A ntler velvet is the name given to "young" antlers because they are covered in soft fury velvet. These newly forming antlers are made up ofcartilage and contain blood vessels and nerves. It takes around 16 weeks for antlers to reach full maturity, and at the end of this growth cycle antlers will be actual bone. Deer will scrape the velvet off of their antlers once fully grown to expose the hard bone.
Deer cast off and regenerate new antlers every year. Antlers are typically cast off at the end of winter with regrowth beginning in early spring. Antlers are the only mammalian organ that regenerates annually, unlike horns, which are permanent. Only members of the deer family, or cervids, have antlers. This includes elk, caribou, reindeer, and moose.
Velvet Deer Antler has been used in oriental medicine for centuries to increase sexual desire and improve sexual performance. Body builders have used Velvet Deer Antler to boost stamina and help maintain muscle health. Deer antler is harvested from deer's raised on ranches. At the ideal time of the year, the antlers are removed and specially processed to make the natural components bio available to the human body.
The antler is dried and used in ancient medicine for a health remedy and health maintenance purposes. Ancient Chinces Herbalists used Deer Antler as an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, immune stimulant, and pro-growth agent.
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include White-tailed deer, Elk, Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Male deer of all species, except the Chinese Water deer, and female Reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope; these are in the same order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance.
Is deer-antler-velvet harvesting humane?
You might be surprised: The process of harvesting deer-antler-velvet is handled with utmost care, much like a veterinary surgical procedure. The animals are carefully selected and pampered for the quality of their antlers and they are returned to pasture the same day as the harvest. Everything is designed with the deer's comfort and safety in mind.
When the antlers are harvested, a licensed vet must be present or supervise the harvest through a certified farmer licensed to remove the deer-antler-velvet. Before removal, the stags are required to be carefully handled to reduce stress.They're given a sedative to protect both the deer and the handler, as well, a local anesthesia is administered before removal of the antler.
In North America, farmers and ranchers raise approximately 110,000 elk, the largest of the deer family. Historically, the velvet antler harvested by North American farmers has been exported to Asian countries. As the natural foods and dietary supplement market has expanded in the U.S., farmers have turned their attention to the domestic market. Association headquarters is in Platte City, Mo.Copies of the scientific report on velvet antler are available from the NAEBA office.From: North American Elk Breeders Association
There are two different types of muscular hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar. During sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell increases with no accompanying increase in muscular strength. During myofibrillar hypertrophy, actin and myosin contractile proteins increase in number and add to muscular strength as well as a small increase in the size of the muscle. The positive benefits of Deer Antler can help with both sarcoplasmic and myofirbillar muscle building.
Each of the two phases can contribute to muscle damage. Muscle swelling, as a result of fluid accumulation and immune cell delivery, occurs almost immediately after exercise. This swelling typically lasts 3-4 days but may take as many as 7 to subside. This swelling is associated with muscle stiffness and a decreased range of motion. The muscle recovery benefits of Deer Antler target this phase of your workout: it's geared towards helping the muscle swelling subside more efficiently, allowing you to pick up the exercise faster.
Deer velvet antler has been highly regarded in traditional oriental medicine for two thousand years. It is consumed regularly by people of Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong as a highly prized medicinal drug to treat blood loss, weakness, and chronic joint pain. Scientific studies in Canada and New Zealand are now verifying the health benefits of this important supplement.
The various components of antler velvet are listed below with a brief description of each. In isolation, each of these ingredients carries its own benefits, but with deer antler velvet the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts:
Extracellular proteins abundant in the skin, bone, cartilage, tendon, and teeth. Strong fibers that serve as connective tissue between cells. Think of collagen as the glue that holds everything (cells) together.
The building blocks of cartilage (chondro = cartilage). Helps repair damaged cartilage, regrow new cartilage, and maintain healthy joints. Found abundantly in deer antler velvet.
A component of chondroitin sulfate. Very important factor in rebuilding and maintaining connective tissue throughout the body. Glucosamine supplements marketed to help ease joint problems have become very popular.
Growth Hormones and Growth Factors
Insulin-like growth factors IGF-1 and IGF-2. Deer antler velvet contains these two growth factors, but more importantly provides the body with the raw materials and precursors necessary to increase its own growth hormone production. Studies have revealed that IGF-1 improves the absorption of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate.
Major structural fats most of our cellular membranes are made of.
Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sulphur, sodium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and cobalt.
Amino Acids (including all 8 essential)
Linolenic Acid (essential fatty acid)
The impressive list of substances found in deer antler velvet work synergistically to help the body regenerate and revitalize itself. While you could supplement with each substance listed above on its own, consuming them in the combination nature intended provides the most healing benefits and results.
Disclaimer: This website is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein we are not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative or conventional treatment regime, it is advisible to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.