Research Supports Ancient Claims

“With the results that are expected from scientific research, it is likely that velvet will become as accepted in western countries as vitamins and other dietary supplements.” – NZ Game Industry Board

While the therapeutic claims for deer velvet in traditional medicine are extraordinarily wide ranging and comprehensive, the reputation of velvet as a panacea for many ills is also growing rapidly in the West. According to Life Extension Magazine from the USA… “Deer velvet is poised to be one of the most versatile multipurpose natural remedies to arrive in the West”.

But what is the scientific evidence behind such claims as this? While deer velvet can only be sold as a “dietary supplement” under existing health regulations, there is intense interest in the results of scientific studies, which are providing exciting new insights into its pharmacological properties. Research reports re tending to support many of the traditional medicinal claims, and extensive research carried out in Russia, where deer velvet has been used clinically for decades, China, Korea, Japan and more recently in New Zealand has shown convincing evidence that velvet is indeed a complex substance with unique bioactive properties.

At AgResearch Invermay in the South Island of New Zealand, studies into the composition and medical properties of velvet are beginning to reveal its closely held secrets.

To date, these groundbreaking tests have shown deer antler velvet:

• To stimulated the immune system, the body’s main line of defense against infection and disease
• To contain anti-inflammatory agents which may assist in reducing the pain and inflammation of a variety of degenerative diseases
• To contain marked anabolic or growth stimulating properties.
• To increase muscular strength and endurance to significantly reduce the damaging side effects of chemotherapy drugs, while at the same time increasing their effectiveness.

These are the results of preliminary testing by the New Zealand scientific team, and it can be seen here that the potential applications of antler velvet in Western medicine and natural health care are enormous.

Velvet is a rich source of all the nutrients our bodies need including the minerals calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and cobalt.

Also found in velvet in varying quantities are the major amino acids, collagen, anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, glucosamines, chrondroitin sulfate A, ganglosides, erythropoietin (a glycoprotein produced in the kidney that stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow), natural sex hormones and steroids.

Powerful Tonic Effects

Since the 1930s, Russian scientists have developed and extensively tested the extract from antler velvet known as pantocrin (from the Russian pantui – the whole velvet antler) and clinical testing results how an overwhelming recurring theme – there is no doubt that it has a powerful tonic and revitalizing effect on the individual, especially on a person weakened by illness or stress.