Velvet
demonstrates androgenic and gonadotrophic effects, meaning that it helps to
regulate the activity of the sex organs.
The sex hormones estrone, testosterone and a substance similar to
progesterone have been identified at low levels and together with the high
levels of amino acids present in higher graded velvet may help to explain the
belief throughout the Orient that consuming velvet invigorates the sexual
energy.
Antler
velvet 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 it has
been shown in experiments to have a potent erythropoetic effect, meaning that
it stimulates the formation of red blood cells.
Velvet
not only builds blood but research has shown that it also has a strong
influence on blood pressure – one of its major properties is the lowering of
blood pressure, and since it is so easily demonstrated is widely used as a test
for its biological activity. Velvet has
also been shown to restore blood pressure to normal in both hypo- and
hyper-tensive patients.
Experimental
research has demonstrated that velvet preparations can protect the body from
stress such as heat, cold and electric shock.
Russian studies report that patients treated with velvet extract prior
to surgery had significantly lower levels of stress indicators in the
blood. According to another Russian
researcher, Dr Korobkov, velvet extract acts “by accelerating the body’s
natural restorative processes and by increasing the body’s resistance to
unfavorable external influence.”
Recent
Chinese research suggests that velvet preparations showed anti-aging effects by
reducing signs of senility, very possibly due to its hormonal effects.
One
of the outstanding properties of antler velvet is its ability to alleviate the
pain of inflammation, such as joint pain, swelling and tissue injury. In other studies from Japan, 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.
It
has been suggested that the high concentrations of hormone like substances in
deer velvet are responsible for the rapid tissue repair after injury, or even
the cartilaginous concentration of the antler itself. Over 35 years ago Dr john F. Prudden and other researchers
discovered such elements in cartilage as N-Acetyl-Glucosamine,
glycosaminoglycans and synoviocytes that have all been associated with
accelerated wound healing. These
elements may well be one of the primary reasons why arthritics are helped so
much by such substances as shark cartilage and deer velvet.
While
there is no evidence to date showing that velvet actually cures cancer, Russian
experiments have shown it to increase the survival rate, and in some instances,
to inhibit the spread of tumor cells.
Present clinical trials run by AgResearch in Korea are showing positive
results, with the velvet extract increasing the effectiveness of anti-cancer
drugs while at the same time reducing their side effects.
As
an immune enhancer for patients with HIV, velvet is also undergoing studies at
the Institute for Traditional Medicine in California.
To list all of the therapeutic claims for this precious substance of the deer is far beyond the scope of this article. But as the potency of velvet, “the greatest source of yang energy” and its attributes become better known, many Westerners will surely become converts to this wonderfully safe and natural remedy.