MODERN RESEARCH Contents The Science behind Deer Velvet Immune System Arthritis & Rheumatism Osteoporosis Anemia Athletic Performance Memory Enhancement Anti-aging Sexual Functions Toxicology The Science behind Deer Velvet Modern scientific studies on deer velvet begun in the USSR in 1932. Over a period of over 40 years, an extensive literature was accumulated on the composition and health benefits of velvet products, particularly on an alcohol extract of deer velvet called pantocrine. These Russian studies consisted initially of tests on small animals, followed by extensive clinical testing. Research on deer velvet also begun in Japan in the 1930's and has been conducted since then in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada. Over the last 10 years, the New Zealand deer industry has spent several million dollars researching deer velvet's properties and the health benefits they can provide to consumers. In vitro (test tube studies) is usually the first step in testing a new pharmaceutical drug for registration. If the drug showed promise, animal testing is then used to assess both safety and efficacy. While animal testing has remained controversial, no drug can ever be tested on people unless it has been shown to be safe on animals. Once these issues are settled, clinical trials will follow. While a large body of deer velvet research are conducted in vitro or on animals, there are also many completed and ongoing clinical trials. A large number of studies on the health benefits of deer velvet seeks to prove or disprove traditional claims on deer velvet. Some of the therapeutic claims made on deer velvet are given below. Included are a small selection of supporting research results.  Top Immune System Available data in 1999 indicates that approximately 34-40% of Americans are in an immunocompromised state of health. These individuals are more likely to be affected by pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Deer velvet is traditionally used to strengthen the body's immune system. It is also believed useful for recuperation from illness when the body is in a weakened state. Wang (1996) showed that deer velvet extracts can stimulate the function of macrophages in both normal and immune-deficient mice. Macrophages ("big eater" cells) are responsible for removing foreign bodies, including bacteria from the cells. Research conducted at the Invermay Research Institute in NZ (1998) showed that treating human white blood cells with extracts of NZ deer velvet stimulated the immune system, as measured by increased production of white blood cells. This response, immunopotentiation in scientific terms, is the body's defense mechanism against "intruder" bugs.   Top Arthritis & Rheumatism There are many types of arthritis, but the most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, most senior members of our society suffer from some degree of rheumatism. Osteoarthritis affects the bone and may be accompanied by severe inflammation. It is often regarded as a "wear and tear" disease, but this is not the case. Exercise in fact can help prevent this condition. It is characterized by the loss of joint cartilage and the abnormal growth of bone in the margins. It can also cause pain and stiffness. Rheumatoid arthritis is a auto-immune disease where the immune system attacks the joint tissues. It is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, stiffness, and pain in joints and muscles. It usually affects the hands, wrists, knees and feet, and can cause swelling and deformity. This condition recurs unpredictably, usually triggered by an allergen. Each new attack can lead to increasing disability. Rheumatism is any painful disorder of joints, muscles or connective tissues. It is believed to be an inevitable sign of aging and usually afflicts the elderly. Painkillers and anti-inflammatories are the standard treatment options for arthritis. Unfortunately, they treat the symptoms, not the root cause of the problem. They have severe side effects and can lead to a faster progression of the problems they are supposed to treat. Severe osteoarthritis may require surgery. Exercise and nutrition can help prevent arthritis. Deer velvet provides a nutritionally-dense source of bone and joint nutrients that can help relieve many forms of arthritis. Deer velvet contains chondroitin, glucosamine and collagen II. Clinical trials have shown that these substances are capable not only of alleviating pain, but of repairing damaged joints. Deer velvet also contains natural anti-inflammatories. Best of all, deer velvet does not have any adverse side effects. Scientific studies have confirmed the anti-inflammatory properties of deer velvet. The beneficial effects of deer velvet on cartilage formation have also been investigated. Yudin and Dobryakov (1974) concluded that alcohol extracts of deer velvet showed strong anti- inflammatory activity. Wang (1996) was able to isolate a potent anti-inflammatory component from deer velvet. AgResearch (1996) tested NZ deer velvet for anti-inflammatory efficacy using an in vivo bioassay of inflamed mouse tissues. The study showed that deer velvet to be as good or better than dexamethasone, a corticosteroid used for suppressing inflammation. Many Western pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs alleviate pain by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins, yet deer velvet is known to contain this compound. Prostaglandins have many important functions including exerting protective effects on gastrointestinal linings. While many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), including the second generation products, are known to cause stomach ulcers, deer velvet exerts a protective influence on stomach linings. The anti-inflammatory properties of deer velvet make it potentially useful for treating rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatism. A large scale clinical study is being conducted at The University of Alberta in Canada to determine the efficacy of elk velvet in treating rheumatoid arthritis. A pilot study has shown that taking elk velvet is safe and do not interfere with the patient's existing therapy. Zhou et al (1999) have shown that a poplypeptide (a special protein) from deer velvet accelerates fracture healing in laboratory mice by stimulating bone and cartilage formation. Bone contains cartilage; cartilage imparts flexibility to bone. New bone material has a higher cartilage component than mature bone. Any substance that helps cartilage formation is therefore important for both healthy joints and strong bones.   Top Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a health problem that has attracted a lot of attention lately. This medical condition is caused by the thinning of the bones, leading to increased risk of fractures, back pain and general weakness. This complex problem is believed to have many causes, including an unhealthy diet, smoking and excess consumption of alcohol, softdrinks and coffee. Post- menopausal women are more susceptible due to a reduction in estrogen. Fracture healing involves the formation of new bone cells. Thus, any substance that can accelerate fracture healing could potentially be useful for strengthening bones. Dr. G. Mundy of the University of Texas has been studying deer antler formation and osteoporosis. He has identified numerous bone growth regulating peptides in deer velvet that could eventually lead to new treatment options for osteoporosis. The removal of the ovaries from female rats can be used to simulate post-menopausal conditions. These ovariectomized rats will rapidly loose bone density. This can be reversed by the administration of synthetic estrogen. Ahn et al (1994) showed that this can also be prevented by treating the affected rats with a water extract of NZ deer velvet. In a follow-up study, Shim & Ahn (1999) studied the bone density of ovariectomized and ovary intact rats. They found that the bone density fell in the ovariectomized rats, but another group of ovariectomized rats who were treated with deer velvet have bone densities very close to those of the ovary intact rats. Both studies showed the bone protective effects of deer velvet.   Top Anemia Deer velvet is capable of increasing the number of red blood cells in both anemic and normal individuals. Deer velvet can normalize blood cell counts without the need for the iron supplements commonly prescribed for anemic patients. Many anemic patients have difficulty absorbing iron. For normal individuals, more red blood cells means more energy and improved endurance. This is of benefit to most people, especially athletes. Song (1970) studied the blood building effects of deer velvet extracts by measuring radioactive iron incorporation by the red blood cells of starved and fed rabbits. The results showed that the group treated with deer velvet extract showed a higher iron intake than the control group. The blood parameters of the treated group were also raised above normal, indicating a possible performance enhancing effect. Kim et al (undated) studied the effects of velvet from four species of deer on the treatment of anemia on rabbits. Anemia was induced by a single injection of a chemical agent. When the anemia was most severe, they were treated with aqueous deer velvet extracts. All five groups of rabbits (including the untreated ones) recovered. All deer velvet extracts speed up recovery from anemia and were all able to raise erythrocyte number, haemoglobin and packed volume over the resting level. Again, the result showed a possible performance enhancing effect.   Top Athletic Performance Yudin and Dobyrakov (1974) found that alcohol extracts of deer velvet improved the time a healthy athlete was able to hold a static load above a gymnasium bench. They also found treated athletes increased their dynamic work output 4-5 fold compared to the control group. Taneeva (quoted by Brekhman, undated) tested alcohol extracts of deer velvet on 50 male athletes running 3000 m. Interesting improvement was noted for all participants. Gerard and Sleivert (1998) conducted a double-blind study on 24 physical education students. The group taking NZ deer velvet showed almost twice the improvement of the control group in the amount of work they were able to do in a strength test. The treated group also lose more body fat than the control group. No bulking up of muscles was noted in either group. With these positive results, NZ deer velvet was offered to three promising NZ athletes for trial. Swimmer Trent Bray became NZ best-performed swimmer for 1999 and in the process broke all his personal records. He has since retired from competitive swimming. Hamish Carter is the world's top-ranked triathlete in 1998 and 1999. He has recently reclaimed his world no. 1 ranking. Single sculler Rob Waddell was the world champion in 1998 and 1999. He won NZ's only gold medal at the Sydney Olympics. A follow-up study conducted at the University of Otago in 1999 attempted to study NZ deer velvet on two fronts - improved performance and endurance in response to training, and improved recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. In the first part of this study, 51 athletes undertook a 12-week period of supervised training. The group taking deer velvet powder showed greater improvement in isokinetic strength and muscular endurance than the control and deer velvet extract group. In the second part, 30 athletes in the trial run downhill on a treadmill to induce muscle tissue damage in the front of their thighs. Athletes who took NZ deer velvet powder for two weeks showed less muscle damage. They also reported a recovery from muscle soreness 24 hours earlier than those who took either a placebo or a deer velvet extract. These two clinical trials showed the strong potential of deer velvet as a sports supplements. They also showed the safety of using a high dosage of 1.5 g of deer velvet powder per day. This dosage has been increased to 2.7 g for the new clinical trials being conducted at the University of Tennessee. This ongoing study seeks to provide stronger scientific validation for deer velvet's benefits on athletes. Awareness of the benefits of deer velvet is very high among NZ athletes and the results from recent studies have only confirmed what many athletes know from experience.   Top Memory Enhancement There is a widespread belief in the Orient that deer velvet improves mental capacity. Taneeva (1969) tested the ability of his subjects to make specific editorial corrections to text before and after consuming an alcoholic drink. One group was given only alcohol, the other two were given alcohol extracts of deer velvet of different strength. The results showed a significant improvement in the deer velvet groups that is dose-related. Wang (1996) theorized that a phospholipid in deer velvet is responsible for memory enhancement. He purified this and showed that it alone, rather than the whole deer velvet, improved the memory of mice to respond to a specific stimulus.   Top Anti-aging In the Orient, longevity is one of life's primary goal. To prove that a substance can contribute to longevity is much more difficult. Wang et al (1998) studied this problem using senescence-advanced mice (SAM), a model for senility, and normal mice. He showed that a hot water extract of deer velvet can significantly improve several parameters associated with senility. The effects are particularly significant in the SAM strain, suggesting that the extract may exert an anti-aging effect. Pharmacologist Dr. Stephen Fulder reported that there are numerous clinical trials in Russia where Siberian ginseng and alcohol extracts of deer velvet were used to treat the elderly. Improvement in sleep, memory, mood and drive were noted in one study. Brekhman noted that among the adaptogens that he had studied, pantocrine (an alcohol extract of deer velvet) has the most noticeable effects on the elderly. Studies at the Invermay Research Institute in NZ have shown that deer velvet contains many types of growth factors. Growth factors, which the body produces from the human growth hormone (HGH), are present in large amounts when we are young and gradually decrease as we get older. A deficiency in these growth factors has been linked to the many problems of aging - obesity, reduced lean muscle mass, reduced bone density and impaired functioning of various organs. The presence of these growth factors in deer velvet could partly explain its anti-aging effects.   Top Sexual Functions According to Pharmacologist Stephen Fulder, the alcohol extract of deer velvet "can be of considerable help both to those who are potent but sexually exausted, and to those who are impotent and wish they could be sexually exausted". Fulder must be speaking from tradition, as there is no scientific study to date verifying these ancient claims. However, deer velvet have remained unchallenged as Chinese medicine's most popular sexual tonic. The effects of deer velvet extracts on patients with sexual disorders have been widely documented by Russian researchers. It now replaces panax ginseng for this application area and is regarded as the most effective known remedy for impotence and lack of libido. Deer velvet is widely used to treat impotence in China. It is an important ingredient in many patent medicine for this problem. However, deer velvet is not only for men. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a standard treatment in the West for problems associated with menopause. While helpful to many women, it has been linked to increased risk to some types of cancer. In Russia, alcohol extracts of deer velvet are officially recommended for menopausal problems, as well as for delayed and abnormal menstrual cycle. Many users of deer velvet have reported diminished symptoms of premenstrual pain. Deer velvet appears to have a profound strengthening and balancing effect upon the hormonal systems of both men and women. However, deer velvet is more than just a sexual tonic. Today, many users would attest that deer velvet has help them with their arthritis, rheumatism or anemia, and increased sexual energy is just a side issue, a very pleasant one at that.   Top Toxicology In over two thousand years of traditional use, there had been no report of any adverse side effects of deer velvet consumption. Recent toxicogy studies conducted at the University of Otago in NZ are a further confirmation of the safety of deer velvet as a food supplement. The first study showed that deer velvet is not toxic in rats at a single high dose of 2g/Kg. It is also not toxic in rats at a dose of 1g/Kg for 90 days. The experimental rats showed no treatment-related toxicological or histopathological abnormalities in either case. This provides confidence that any potential accumulation of active constituents from deer velvet consumption does not lead to toxicity. The doses used were far greater than any doses anticipated for human consumption. NZ deer velvet was tested for reproductive and developmental toxicity in a follow-up study. A dosage of 1g/Kg was used on pregnant Wistar rats. The results showed no apparent maternal, reproductive or developmental toxicity. Deer velvet powder has no effect on conception rate. Pregnant female rats gave birth normally to normal pups for both treated and untreated rats. Thus it is likely that no reproductive or developmental toxicological risk would occur with the doses of deer velvet commonly consumed by humans. Dr. Peter Yoon, a Korean doctor of Oriental medicine, says that overdosing with deer velvet will not cause serious illness or have a toxic effect. In large quantities, it may result in a feeling of unease or a mildly upset stomach with people to which it is unsuited.   Top

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Last Updated: 1 July 2002