The Deer Antler Velvet Handbook: Biochemistry, Uses & Dosages

Jason J. Duke | Owner / Artisan

PUBLISHED IN: Duke's Materia Tonica

Deer antler velvet (DAV) is a fast growing soft-bone on bucks, stags and bulls that is covered in velvety hair-like fuzz. Many cultures use deer antler velvet because it contains anti-aging nutrients and vitalizing constituents that support recovery, regeneration, and growth of tissues in the body, such as joints and muscles.¹

Deer antler velvet is widely used a food supplement that vitalizes, tonifies, and strengthens the body² and has been used for over 2000 years³ for it's many benefits and healthful properties⁴.

Velvet Antler for Short

Deer antler velvet has the short name 'velvet antler' which refers to the velvet-hair covering the skin of the young antler.⁴

Velvet antler is not hardened and secrets proteins, peptides, and growth factors that grow and develop all parts of the soft vascularized (blood filled) young antler at high speeds⁵.

Power of Growth and Regeneration

Deer antler velvet is a unique mammalian organ that fully regenerates after shedding every year² and is known for growing at the highest recorded rate for any mammal.⁶

Deer antler velvet grows on the heads of bucks, stags and bulls in the spring and early summer¹⁰ as peptides and hormones are secreted for growth¹¹ of very-fast size increases¹² at a rate of up to 1cm per day.¹³

Velvet antler sticks are not bone and are a unique tissue that is high in digestible proteins, which are predominantly collagens,¹⁴ and also includes essential waxy lipid, and bio-available mineral and trace mineral containing tissue.¹⁵

Worldwide Popularity

Deer antler velvet is a highly popular supplement that is farmed, ranched, harvested and used across the world.

Over 2,000,000 high-quality pounds are produced every year from world-wide velvet antler farms.¹⁶

Deer Antler Velvet is Used Most in Asia

In New Zealand, the deer industry business is booming with more than 65 million dollars of export revenue in 2018 for velvet antler¹⁷ with about 98% accommodating the discerning North Asian markets.¹⁸

There are four main species deer that are raised and harvested for their deer antler velvet. Each species has different cultural uses and different serving sizes related to their different constituent compositions, ranging from more medicinal concerning immediate benefits to more food-quality and nutrient filled.

1. Sika Deer
2. Caribou Reindeer
3. Red Elephant Deer
4. Wapiti Elk

First, sika deer are the most potent and most medicinal. Second reindeer are still quite medicinal, but not quite as potent and containing more nutrients per dosage serving. Third, red deer are more nutrient filled and easy-to-take larger dose servings due to a lower medicinal quality. Fourth, elk are food-grade nutrient filled deer that do not have much of the capacity for the medicinal qualities.

Native to Asia, including Japan,¹⁹ and raised on traditional family farms in rural China.²⁰

Sika have the smallest velvet antlers that are usually less than 1 kilogram. Average daily serving size is 500mgs to 2,000mgs daily.

Siberian and North American Caribou Reindeer²¹ are wild harvested and game managed.²²

Reindeer velvet antler is medium sized, weighing 1-3 kilograms,²³ that are medium-high potency. Average daily serving size is 1,000mgs to 3,000mgs.

Red elephant deer are native to Europe²⁴ and commercially ranch-harvested in New Zealand.²⁵

Red deer velvet antler is medium sized and weigh 2-3 kilograms²⁶ with an average potency compared to other species. Average daily serving size is 1,000mgs to 4,000mgs.

American and Canadian Wapiti Elk²⁷ are raised by an association of independent ranchers²⁸ in North America.

Elk must be ranch raised and processed correctly to avoid chronic wasting disease that may be found in North America sourced elk.²⁹

Elk have very large velvet antler sticks that weigh 4 kilograms.³⁰ Average daily serving size is 3,000mgs to 5,000mgs.

Right Timing, No Waste

All parts of the antler velvet stick are harvested in summer when the highest active constituent concentrations are measurable.³¹ This is done before the antlers harden and calcify in the fall.³²

Cleaned and Processed for Safety

The removed velvet sticks are hygienically processed³⁵ to preserve the unique concentration of nutrition. Traditional processing involves repeated boiling³⁶ and drying. The modern processing of velvet antler is done by washing, freezing, thawing, and lengthy 30 day low temperature dehydration³⁷ or freeze drying.³⁸ It is then flash pasteurized.

Either of these methods will reduce the weight of velvet antler by up to 50% or more before being graded for use in the production of powders or aqueous extracts.

Graded for Quality Control

Finally, velvet antlers are graded and sold according to industry guidelines and standards.³⁹

Sections

Antler velvet grows thickest with higher active constituents in adult males.⁴⁰

Although all parts of the velvet antler contain unique nutrition,⁴² the most active constituents are found towards the ends of the deer antler velvet sticks⁴³ and external tissues layers.⁴⁴

Tippy Top Wax
The tips and tops are the wax piece due to a larger volume of gel-like lipids and peptides, such as immunopeptides such as cytokines,⁴⁵ and growth factors such as IGF-1, IGF-2, all of which form the basis for antler proliferation.⁴⁶

Blood Middles
The middles of the stick is the blood piece that is unique rapidly growing cartilage that is richly vascularized and includes various proteins such as collagens,⁴⁷ a group of chondroitin sulfates called proteoglycans,⁴⁸ glucosamines, and mineral enzyme co-factors.⁴⁹

Bone Bottoms
The bone piece is both the bottom and base sections which have not ossified and is the section highest in calcium and other essential minerals.¹¹⁵

All Sections = Holistic Supplement
Different parts of the velvet antler contain different nutrition; and all parts work synergistically together, depending on how they are formulated, to create a holistic supplement.

Deer antler velvet is a supplement used as a tonic and an adaptogen by many different people for different reasons to support health, wellness, and fitness performance.

Everyone Can Take Deer Antler Velvet: Young to Old, Women, and Men
Like numerous animal foods, deer antler velvet contains naturally occurring polypeptides such as growth factors⁵¹ that naturally support healthy hormone balance in women and hormone function in men, including testosterone in those with male sex organs.

Cultural Uses and Documentation

For the Chinese, velvet antler is known as 'lu rong' and considered a tonic in Chinese herbalism⁵² that promotes physical health and wellness.

The Chinese use deer antler velvet for medicine⁵⁴ in supporting healthy kidney yang jing and yin jing,⁵⁵ to strengthen the heart yang,⁵⁶ to support joint health, and to genital reproductive health in women and men.

The Koreans, Japanese, and Indigenous cultures around-the-world use deer antler as a restorative for children to promote healthy growth of bones, to rejuvenate the body, and as a general blood, intimacy, and anti-aging tonic.⁵⁷

The Russians use deer antler velvet for numerous adaptive benefits⁵⁸ as an adaptogen. The scientifically tested alcohol based velvet antler tincture extract, called pantocrine, is an adaptogenic tonic to promote circulation, genital reproductive health, decrease muscle fatigue and fortify work capacity.⁵⁹

The alcohol extract, nicknamed 'panty,' may also be used to generate warmth in the cold winter months as a general strengthening tonic,⁶⁰ regeneration, recovery and growth.⁶¹

Americans and Europeans have begun to import deer antler velvet from New Zealand and China as a quality peptide and amino acid supplement for joints,⁶² glandular hormonal support, and fitness performance.

A single extensive study by scientists actually concludes that deer antler velvet, from the sika deer, improves fatigue effects by several factors including skeletal muscle contraction and mass from particular protein expressions.⁶³

Targeted Functional Support

The continuous consumption of the nutrients and constituents in deer antler velvet, as part of a well-balanced complete meals and supplementation program, are used to support, promote, and maintain many different aspects of health and wellness.

1. Joint Health, Repair and Discomfort
Deer antler velvet constituents, such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and manganese, support joint integrity and repair while reducing joint discomfort. Some people taking deer antler velvet report less joint discomfort,⁶⁴ and even though it improves quality of life and well-being,⁶⁵ it doesn't work as good as a drug for pain relief.⁶⁶

Recent cellular analyses further elucidate these mechanisms, demonstrating that velvet antler extracts exert profound anti-arthritic effects by actively suppressing inflammatory pathways within fibroblast-like synoviocytes, providing a clear pharmacological basis for its use in mitigating joint degradation.¹¹⁸

Deer antler velvet is high in easily digestible bio-active collagen peptides⁶⁷ that are good for hard bodily tissues, like nails, tendons, ligaments, and the cushioning between joints. All of the these constituents work together to support healthy joint function and ensures better muscular range of motion, for better flexible strength.⁶⁸

2. Cardiovascular Circulation
In deer antler velvet, trace and electrolyte minerals benefit heart contraction and vascular integrity. Amino acids also support normal blood pressure. And the lipids preserved in the alcohol liquid extract of deer antler velvet support circulation. Dosing with deer antler velvet is invigorating to the cardiovascular system; generating warmth and supporting fatigue resistance through better oxygenation.⁶⁹ The proteins in deer antler velvet are responsible for supporting vascular tissue regeneration and growth.⁶⁸

3. Hormones
In deer antler velvet, combined nutrients, such as selenium, zinc, growth factors, cholesterol, fatty acids and so on, benefit hormone production for the promotion of adrenal, growth and regeneration hormones. Sex hormones are also supported, including testosterone in males, and estrogen and progesterone balancing in females.

4. Genital Reproductive Health (Intimacy)
Deer antler velvet promotes genital reproductive health in both sexes due to electrolytes and lipids preserved in the alcohol extract. Consumption of deer antler velvet promotes endocrine health, which includes sex hormones. The Chinese have long used deer antler velvet to support healthy intimacy and genital reproductive health; it does so by promoting the physical performance of bodily systems. Intimacy and genital reproductive health benefits are best achieved by the alcohol liquid extract, as the powder capsule form is nutritional in nature and is not shown to benefit intimacy in males nor females like the alcohol extract.⁷⁰

5. Rapid Regeneration and Injury Repair
In deer antler velvet, hyaluronic acid and growth factors, promote injury recovery, bodily tissues repair, and normal bodily growth support. Many of the benefits of deer antler velvet combine to improve the body’s recuperation time and support anti-aging,⁷¹ while also improving the body's power to heal injuries and bones.⁷²

Deer antler velvet can support hair growth⁷³⁷⁷ and wound healing when applied topically to the skin by adding the liquid extract to lotion.⁷⁴ Primarily, the naturally occurring polypeptides, like IGF-1 and cytokines, maintain a state of regeneration and support the growth of healthy cells while also preserving bone mass and density.⁷⁵

Modern pharmacological evaluations confirm that the unique matrix of well-known polypeptides directly mediates these advanced tissue regeneration and cellular anti-aging properties.¹¹⁹ Furthermore, active circulating systemic factors within the growing antler have been identified to accelerate complete, scar-less wound healing in mammalian models, showcasing its potent regenerative mechanisms of action.¹²⁰

Deer antler velvet is packed with raw nutrition that supports bodily healing and growth.⁷⁶ The growth factors and cytokines found in deer antler work by signaling the endocrine and immune system to better communicate with other cells and assist wound healing and injury recovery.⁷⁸

6. Muscle Strength and Repair
In deer antler velvet, electrolyte minerals support muscle contraction and relaxation for posture, strength, and stamina. The alcohol liquid extract of deer antler velvet is recommended for reduced muscle discomfort and increased muscle repair. It is because of the various constituents that deer antler velvet encourages strength and stamina concerning athletic performance.⁸⁰

Deer antler velvet assists muscle contraction and nerve impulses while supporting the protection, production and regeneration of nerve fibers;⁸¹⁸² including neuron production in the brain.⁸³

7. Bone Health and Repair
Supplementation with deer antler velvet increases bone activity, bone mineralization, and bone density from the uptake of absorbable and bio-active nutrient minerals that the bones use for health, such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Since deer antler velvet is active bone, taking it has been studied to promote bone strength, bone cell proliferation,⁷² bone tissue activity, bone density, and bone mineralization. Recent in vivo evidence validates this biological process, demonstrating that specific supplementation significantly elevates circulating calcium levels and fortifies trabecular bone density, firmly establishing its osteoporotic preventative mechanisms at a structural level.¹²¹

8. Immune Function
Deer antler velvet contains amino acids that supply material for immune cells and polysaccharides that strengthen the immune system by increasing circulation into more difficult to reach bone marrow tissues. In addition, deer antler velvet strengthens the adrenals and assist stress-resistance in supporting the immune system. Taking deer antler velvet daily strengthens the whole body, including the adrenal gland⁸⁴ while supporting immune system function⁸⁵ for more effective immune response⁸⁶⁵³ to toxins and byproducts of fatigue. Deer antler velvet is an adaptogen that assist the immune system in adapting and changing to stress and activity levels.⁸⁷

Advanced assessments confirm that these immunomodulatory potentials drastically ameliorate immune dysregulation and combat cellular toxicity, contributing to improved cognitive abilities and lifespan extension in neurodegenerative models.¹²² Additionally, specialized preparation methods have been shown to increase the bioavailability of crucial neuromodulators like γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and sialic acid, directly promoting both systemic immune response and neurological stability.¹²³

9. Skin, Hair and Nail Health
Deer antler velvet gives noticeable benefit to skin, hair, and nails from continuous consumption, due to hyaluronic acid, amino acids, and zinc for nails. Deer antler velvet may be applied to the skin for regeneration, as the proteins and growth factors are integral for skin health.⁸⁸⁷⁹

10. Red Blood Cells
Deer antler velvet will promote circulation into bone marrow tissues for increased production of red blood cells and greater oxygenation of the body. This will support energy levels and performance.

11. Metabolic and Liver Function
Emerging mechanistic studies indicate that deer antler velvet profoundly supports metabolic homeostasis. Traditionally prepared antler extracts modulate lipid metabolism and protect against oxidative stress, actively mitigating high-fat diet-induced liver injuries.¹²⁴ This is further reinforced by the presence of deer antler polysaccharides, which actively regulate metabolic disorders and obesity by reducing systemic inflammation at the cellular level.¹²⁵

12. Gastrointestinal Barrier Integrity
The efficacy of the immune and metabolic support provided by deer antler velvet is deeply intertwined with gut health. Water-soluble extracts from velvet antler have been scientifically observed to enhance intestinal barrier function, directly reducing cellular permeability (commonly referred to as 'leaky gut') and mitigating gastrointestinal inflammation.¹²⁶ This optimization of the gut microbiome ensures higher bioavailability of ingested nutrients.

Women Can Take Deer Antler Velvet

Q: Can women take deer antler velvet safely?
A: Women can take deer antler velvet safely since it doesn't increase testosterone or any hormones out of the normal. Deer antler velvet supports a balanced and healthy endocrine system for healthy female glands. Women can get all the benefits that men can get, except testosterone, since women don't have male parts to make testosterone.

Q: What if a woman works out, does sports, and does a weight-loss program, will deer antler velvet make her manly?
A: No, deer antler velvet will not make a women manly. Women can use deer antler velvet to do physical exercise and help them to lose weight, as part of a weight loss program. They will not produce huge muscle and they will not grow facial hair from deer antler velvet. In fact, it will promote healthy skin, hair growth, and strong nails, as well as supporting weight loss and firmness of the body.

Deer Antler Velvet Increases Testosterone in Males

Deer antler velvet will support testosterone in those with male sex organs⁹¹ from its effects on the prostate⁸⁹⁹⁰ and the Leydig cells in the testicles by increased expression of protein enzymes responsible for testosterone production.⁹¹ The Russians figured out the alcohol extract is best for genital reproductive health. Of course, deer antler velvet is not going to make up for a bad diet and lifestyle. Best used in conjunction with a well-rounded sensible diet full of proteins, fats, and a fitness program.

Times to Take

• Take with complete balanced meals for best overall results
• Time your dosage 30 mins before fitness and training for performance
• Take at the beginning of the day, such as breakfast, for lasting energy
• With a complete dinner full of protein to promote recovery and regeneration

The serving size of deer antler velvet depends on the extract, soup, spirits, powder, or liquid. The type of deer antler velvet has different potencies which requires a different dose. If you don't know the type of deer antler velvet you have, follow the red deer dosage suggestions since it is the most common type on the market. The dose of deer antler velvet is always started with the minimum recommended and increased over time until a functional dose is reached.

1. Tea and Soup Dosage

Broth is freshly prepared: cooked on the stove-top, sliced deer antler velvet is added to simmering water and slowly cooked at a low temperate, approx. 125*F - 165*F, for 1-3 hours.

Tea and Soup Dosage: 3 – 9 grams in 1 liter purified or distilled water; reduced in volume by half. Drink two to three 200ml - 300ml servings daily.

2. Spirits Dosage

A few slices are added to bottle of spirits (40 proof alcohol) and placed in a cool dark place. It is then shaken several times a week for over a month before drinking.

Spirits Dosage: 18 - 36 grams per liter, soaked for at least one month. Take 1 ounce 1-3 times a day as a shot serving.

3. Powder and Capsule Dosage

Fresh powder or encapsulated: either directly in the mouth or in a small 2-4 oz cup of lukewarm water, gently whisked for a few brief moments. Powder and capsules are the best way to give deer antler velvet to pets and animals, such as hamsters, cats, dogs, and horses.

Powder and Capsule Dosage for Humans: 1,000 – 9,000 milligrams divided into 1-3 daily servings.

4. Liquid Extract and Tincture Dosage

Liquid extracts may be taken sublingually for maximum absorption or added to a small amount of cool water and slowly sipped so that the extract is easier to take. Hydro-alcohol tinctures of deer antler velvet are superior due to the potency of the alcohol extract.

Liquid Extract and Tincture Dosage: 500 – 5,000 milligrams in 1-3 servings 1-3 times daily.

Deer antler velvet is a great supplement for pets and animals, such as dogs, cats, horses, and so on. Because dogs and cats (animals with vertebrae) are much like humans in how their bodies work and their genetic make-up, pets will experience many of the same benefits:

• Greater vitality and long-lasting energy
• Joint health and minor discomfort relief
• Increased physical performance and play
• Greater well-being and quality of life

Deer antler velvet capsules are easy to add to pet food by breaking open the capsule and mixing into their daily food. If they are fed two to three times a day, you may divide their overall dose into each mealtime or you may give them the full dose in their largest meal once a day.

The specific dosage of deer antler velvet for pets is calculated by milligrams per pounds and the type of deer antler velvet.

Powder and Capsule Dosage for Pets and Animals: 100 - 250 milligrams per 10 pounds of bodyweight divided into 1-2 daily servings.

The reason deer antler velvet works is because it is made of the raw materials that build bodies.

Deer Antler Velvet Feeds the Body

Bodily tissues, such as muscle, bone, skin, hair, nails, and joints crave the nutrients and constituents found within deer antler velvet. These raw materials that feed the body include: Protein and Collagen, Glucosamine and Chondroitin, Hyaluronic Acid, and Unique Peptides such as Growth Factors.

This nutrition will assist the body with healing, regenerating, and growing. Specifically supporting: Endocrine Function, Muscle Contraction, and Nerve Stimulation.

Easily absorbable essential minerals that are found in deer antler velvet are vital to developing strength for fitness performance, lifting weights, developing physiques, and weight-loss programs. All of these minerals have functions of supporting and maintaining health that the weightlifter, bodybuilder, and physique athlete will greatly appreciate: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Manganese, and Sodium.

Endocrine Hormones

The minerals found within deer antler velvet are vital to normal endocrine function, specifically concerning normal growth and efficient regeneration.

Most important: calcium is critical to parathyroid gland function and the normal functioning of the whole endocrine system. The parathyroid glands, which are embedded in the neck along with the thyroid gland, support hormones concerning energy, regeneration and growth.

Deer antler velvet supports regeneration by its naturally occurring and included trace nanogram amounts of growth factors such as IGF-1, IGF-2 and cytokines. These hormone molecules communicate directly with the endocrine system and the pituitary gland. Zinc is also an important mineral in the thyroid, parathyroid, and pituitary endocrine connection. Deer antler velvet works by the combination of all its constituents to support normal endocrine function thus supporting the pituitary gland for growth and regeneration hormones. When the pituitary gland is supported by a functioning endocrine system, and by proper nutrition, the body will be able to cultivate peak functioning.

Muscle Contraction

Calcium and magnesium found in deer antler velvet are essential to every muscular contraction in the body. A lack of calcium limits muscle contraction that in turn hampers building a strong body. After a muscle does work it must release its tissues to allow the circulation of blood to remove by-products of fatigue and support immediate recovery and long-term regeneration, repair, and growth. Magnesium is necessary for muscle relaxation.¹¹⁶ More responsive blood-flow shuttles used-blood from muscles to the liver more effectively for lactic acid conversion back into energy; thus maintaining the lactic acid cycle. Calcium and magnesium work together to make muscles work better.

Nerve Impulses

Deer antler velvet promotes progress by supporting the ability to do more work and performing harder through nervous innervation. Sodium, zinc and phosphorus are highly electrical minerals that assist nerve impulses to support the contraction of more muscles in groups. Additionally, the mineral manganese is necessary for pliable muscles and joints, which means that manganese help muscles and joints maintain stretchable and flexible properties.¹¹⁷

As A Pre-Workout

Deer antler velvet has a recent history of being used as a performance enhancer in Olympic weightlifting sports by the Russians during the 1970's and 80's.⁹²

When taking deer antler velvet as a pre-workout, feel free to combine deer antler velvet with any other pre-workout supplements, be sure to start with a minimum serving of deer antler velvet. Your dose will be less since you are also taking a pre-workout. Someone can only take so much of anything at any time. The alcohol extract of deer antler velvet, as used and studied by the Russians, is the pre-workout enhancer part of deer antler velvet and is recommended during times of performance enhancement.

Recent pharmacological reviews corroborate these historical applications, concluding that the bioactive constituents in deer antler extracts effectively optimize aerobic capacity and rapidly accelerate musculoskeletal recovery following intense physical exertion.¹²⁷

The marketplace for dietary supplements often contains misleading formulations and deceptive marketing. It is vital to understand the distinctions in quality and density to ensure you are selecting an effective product that can truly support, maintain, and promote health and fitness performance.

Understanding True Value and Density

Many commercially available liquids, often sold as sprays, are highly diluted and lack the nutrient density required for biological activity. A proper dietary supplement must provide sufficient raw materials to be effective.

Q: How do you determine the most effective deer antler velvet formulation?

A: The effectiveness is determined by the total density of the deer antler velvet extraction. The body requires a sufficient daily serving of the constituents to support physiological functioning.

Evaluating Milligram Content

Many mass-market products contain only 1,000 to 3,000mgs of raw material in the entire bottle—this represents just a single daily dose of a proper liquid extract. Clinical literature demonstrates that insufficient doses (e.g., 560mgs) fail to produce observable physiological benefits.⁹³ Conversely, studies supporting joint health and minor discomfort relief utilize significantly higher milligram serving sizes.⁹⁴

Deer antler velvet is not a mystical rarity; it is an established food supplement produced by a heavily regulated agricultural industry in New Zealand³⁹ and utilized by cultures throughout the world.⁹⁶ Consumers should expect a high-density product without exorbitant pricing.

Is Deer Antler Velvet Deceptive?

Short answer: No, but inferior manufacturing creates deceptive products.

Deer antler velvet is a highly bioactive, nutrient-dense food added to the diet. It is remarkably effective at promoting physical vitality, muscular strength, and joint health. However, some supplement companies manufacture diluted extractions dispensed from spray nozzles, relying on marketing rather than nutritional biochemistry.

Evaluating Growth Factor Content (IGF-1)

Certain brands rely on listing nanogram amounts of IGF-1 on the label. However, growth factors operate optimally when consumed as part of a complete nutritional matrix. Animal products like milk and beef naturally contain growth factors. Administering micro-doses of IGF-1 orally is ineffective if the overall density of the deer antler velvet extraction is insufficient.

The key to supplementation is consistent consumption of the complete holistic matrix. The IGF-1 and other constituents work together to support a healthy endocrine response. It requires the concurrent nutrition of proteins, minerals, and lipids to facilitate the body's regenerative processes.

Product Label Comparison and Extraction Ratios

A proper liquid extract should state its extraction ratio. For example, a 1:2 extraction ratio means that 1 ounce (~28,500mgs) of raw deer antler velvet is extracted into a 2-ounce bottle. This yields a thick, constituent-dense hydro-alcoholic extraction.

Multi-Ingredient Sprays: Many market sprays dilute the product by adding numerous other ingredients (e.g., aloe vera, artificial flavors, glycerin, preservatives) while listing a low overall milligram content per serving. This practice obscures the actual dosage of the deer antler velvet.

Deceptive Extraction Ratios: Some brands claim ratios like "43:1" or "80:1" on a liquid product. This is a deceptive processing claim. This ratio refers to the creation of a dry powder (e.g., 43 kilograms to make 1 kilogram of powder). The manufacturer then adds a miniscule amount of this powder (often under 5,000mgs) to a large volume of liquid filler. They have not performed a liquid extraction; they have simply diluted a small amount of powder, resulting in a severe lack of nutrient density.

The Necessity of Hydro-Alcoholic Extraction: In the time-honored industry of tincture manufacturing, the solvent must be hydro-alcoholic for full potency. Alcohol is a natural preservative, and it is strictly required to extract many of the beneficial lipid-based constituents, while the water extracts the water-soluble compounds. This dual-solvent method ensures maximum biological activity and absorption.

Deer antler velvet is a legal dietary supplement and is not a banned substance, except under the specific bylaws of certain professional sports leagues due to past regulatory confusion over misleading marketing claims.

Understanding the Spray Controversy
Certain highly diluted "deer antler sprays" utilized deceptive marketing to falsely mimic the effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)⁹⁷ by highlighting their IGF-1 content. Deer antler velvet is not a PED. Like many animal-derived foods, it naturally contains polypeptides and growth factors.

The Media and Professional Sports Confusion
In 2013, misleading marketing claims generated a media controversy surrounding the use of a deer antler spray by professional athlete Ray Lewis.⁹⁸ This led to confusion within the National Football League (NFL) regarding the natural presence of IGF-1, resulting in a ban based on the false association with synthetic PEDs.⁹⁵ Similarly, Major League Baseball (MLB) instituted restrictions based on the misunderstanding that the supplement contained pharmaceutical testosterone.⁹⁹

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Clarification
Initially, regulatory bodies expressed concern. WADA temporarily warned athletes regarding the substance, which led to the suspension of PGA athlete Vijay Singh. However, Singh and the PGA later settled the dispute after it was determined he was wrongly accused of using a PED.¹⁰⁰ WADA has since removed warnings regarding deer antler velvet from their active banned substance literature.

Government and Medical Misinterpretations
Certain organizations, including the Department of Defense (DoD), have previously issued cautionary statements regarding deer antler velvet based on the presence of growth factors,¹⁰³ failing to recognize that these constituents are a fundamental part of animal and human cellular metabolism.¹⁰² The assertion that supplements are not "real food"¹⁰⁴ directly contradicts the FDA's legal definition of a dietary supplement. Furthermore, the natural occurrence of IGF-1 in everyday animal products (such as milk, eggs, and beef) highlights the logical inconsistency of categorizing a whole-food supplement as a synthetic pharmaceutical intervention.¹⁰⁵¹⁰⁶

Explore our artisan-crafted deer antler velvet liquid extractions and nutrient-dense capsules, formulated to support physical recovery, joint mobility, and systemic structural fortification.

All scientific and industry references contained in above article are for informational purposes only. Dietary supplements do not treat, cure, or manage disease.

Back to Top ↑