Although trophy and meat markets are gaining in importance, the velvet antler market is essential to the elk industry. Velvet antler is a renewable resource, and the ancient tonic is achieving scientific and anecdotal verification for several health effects of consequence to an aging “baby boomer” population.

One of the greatest recent changes in the elk industry has been in the velvet antler dietary supplement market. When I began editing the “North American Elk” four years ago, very few people had ever heard of the product and only a few brave souls were involved in processing and retailing. Who would have dreamed that velvet antler would soon be sold in leading health food stores across North America and that articles on its efficacy would appear in several national health magazines?

The credit for this progress, as is true for most achievements in the elk industry, belongs to both individuals and organizations that have devoted energy and money to velvet antler science, promotion and marketing.

For example, AEPB has promoted velvet antler dietary supplements at tradeshows and in health magazine advertisements. NAEBA hired dietary supplement marketing and law firms to compile scientific research on velvet and to advise us on health claim statements and FDA regulations. NAEBA commissioned two brochures on velvet antler and a book by a leading health author. The association also arranged for the author to promote velvet at tradeshows and other events. But the resources and support provided by various organizations would have been useless if the elk industry had not had dynamic entrepreneurs who knew how to market a product and who were willing to invest and invest again to achieve their objectives.

And, of course, none of the efforts would have been successful if not for the product itself. Elk velvet antler really does have numerous health benefits. As its usage in the general public increases, enthusiastic testimonials spread the news of Nature's Velvet, EVA, or simply Velvet Antler.

Introduction

The elk farming industry is based on antler production. Yes, there is a potential market for meat and trophy sales, but antlers are what make elk unique and very valuable.

Elk velvet antler (EVA) products are made from the collagenous matrix that forms the rapidly growing antler structure before it turns to bone. All cervids, the members of the deer family, grow and shed antlers every year. In most species, only the males grow antlers. Antlers are a measure of the strength and ability of the male. In order to grow large antlers (weighing up to 8% of total body weight in exceptional individuals), deer and elk must be strong and in excellent health and must be successful in competition for nutrients and territory.

Farmers in China, Russia, and more recently in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the United States, and Canada, annually harvest velvet antler. Velvet antler grows at an incredible speed. In face, of all living tissues, only some mushrooms grow faster than antler. It is considered the perfect renewable resource because of its ability to grow back year after year. From the time the velvet antler begins to grow until the time it is harvested is about two to three months. In that short time period, and elk bull may grow over 50 pounds of antler! That kind of growth of nutrient dense material is almost magical.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest recorded health systems known, a system still used by over 50% of the world's population. The Chinese have used velvet antler for over 2,000 years. The theory of TCM is based on observing the forces of nature affect the human body. TCM treatment principles are designed to bring the person back into balance with the forces of nature. The basic premise of TCM is to treat the body as a whole. Our bodies are amazing organisms that can fight toxins, viruses, and all the other "bugs" on their own. TCM helps in that fight, by treating the cause, not the symptom. Natural ingredients are used to promote health and wellness. TCM practitioners are paid only if patients remain in good health. If you become sick, you stop paying - the exact opposite of Western Medicine. In traditional medicine, hundreds of years of observation have proven the various diagnoses and treatments.

Modern Research

Western-style research that investigates the effects of velvet antler consumption has been undertaken in a number of countries:

Dr. Peter Fennessy, general manager of the invermay Research Centre in Otago, New Zealand, states that initial research findings are very promising. Research has found high levels of a natural growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the blood of the animal during the antler growth period, as well as receptors to IGF-1. Velvet antler is a natural source of IGF-1, which can improve muscular development. As we age our growth hormone levels decrease, along with IGF-1, which allows muscular atrophy.

Much of the research conducted in Russia has been done on pantocrin (an alcohol-based extract of velvet antler):

· In 1974 Drs. Yudin and Dobryakov found that pantrocrin improved the performance of average healthy athletes.

· Dr. Korobkov in 1974 said that pantocrin and other naturally occurring substances acted by accelerating the body's natural restorative processes and by increasing the body's resistance to unfavorable external influences.

· For twelve years Dr. Arkady Koltun, MD, Ph.D., chairman of the Medical Committee for the Russian Bodybuilding Federation, conducted research into anabolic agents that can improve performance, strength, and musculature in athletes. In studies with Russian kayakers, weightlifters, bodybuilders and powerlifters, Dr. Koltun found that velvet antler has myotropic (increases muscular strength) and neurotropic (nerve strengthening) properties. He also found properties in antler that are beneficial in treating infectious diseases, fatigue and hypertension.