurance and recovery time after exertion.

These preliminary findings indicate that deer antler velvet may work synergistically with creatine, a popular supplement that builds muscle.

In phase one of the study, New Zealand athletes who took New Zealand deer antler velvet supplements showed almost twice the improvement of the placebo group in the amount of work they were able to do in a strength test. While the results were not statistically significant, they identified a strong trend. These results form the basis for phase two of the study now underway.

The 10-week, double-blind phase one study was conducted at New Zealand’s Otago University in conjunction with AgResearch Invermay — an agricultural research organization owned by the New Zealand government. Researchers tested 24 physical education students for changes in body composition. Results showed that while all the students lost body fat as a percentage of their body weight, the group taking deer antler velvet lost more body fat than the control group. Although this effect was not statistically significant, the overall trend supports the idea that deer antler velvet is a useful supplement for athletes.

“Contrary to popular misconception, the study indicates that improving muscle strength may not necessarily require increasing muscle size,” says Dr. Jimmy Suttie of AgResearch Invermay and an internationally recognized expert in deer antler velvet antler composition and physiology.
Completely natural

A completely natural substance, deer antler velvet has been one of the most prized health tonics in traditional oriental medicine for over 2000 years. In addition to its potential to enhance athletic performance, deer antler velvet may also have anti-inflammatory effects and help prevent illness such as cold and flu by boosting the immune system.

In the West, deer velvet is commonly thought to have a positive effect on sexual function but this may merely be a pleasant side effect of deer velvet’s more general health-promoting action. Deer antler velvet grows each spring on male deer and the fully grown antler is later cast off in winter. Removal of deer antler velvet causes no harm to the animal. A local anesthetic is administered to deer before a veterinarian or specially trained and certified farmer removes the deer antler velvet. Within hours of removal, deer are back outside free to graze on open prairie lands.

New Zealand, Russian and Chinese studies have shown that deer antler velvet may play a valuable role in sports during training, performance, recovery, and in the treatment of injury. Studies indicate that deer velvet supplements may improve athletic performance by:

• increasing strength and endurance,
• increasing oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood,
• repairing minor tissue damage from exertion,
• and boosting the immune system of athletes.

While deer velvet antler extract “pantocrin” is regarded as the ultimate primal tonic for men, it is also widely prescribed in Russia for women, especially for treating menstrual problems and alleviating the symptoms of menopause.

Western medicine, particularly in the United States, promotes the use of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) for women at menopause, which involves giving small doses of oestrogen to women in order to compensate for the dramatic drop in the amount of oestrogen being produced by the ovaries. It is a very controversial therapy, with studies showing that in the short term HRT may banish the debilitating effects of menopause but as reports show, it may unleash greater health risks such as thrombosis and uterine cancer later in life.

Women seeking less invasive ways to balance the hormonal system during menopause, which can be a time of intense physical and psychological stress, may be interested to know that in Russia pantocrin and rantarin [deer velvet extracts] are officially recommended for menopausal problems, as well as for delayed and abnormal menstrual cycles.

Fulder states, “Pantocrine [deer velvet extract] was found very useful in reduced sexual function and menopausal disorders of circulation, in depression and psychological problems, and pain in the joints.” He goes on to say that some of the menopausal women treated in this way with deer velvet even started menstruating again.

According to Brekhman

A number of reports particularly stressed the therapeutic effect of pantocrin [deer velvet extract] in various kinds of sexual disorders in men and women, especially associated with climacteric syndrome.

Women taking deer velvet have reported diminished symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome, even to the point where periods pass by almost unnoticed. They have also reported heightened sexual interest, an intensity of erotic dreams, and a sense of being in touch with deeper reserves of vital energy. This makes deer velvet a much desired sex tonic for women.

While pantocrin [deer velvet extract] given to young male mice caused an increase in the size of their sexual glands, similar experiments were carried out in Russia by Brekhman and Taneyeva to investigate the gonadotrophic action of velvet extract on female mice. During these experiments they discovered an increase in the weight of the uterus and ovaries of the mice, and also an increased number of oestrus cycles.

Whether the effect is on male or female, deer velvet antler appears to have a profound strengthening and balancing influence upon the hormonal system. As Teeguarden states, “pantocrin has been proven to be beneficial to metabolism, to the heart, central nervous system and brain, to the reproductive system.”

For thousands of years women in China have traditionally been prescribed deer velvet antler for infertility and “female reproductive debility.” They take deer velvet to increase fertility, then during pregnancy to ensure the health of mother and baby. They are given deer velvet during childbirth to aid in the baby’s delivery, and after childbirth as a general tonic to increase lactation and restore and rejuvenate the mother’s energy and health.

In combination with herbal blood tonics such as dong quai, deer velvet antler is an invaluable addition to the woman’s pharmacopeia.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

In the Western world today countless people suffer from the effects of chronic fatigue, tiredness and low vitality. It could almost be called the plague of twentieth century existence, waking in the morning feeling sluggish, seeming never to have the energy we would like to get everything done and then falling into bed at night exhausted. To combat this lack of energy we pour another cup of coffee which works in the short term, but with long term use stimulants such as caffeine deplete the body’s energy resources even further.

Perhaps the most insidious energy thief, apart from bad diet and lack of exercise, is stress. According to American author Dr Pelletier, stress related illnesses “have become the number one social and health problem in the last decade.” Continuous stress undermines the body’s natural defences and weakens the immune system with the resulting disease and debilitating illness, from heart attacks and strokes to the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

As resistance to disease is controlled by the immune system, any remedies that work to strengthen this defensive system are becoming much in demand, and with the results of New Zealand scientific research backing up the claims of traditional Chinese medicine, deer velvet antler can now take its place in Western healthcare as one of nature’s most effective immune boosting supplements.

Deer Velvet Antler – A “Harmony Drug”

Doctor of pharmacology, Stephen Fulder, has extensively explored the healing properties of the Chinese ‘kingly remedies’ and describes deer velvet antler as belonging in the category of what he calls harmony drugs. As he says, “It has no apparent effect in the absence of stress, but as soon as stress is applied it restores body processes to normal… In other words, the stress sets the drugs working, and the body’s general resistance is increased.”

To stimulate the system without robbing it of energy is a subject of vital interest to health practitioners, and as information on the uses and properties of Chinese herbs becomes more freely available this interest has become particularly focused on those substances referred to as ‘tonics’ in the Chinese pharmacopeia. As tonic is a somewhat vague description, the term ‘adaptogen’ has been coined, meaning that the function of these remedies is to increase the body’s ability to adapt to the environment, to adapt physically and mentally to the changes and stresses of life. They are the herbs that promote inner vitality and energy while increasing the body’s resistance to stress and disease. Among these, velvet antler has always been regarded as one of the finest to be found.

As Ron Teeguarden notes in his book on tonic herbs:

Many people in the West who had previously used stimulants such as coffee, amphetamines, or cocaine have switched to the harmless Pantocrin for quick substantial energy. Pantocrin [deer velvet extract] has been found to be a healthful central nervous system stimulant.

At Ron’s exclusive Tea Garden Herbal Emporium in Malibu, California, the rejuvenating properties of Chinese herbs are becoming sought after by the rich and famous. Actor Mel Gibson swears by the efficacy of tonic herbal formulas, and “Mel’s Punch”, held to be “the ultimate health cocktail”, contains deer velvet antler, herbs and mushrooms and costs $20 a thimbleful.

While Hollywood stars spread the word about their costly rejuvenating formulas, a great deal of research into many of these traditional herbs has been carried out in Russia. Studies focusing on the effects of deer velvet antler extract in clinical testing have shown an overwhelming recurring theme—that it has a powerful tonic and revitalising effect on the individual, especially on a person weakened in any way by stress or illness. It is in this capacity that velvet antler seems bound to play an important role in the future.

Fulder writes on Deer Velvet Antler Extract:

Pantocrin [deer velvet extract] has for years been regularly administered to promote patient recovery in Soviet hospitals and clinics, the earliest clinical reports appearing in the 1930s. [Deer velvet] too is found useful in promoting recovery and a restoration of health in convalescents, undernourished and tubercular children, and those weakened by chronic diseases.

He goes on to say,

Professor Albov, for example, has tested [deer velvet] extensively in patients who were one degree under for some time after diseases such as viral infections or dysentery. He notes a restoration of blood pressure, improved mood, digestion, stamina and body weight. He also recounts his experience of the use of pantocrin [deer velvet extract] in helping soldiers with serious war-wounds to return to health and strength.

As research into the active constituents of deer velvet antler which endow it with such tremendous restorative powers are ongoing, the testimonials from people who have discovered its energy enhancing qualities fill the files of velvet antler producers in the West.

Experimental research has demonstrated that deer velvet preparations can protect the body from stress such as, heat, cold and electric shock. Russian studies cited by Dr Fennessy report that patients treated with velvet extract prior to surgery for gastrointestinal tumours had significantly lower levels of stress indicators in the blood.

According to another Russian researcher, Dr Korobkov, deer velvet extract [pantocrin] acts “by accelerating the body’s natural restorative processes and by increasing the body’s resistance to unfavourable external influence.” In other experiments deer velvet antler helped to protect laboratory animals from liver damage by carbon tetrachloride.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

For centuries children in Korea have been given deer velvet antler to promote their healthy growth and development, both physically and mentally.

In a similar capacity, deer velvet antler has also been used as a strengthening tonic for invalids, and for patients suffering from chronic wasting diseases such as tuberculosis, AIDS, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The nutrient rich, fast growing cartilage of deer velvet antler contains many growth factors that are under close investigation at AgResearch. During preliminary ‘in vitro’ studies, velvet extracts were found to not only stimulate cell growth, but also demonstrated anti-tumour and anti-viral properties.

During their investigations, the Invermay team measured a natural hormone called “insulin-like growth factor-1″ or “IGF-1″ among the natural growth hormones and their precursors found in velvet. High levels of this hormone were found in deer blood during the growth of the deer velvet antlers, and “receptors to IGF-1″ were found in the deer velvet antler itself. Dr Suttie’s group discovered that IGF-1 and a related hormone IGF-2, promoted growth in velvet antler cells growing in the laboratory and more recent discoveries have shown that these velvet antler cells are capable of producing IGF-2 themselves.

In the human body growth hormone is the most abundant hormone produced by the pituitary gland, and in the liver it triggers the release of IGF-1, also called somatomedin C. It is used by scientists as a measure for the level of growth hormone present in the body as it elicits most of the effects associated with growth hormone.

When we are young the concentration of human growth hormone is relatively high which promotes good musculature and low body fat. However after adolescence and during our early twenties, growth hormone levels decline along with IGF-1 and many studies have shown a direct correspondence between aging and a lack of growth hormone. As a natural source of IGF-1 it is claimed that the anabolic effect of deer velvet can help to keep the body lean by burning fat and building muscle tissue—of great interest to body builders, athletes, weight trainers, or any person wanting to keep in good shape.

The anabolic, or growth promoting effects of deer velvet antler have been well documented, and separate studies using mice, tadpoles, chickens, young rabbits and rats have all shown stimulated growth and increased body weight.

In a study carried out by AgResearch using New Zealand deer velvet antler extract, healthy rats fed diets supplemented with medium and high doses of deer velvet extract grew markedly more than the control group, and their liver weight was also significantly heavier.28 The rats fed with the highest level of extract grew 12 percent heavier than the control group during the first three weeks of the study.

Research by Dr Jeong Sim and Dr Hoon Sunwoo at the University of Alberta has also demonstrated deer velvet’s potent growth-promoting effect, stimulating bone development in rats by increasing femur length, thickness and mineral content.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

While there is no evidence to date showing that deer velvet antler actually cures cancer, experiments carried out in Russia have shown extracts to increase the survival rate and, in some instances, to inhibit the spread of tumour cells in rats and mice.

To determine whether the extracts of New Zealand deer velvet antler are effective in anti-cancer treatments, AgResearch has been running clinical trials in Korea and according to Dr Suttie the first series of experiments have shown positive results.

A major problem with the drugs used in chemotherapy is the damage they cause to the body while destroying the cancer cells. However, it was discovered during experiments that the aqueous extracts of deer velvet antler increased the effectiveness of the anti-cancer drugs while at the same time reducing their side effects. They were clearly potent at reducing the damaging side effects of the anti-cancer drug, in particular by reducing damage to the kidneys.

As former New Zealand GIB chief executive Rick Christie said, “We’re not saying that deer velvet antler is a cure for cancer, Aids or any other complaint. But the science strongly indicates that deer velvet may be effective in supporting other treatments.”

Recovery of weight was greatest in the mice treated with the aqueous extract of deer velvet antler, which normalised or partly normalised spleen, kidney and liver weight.

As an immune enhancer for patients with AIDS, deer velvet is mentioned in Jade Remedies. It is also listed as an ingredient in a formula for people with HIV which is under study at the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Long Beach, California. It is hoped that the formula will help the bone marrow and increase white blood cells, red cells, and T-helper counts.

There is also evidence that deer velvet antler reduces cholesterol levels, as demonstrated by Soshnianina (1974), whose experiments showed a reduction of liver, spleen and brain cholesterol in guinea pigs under the influence of deer velvet extract. In contrast kidney cholesterol was increased leading the author to conclude that the extract was causing the cholesterol to be filtered from the blood thus increasing kidney levels but lowering levels elsewhere in the body.

Pantocrin is also used for treating epilepsy and, according to Fulder, it has been widely recommended in Russia for treating this condition. It was reported by Brekhman that the depressive states and psychoses associated with epilepsy “could be arrested by pantocrin considerably sooner than by other methods of treatment.”

Other conditions reported to be alleviated or cured by deer velvet extract include skin disease such as eczema and psoriasis, infected and slow healing wounds—as it promotes the granulation of tissue—as well as bone fractures.

Considering deer velvet antler’s long history of use in Chinese medicine as an ingredient of formulas prescribed for a wide range of human ailments, together with the extensive Russian literature available on pantocrin’s clinical testing and the ongoing research being carried out in the West, particularly in the area of growth hormone therapy, it will be highly interesting to see how the role of this extraordinary supplement evolves in Western medicine and natural health care.

Although many of deer velvet antler’s secrets have yielded to the scrutiny of scientists, there are components as yet unidentified and unknown. As Dr. Suttie says: “We may find deer velvet antler contains only the raw material for a therapeutic activity. But, it is also possible that subtle combinations of active ingredients create synergistic activity that makes deer velvet a healing medicine.”

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

According to modern research, deer velvet antler stimulates the production of blood by nourishing the bone marrow.

Deer velvet antler has long been recognized as being effective for increasing both the volume and the circulation of blood through the body. As a specific remedy in traditional medicine for anaemia deer velvet has been shown in experiments to have a potent erythropoietic effect, meaning that it stimulates the formation of red blood cells. Improving the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood and building the iron uptake of the red blood cells may account for its value in treating anaemia.

This “well-accepted erythropoietic activity” which results in improved blood supply may also enhance muscle endurance and stamina both in athletes and in normal healthy people.

Reports from Korea showed that deer velvet antler extract increased the erythrocyte count and stimulated red blood cell synthesis in anaemic rabbits.21 The rate of recovery of blood cell counts was faster in anaemic rabbits treated with elk or particularly New Zealand red deer velvet extracts. Experiments also showed that powdered deer velvet given orally or injected as preparations in rats increased the number of red and white blood cells, and large amounts resulted in a marked increase in the production of red blood cells.

In Jade Remedies we read that deer velvet antler increases “serum levels of erythrocytes, haemoglobin, leukocytes and reticulocytes” and also “promotes cellular rejuvenation through its ectosaponin content.”

While the tradition of women regularly taking tonics to nourish the blood is deeply ingrained in Asian culture, anaemia is very prevalent among women in the West. However, deer velvet antler could well become part of a new tradition as there are many reports of women taking deer velvet antler to increase the iron levels in their blood. For example, Dr Suttie recounts the story of a pregnant woman who was suffering from anaemia and took deer velvet antler. Within 48 hours her blood count was back to normal.

Deer velvet antler not only builds blood but research has shown that it also has a strong influence on blood pressure—it lowers the arterial blood pressure, apparently due to its ability to increase the dilation of the peripheral blood vessels. This immediate lowering of blood pressure is a major property of deer velvet extract and since it is so easily demonstrated, is widely used as a test for its biological activity. It is interesting to note that while deer velvet extract has this marked hypotensive effect in normal people, it has also been shown to restore blood pressure to normal in both hypo- and hyper-tensive patients.

A Japanese study in which 8 out of 10 patients were given pantocrin resulted in significant and transient reductions in arterial blood pressure. The systolic reading was lowered by 20 to 70 points, and the diastolic by as much as 10 to 20mmHg. Taking into account all the objective and subjective indices, pantocrin was 80% effective.

Pharmacological and clinical research indicates that the use of deer velvet antler significantly improves the heart function, regulating hearts with arrhythmias and increasing the blood flow in subjects with chronically poor circulation.

The Russian researcher N.A. Albov studied the effects of injectable deer velvet extract on 13 patients with hypertension caused by heart disorders. After 20 days of injections examinations revealed that 84 percent of the patients had improved. In another trial of 32 patients with high blood pressure caused by obesity or early-onset menopause, after a course of deer velvet extract given orally or by injection 26 of the patients had measurably lower blood pressure.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

While extensive research has been carried out in Russia where deer velvet antler has been used clinically for decades, China, Korea and Japan, this was the first time such research has been carried out in a Western country.

The first stage of the project was directed into the actual growth and composition of deer antlers. Their extraordinary rapid growth means that the chemical composition is constantly changing and it also varies within the antler itself, a fact that is well known to Oriental practitioners who classify each part of the deer velvet antler separately from the tip to the base.

They call the deer velvet antler tip the wax piece or lu pian, and it has the texture and colour of honey. It is also the most expensive section. The upper part is called xie pian, or blood piece, the next section down is called feng pian, which refers to its honeycomb appearance, and the base is the bone section or gu pian.

To study New Zealand deer velvet antler in comparison with the Russian and Chinese—traditionally regarded as the world’s best—both young and mature red deer, wapiti and fallow deer antlers were analysed. After being dried and weighed each deer velvet antler was divided into four sections and the ash, mineral and lipid (or fat) content was measured.

While the mineral content of the deer velvet antlers were similar, the lipid content of New Zealand red and fallow deer velvet was found to be higher than the Russian maral and Chinese malu. It is in the lipid, or fat, that the valuable active ingredients of deer velvet are found, and a higher lipid content signifies a correspondingly higher potency.

During the analysis, many of the major minerals needed to maintain healthy bodies were found to be present including calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium and cobalt. As would be expected, the calcium levels in deer velvet were found to be lowest in the tip, and increased towards the base as the calcification increased. On the other hand, the lipid content was highest in the deer velvet antler tip, the most valuable section of the antler, and decreased in the lower portions.

There were also marked differences noted depending on the stage of antler growth, with the older deer velvet antlers showing an increased content of ash, calcium and phosphorus, and decreased amounts of lipid, sulphur, sodium, potassium and selenium.

Every one of the minerals and trace elements found in deer velvet antler contribute in some way to a healthy immune system and these minerals alone, quite apart from any other bioactive substances, could help to explain its value in the treatment of osteoporosis, anaemia and as a growth stimulant for children.

Also found in deer velvet antler in varying quantities are a wide range of bioactive properties. These include: amino acids, collagen, polyamines, androgens, estrogens, ectosaponins, mucopolysaccharides, glucosamines, hematopoietin, glucosaminoglycans, N-Acetyl-glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate A, anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, erythropoietin (a glycoprotein produced in the kidney that stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow), and gangliosides (believed to be involved with cell metabolism and growth).

Found mainly in the central nervous system but also in other tissues, gangliosides consist of fatty acids, sphingosine, simple sugars, galactosamine and sialic acid. The sphingomyelins are “involved in complex bioregulatory pathways”, they are believed to be biologically active and are possibly very important for the quality of the velvet. Once again the highest levels were found in the deer velvet antler tips and the lowest in the base as the antler became more mineralised.

The deer velvet antler also contains fibroblasts and chondroblasts— the cells from which connective tissue and cartilage are developed; chondro- and osteocytes— cartilage and bone cells; growth factors including IGF-1 and IGF-2, and epidermal and nerve growth factors.

Also analysed were the concentrations of free amino acids, the basic building blocks of protein that are essential for healthy cell growth. While all twenty-two amino acids are manufactured by plants through the process of photosynthesis, humans and animals are able to synthesize all but a few amino acids, called ‘essential’ because they must be supplied ready-made through the food we eat.

Tests show that deer velvet antler contains all eight essential amino acids. It is composed primarily of protein, with collagen as the major protein consisting of glycine, alanine, proline and hydroxyproline. Amino acids found in other velvet proteins include: tryptophan, lysine, threonine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, histidine, arginine, spartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, cysteine, methionine, and tyrosine.

These amino acids form patterns of concentration throughout the deer velvet antlers, with the level of some being higher in the tips, and others more strongly concentrated in the base but overall, the levels of most amino acids were significantly higher in the higher graded deer velvet antler.

While the first stage of the Invermay research project has firmly established New Zealand deer velvet antler as among the best in the world, comparing favourably with the traditional sources from China and Russia, the second and more extensive stage involves providing the scientific and clinical data necessary for deer velvet anlter to be accepted as a medicine by Western health authorities.

Reprinted with permission from:
Deer Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

In 1999, deer velvet antler was substantiated by clinical studies and scientific research, in compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “to support healthy joint structure and function”.

As many people will happily testify, one of the outstanding properties of deer velvet antler is its ability to alleviate the pain of inflammation, such as joint pain, swelling and tissue injury. While anti-inflammatories are widely prescribed in Western medicine for a large number of ailments, they can often cause severe and unpleasant side effects. In New Zealand pure deer velvet powder is widely taken to relieve the pain and symptoms of arthritis and has become popular among the elderly for this reason.

New Zealand deer velvet extract has shown strong anti-inflammatory effects in studies with mice (AgResearch, 1996), which are not due to cytotoxic activity. At this stage the reason for the effects are unknown.

It has been suggested that the high concentrations of hormone-like substances in deer velvet antler are responsible for the rapid tissue repair after injury, or even the cartilaginous concentration of the antler itself. When velvet antler is harvested it is still largely cartilage, containing such compounds as collagen and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).

Research microbiologist Dr Alex Duarte, has spent many years researching the powerful healing properties of cartilage and in his book The Benefits of Deer Velvet Antler he refers to studies that have been carried out using cartilage in the treatment of serious degenerative diseases. In particular he refers to Dr John F. Prudden and other researchers who over thirty-five years ago discovered such elements in cartilage as N-Acetyl-Glucosamine, glycosaminoglycans and synoviocytes, all which have been associated with accelerated wound healing.

He describes glycosaminoglycans as being the “regulator of new cartilage production and turnover” and being “a very powerful regulator of synoviocytes, which regulate the integrity of the joint fluid.” He cites studies in which people suffering from severe osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis showed overwhelmingly positive results when treated with bovine cartilage.

Glucosamine is formed from the combination of a sugar (glucose) and an amine, derived from the amino acid, glutamine. It is an important component in proteoglycans, which provide structure to the bones, cartilage, skin, nails, hair and other body tissues. It is essential for healthy cartilage and to maintain healthy joints and pain-free mobility.

The major GAG in deer velvet antler is chondroitin sulfate. Chondroitin is formed from a long chain of sugar molecules which helps to attract fluid into the proteoglycans. This is necessary to provide nutrients and lubrication into the joint cartilage which has no blood supply of its own. Termed “chondroprotective” agents, glucosamine and chondroitin are today being widely promoted to help rebuild cartilage and improve joint mobility in arthritis sufferers with very beneficial effects.

Duarte also cites Dr Lester Morrison, who over ten years ago observed chondroitin sulphate A to be an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory agent which reversed the degenerative condition of arteriosclerosis and dramatically improved circulation. He conducted a six-year study demonstrating that chondroitin sulphate A could reduce the incidence of fatal heart attack and stroke by over 400 percent just by daily oral consumption.

Further studies by Dr Prudden, involving the treatment of advanced cancer patients were also dramatic. There was a positive response from 90 percent of the patients and it was discovered that “cartilage protected the patients from the severe side effects of chemotherapy” apparently by protecting and strengthening the immune system.

While these studies have found cartilage to be a powerful anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent, the cartilage from deer velvet antler itself is unique as it contains many other bioactive compounds that are still under investigation. These include anti-inflammatory prostaglandins which play a role in reducing the swelling associated with tissue injury, arthritis, infection and pain. Research shows that deer velvet prostaglandins, which are unsaturated fatty acids, can induce vasodepression, smooth muscle contractions and also modulate lipid metabolism.

In other studies from Japan, deer velvet extract has been shown to speed up the healing of damaged nerve tissue, and also aids in the recovery of patients suffering from cervical and whiplash injuries. Research has shown that long standing wounds and ulcers also respond well to deer velvet preparations, and the high level of phosphate, calcium and other minerals, as well as the growth hormone precursors, have been suggested as reasons why it is so effective in healing bones and wounds and helping with arthritic complaints.

The rapid yearly growth of antlers has provided a unique opportunity for the study of bone development by a research group at Lincoln University, Christchurch. The group has been studying the effect of the hormone oestradiol on antler tissue, in particular by activating receptors in the tissue which surrounds the antler bone beneath the skin.

Dr Graham Barrell writes, “Antlers are newly formed bones and the final burst of calcification depends on the secretion of sex hormones from the testes. Research at Lincoln and overseas has shown the hormone oestradiol is predominant in stimulating calcification of the antlers.” This on-going research may become very important for future work on the treatment of bone disorders such as osteoporosis.

Reprinted with permission from:
Velvet Antler – Nature’s Superior Tonic by Alison Davidson,
©1995-2008 All Rights Reserved Worldwide