What Part of the Deer Is Velvet Antler? The Best Harvest Year, Regrowth After Cutting, and Market Price Per Gram

Velvet antler refers to the young antlers of the male red deer or sika deer, which are rich in vitamins, amino acids and various trace elements. Regular consumption can boost immunity and strengthen the body, giving it extremely high medicinal value. So what part of the deer is velvet antler? In which year is it best to cut? Will it grow back after cutting? What is the market price per gram?

Velvet antler refers to the unossified, fuzzy young antlers of the male sika deer or red deer; the former is commonly called “flower deer velvet” and the latter “red deer velvet.” Because the source animal differs, it can be divided into flower deer velvet (yellow-haired velvet) and red deer velvet (blue-haired velvet); because the harvesting method differs, it is further divided into cut velvet and sawed velvet; and because the number of branches and the degree of maturity differ, it can also be divided into various types such as anzi, ergang, guajiao, sancha, flower cut velvet, and lotus.

In which year is the quality best when cut

Harvest the velvet at the right time. For young male deer, the first harvest is around mid-June. For deer two years old and older, wait until the velvet has grown into the ergang stage, with a concave tip and before the third fork has grown, then cut it; at this point the velvet antler is of good quality and high value.

Generally, the first crop is taken in late June and the second crop in late August. Before harvesting the velvet, an anesthetic should be injected into the rump; a deer weighing 100 kg is typically given a single injection of 0.3 mL of suxamethonium chloride injection; after harvesting, 6 mL of 25% nikethamide injection should be injected promptly. After the anesthetized deer falls to the ground, disinfect the area around the base of the velvet with iodine tincture, and after cutting the velvet, disinfect the velvet stump with iodine tincture again, and mix a hemostatic agent or mashed cijincao (a kind of hemostatic herb) with aged lime and an appropriate amount of fossil bone, then apply it to the velvet stump to stop the bleeding.

Timely processing

1. Blood drainage: Insert an injection needle into the tip of the velvet, and use an air pump to inject air through the needle so that the blood inside the velvet flows out entirely through the stump along the blood vessels. If conditions permit, a blood drainage machine can also be used.

2. Disinfection: Place the velvet antler in a potassium permanganate solution and alkaline water to disinfect it, wash off dust and impurities on the velvet, then use thick embroidery thread to sew several stitches through the outer skin at the velvet stump, to prevent the outer skin from slipping off and affecting quality.

3. Dip-boiling: The purpose is to make the residual congested blood in the velvet flow out, so be careful not to let boiling water enter the stump, to prevent blood clotting and affecting the quality of the velvet antler. Method: Hold the velvet by the stump and dip it into boiling water for 3 seconds, take it out and let it air for a moment, then dip again for 3 seconds, repeating this for 10 minutes; then extend each dip-boiling time to 5 seconds, repeating for 15 minutes; then extend each dip-boiling time to 20 seconds, repeating for 30 minutes. When white foam flows out from the velvet stump, it indicates that the residual blood inside the velvet has been fully drained. Then, shake the velvet and immerse it completely in boiling water, take it out after 5 seconds and let it air for half an hour before cleaning again.

4. Baking: Hang the aired velvet antler in a drying room. On the 1st day the baking temperature is 35-40°C, on the 2nd day 40-45°C, on the 3rd day 45-55°C, with a maximum of no more than 60°C, until thoroughly dried. Finally, wash and disinfect (do not wash the stump area), and after air-drying it is ready for sale.

Velvet antler is a good general tonic for the whole body; it can improve the body's working capacity, improve sleep and appetite, and reduce muscle fatigue. It has a good health-promoting effect on general weakness, symptoms after prolonged illness, and fatigue.

Will it grow back after cutting?

Before cutting the velvet, the deer is anesthetized; in just 30 seconds, a pair of velvet antlers can be sawed off. Once the velvet antler ossifies into a horn, it will fall off and regenerate. Cutting velvet is like cutting chives in a field: after cutting, it will grow again. It can be cut twice a year, both in spring and summer.

After cutting the velvet, there is one most important step. Collect the blood dripping from the velvet antler, then drink this deer blood on the spot. In the eyes of deer farmers, fresh deer blood is a very good tonic, and they even feel that one cup would be too little.

The male deer whose antlers have been cut will have its bleeding stopped for it; half an hour after the anesthesia, it can run and jump around again. Some people in the village say, “Cutting deer antlers is just like trimming fingernails.”

Latest market price:

In the market, the price of velvet antler is calculated by the gram, and there are many types of velvet antler. Here we will talk about the price of Jilin velvet antler slices. For this kind of velvet antler slice, the price per 10 g is five to six hundred yuan; this refers to first-grade product. The price of second-grade product is a bit cheaper, around three to five hundred; below that is third-grade product, only one to three hundred; below that is fourth-grade product, which cannot be cheaper than this, and I believe everyone will not buy this variety either, so I will not mention it. This kind of price is rather chaotic. For sika deer, a 20 g box costs around 250; buying online, stores basically fluctuate around this price, and the specific price will not change much.

Efficacy and effects:

1. Boosting immunity: Velvet antler has the effect of invigorating and improving body functions, and has a good health-promoting effect on patients with general weakness and after prolonged illness. Moreover, velvet antler can improve the body's cellular immunity and humoral immune function, and therefore acts as an immune booster.

2. Lowering blood pressure: Velvet antler is the best medicinal material for patients with high blood pressure and can effectively lower blood pressure. Related experiments have shown that a large amount of pantocrine can slow the heart rate and reduce the amplitude of heart contraction, while also dilating peripheral blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

3. Strengthening the body: The pantocrine contained in velvet antler can improve the human body's working capacity, improve sleep and appetite, and also help reduce muscle fatigue, and can significantly increase oxygen consumption in tissues such as the brain, liver, and kidneys.

4. Supplementing qi and blood: Velvet antler has the effect of benefiting essence; when essence is abundant, it can transform into qi and produce blood. The tonic medicines seen in daily life, such as Shenrong Guben Pills, Ronggui Baibu Pills, and Butian Dazao Pills, all contain velvet antler ingredients, and can also effectively treat symptoms such as headache and bleeding gums.

5. Strengthening the heart and restoring the pulse: Velvet antler has the effect of strengthening the heart and restoring the pulse. A medium dose of velvet antler preparation can increase arterial blood flow, enhance the heart's contractile force, accelerate heart rate, and increase the heart's contraction amplitude, thereby improving cardiac stroke volume and minute output.

Introduction to ways to eat it:

1. Soaking in liquor: Add velvet antler slices to white liquor of more than 50 degrees and soak for a period of time, then it can be drunk; other medicinal materials can also be added as needed and soaked together. However, the velvet antler used for soaking in liquor must be raw slices, as this medicinal liquor is more effective.

2. Grinding into powder: If you have no time to soak in liquor or make soup, there is another way to solve everyone's troubles. That is to grind velvet antler into fine powder, and before going to sleep at night, take the velvet powder with liquor or salt boiled water; it is convenient and also has a very good effect.

3. Cooking: Add velvet antler and other medicinal materials to chicken, duck, goose, or pork, etc., and simmer slowly over low heat; drinking the soup also has a strong tonic effect. Moreover, not only can it be made into soup, velvet antler can also be crushed into powder and added to other dishes.

4. Making porridge: Cooking velvet antler into porridge is a relatively ideal dietary therapy method. Velvet antler can be combined with other tonic drugs, paired with rice and grains, and with appropriate seasonings added, cooked together into porridge for tonic consumption.

5. Swallowing: After drying velvet antler, process it into powder form, put it into prepared empty capsules, place them in a sealed container, and keep it in a cool, ventilated place; take 1 to 2 capsules each time with plain boiled water. The powder can also be placed directly in the mouth and taken with other medicinal liquids or warm boiled water.

What are the taboos for eating velvet antler?

1. People with symptoms of “five centers scorching with vexation” and yin deficiency should avoid eating it.

2. People with excessive internal heat, such as dark yellow urine, dry and painful throat, and excessive thirst, should avoid eating it.

3. People who often have nosebleeds, or women with heavy menstrual flow, bright red blood, red tongue and thin pulse, showing blood heat, should avoid eating it.

4. People with headache, nasal congestion, fever and aversion to cold, and cough with much phlegm during a cold should avoid eating it.

5. People with high blood pressure who often have dizziness, unsteady walking, and strong liver fire with irritability should avoid eating it.

6. People with sudden various acute infections or severe pain should avoid eating it.

Who is suitable to eat it?

1. Middle-aged and elderly people

Middle-aged men and elderly people with poor constitution can eat velvet antler to supplement qi and blood, strengthen the heart and restore the pulse, resolve stasis and promote tissue regeneration, and strengthen tendons and bones.

2. People who are afraid of cold

People who are afraid of cold often have yang deficiency, and velvet antler is exactly the right warm-natured tonic.

3. People with declining sexual function

Velvet antler can restore and promote vitality and sexual function, and mainly treats symptoms such as insufficient kidney yang, sore waist and back, spontaneous emission and spermatorrhea, and frequent urination.

4. Middle-aged and young people who are overfatigued

Velvet antler has effects such as generating essence and supplementing marrow, strengthening the brain and calming the spirit, and enhancing human immunity. It is suitable for people with insufficient essence and blood, dizziness and tinnitus, insomnia and forgetfulness, spontaneous sweating, and anemia.

5. People with ulcers

Velvet antler has an excellent effect of promoting tissue regeneration and reducing inflammation.

6. Middle-aged women

Velvet antler can treat gynecological diseases such as coldness and deficiency of the uterus, abnormal uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, postpartum anemia, and infertility due to a cold uterus.