Deer Velvet

Scientific Name(s): Cervi parvum, Cervus elaphus L. (Wapiti), Cervus nippon T.
Common Name(s): Deer velvet, Lu rong, Velvet antler

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jan 3, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Despite widespread claims for deer velvet, limited quality clinical trials have been conducted. Studies in arthritis and performance enhancement report no effect of deer velvet supplementation, although the studies may be too small to detect efficacy.

Dosing

Limited studies are available to provide guidance, and standardization of preparations is lacking. A study in athletes used 1,500 mg deer velvet preparation twice daily. In rheumatoid arthritis, 1 g daily has been studied.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not yet been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Chronic wasting disease may be present in antler products.

Toxicology

Toxicity studies of deer antler powder in rats demonstrated no mortality or adverse events on a short term basis.

Source

Deer antlers are the only mammalian bone structures to regenerate completely every year.1 Deer antler velvet is the epidermis covering the inner structure of the growing bone and cartilage, which develops into antlers.2 This tissue grows each spring on male Cervus sp. (North American elk and red deer) and should be removed by a veterinarian or certified farmer. The ethics, including use of local anesthetics, and procedures of harvesting antler velvet have been reported.3, 4, 5, 6 Velvet yield depends on several factors, including season, parasites, or injury.7 After removal of the deer velvet, it is collected and then frozen or dried prior to its manufacture into various "medicinal" forms including powders, extracts, teas, capsules, and tablets. Each part of elk velvet contains varying compounds, but the deer antler velvet contains the largest concentrations of those found to be beneficial. (Antler also has been sold by the slice). Heating during processing may reduce or destroy the purported beneficial effects of velvet antler. Various preparation methods, including freeze-drying and non-heat-producing methods have been reported.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

History

The word antler is derived from the Latin Anteoculae, meaning "in front of the eyes." Antlers are present in almost all members of the deer family Cervidae. The first documented evidence of deer velvet as a medicinal was found on a scroll recovered from a tomb in Hunan China dating back 2000 years. The use of antler dates back to the Han Dynasty 206 BC to 220 AD. A 16th century medical text, Pen Ts'ao Kang Mu, lists several antler preparations including pills, tinctures, and ointments. In traditional Chinese medicine, velvet antler has been used for over 2000 years as a tonic, to improve bone health, to nourish the blood, reduce swelling, and to treat impotence. Later research on deer antler dates back to the 1980s in Russia. Hundreds of articles have since been published including those documented by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scientists.14, 15

In Chinese medicine, deer velvet has been...