Eastern Medicine - Deer Antler Velvet

AN ANCIENT HEALTH DISCOVERY FROM THE EAST

The Health Food for All Reasons

Perhaps more than any other type of medicine, Eastern medicine is shrouded in mystery and ancient beliefs. Yet, it has been keeping Asians well for over 10,000 years and fundamental to its practice is the use of velvet antler. Philosophically, the basis of ancient Eastern medicine revolves around a balance of two cosmic forces known as Yin and Yang. These cosmic forces are said to control all natural phenomena and life processes. Both of these forces tend to produce an ideal state within the body and, of course, even within the universe, provided they are in balance and in harmony.

Traditional Eastern medicine is designed to keep these two forces in balance and in doing so prevents ill health, which is said to be the result of severe imbalance. While this is certainly a simplistic and perhaps unscientific approach to disease and medicine, it is interesting to note that many of the herbs and animal products used in Eastern medicine have recently been discovered to have potent healing and immune stimulating properties.

The most important animal in Eastern medicine is the deer or elk because it is this animal that has the greatest Yang energy. Wouldn't you know, the most prized part of the deer is the antler velvet. In fact, the herbal medicine known as velvet antler was first called The Pearl in the Brow of the Deer by Tsao Kany Mu, and appeared in the publication known as the Eastern Medical Compendium.

Dr. Peter Yoon, a highly regarded doctor of medicine in Seoul, South Korea, states that the deer is recognized as the lucky animal which brings us health and longevity. According to Dr. Yoon, the tradition is that the god of longevity lives deep in the mountains and eats medicinal plants like  ginseng and is always accompanied by a spotted deer. It is further interesting to note that in the Eastern philosophy of Yin and Yang, Yang controls energy (Qui). It is the Qui force which carries the blood throughout the body, and the most potent Yang animal product is the velvet antler.

The first written record of the use of velvet antler was shown in a book entitled Sen Nog Bon Cao Jing, from the Hun Dynasty, 206 BC to 200 AD. However, the use of velvet antler goes back 10,000 years to the Eastern cultures. For practical purposes, the traditional use of velvet for specific health purposes dates back 2,000 years. Interestingly enough, even European and English medications made from velvet antler date back well before the 1700s and Cora Indian tribes of northern Mexico ate antler scrapings as late as the 1920s. The velvet antler is also a highly prized medicinal drug used by the peoples of Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Currently, the major producers of velvet antler are Korea, New Zealand, China, Russia, Mongolia and, more recently, the United States. According to traditional Eastern medicinal use, a description appears in Pharmacology and Applications of Eastern Materia Medica by professor Hson-Mon Chang, Ph.D., in which he attests that antler brings power to the root source of the human body's energy: the kidney function. It also helps the body process energy quickly and efficiently while strengthening the organs of endurance; specifically, helping improve lung function, stamina, kidneys, bone, muscle, and blood components. Antler has also traditionally been used to help treat blood loss, weakness, and chronic joint pain.

Excerpt adapted from: Velvet Deer Antler: The Ultimate Antiaging Supplement by Dr. Alex Duarte, 2000.