Home Ingredients Velvet Antler (Deer/Elk)
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Velvet Antler (Deer/Elk)

Cervus elaphus (red deer/elk antler velvet)
Evidence Level
Preliminary
3 Clinical Trials
4 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Velvet antler is a traditional supplement made from the soft, growing antler of deer or elk, used in East Asian medicine as a tonic for vitality, joint and bone support, recovery, and athletic performance. It contains collagen, growth factors, and minerals, and is marketed especially to athletes, though human evidence is limited and mixed. Doses depend on the product and standardization. Velvet antler is generally reported as well tolerated, but because it contains growth factors such as IGF-1, it is banned in some sports, and those with hormone-sensitive conditions should be cautious; choose tested products and check with a doctor. Sourcing deserves a word, because this is animal tissue rather than a plant extract or a purified molecule. Velvet is cut from the growing antler of live farmed red deer or elk, mainly in New Zealand, China, Russia and Korea, and the cut is an amputation of living, innervated tissue. New Zealand law classes velvet removal as a painful and significant surgical procedure that may only be done with pain relief, by a veterinarian or by a farmer certified under a national velvetting standards scheme; oversight elsewhere is less transparent, so anyone who cares about animal welfare should ask where the velvet came from. Deer and elk can also carry chronic wasting disease, and infectious prions have been found in the antler velvet of affected elk, which is a further reason to buy only from herds and countries with active disease surveillance.

Studied Dose Athletic: 1.5-1.6 g/day or 560 mg/day; TCM: 0.3-1 g/day powdered; these doses were studied, not shown to work, and trials found no benefit.
Active Compound Velvet antler complex — collagen, glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid), growth factors (IGF-1 at low levels), polypeptides, minerals, gangliosides, prostaglandins.

Benefits

Single small trial: knee extensor strength (with caveats)

One small RCT in active males found the deer antler velvet powder group showed greater isokinetic knee extensor strength gain (30% vs 13% placebo) and endurance (21% vs 7%) after 10 weeks of strength training, but 6RM strength improved equivalently in all groups. The authors flagged this as a possible chance finding due to multiple comparisons and an inconsistent pattern, and it has not been clearly replicated. It was in fact contradicted by the next trial: 46 rowers taking 560 mg a day through 10 weeks of training gained VO2max and leg and bench press strength and cut their 2000 m times no differently from placebo. An independent systematic review of all seven randomized trials of deer and elk velvet antler concluded that the claims made for these supplements are not based on rigorous human research.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Joint health/cartilage support (preclinical, traditional use)

Velvet antler contains glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid) and collagen — components relevant to joint cartilage — and is used in TCM for joint pain and arthritis. However, two rheumatoid arthritis trials showed no significant difference vs placebo for symptoms, concluding elk velvet does not effectively manage residual RA symptoms. Of the seven randomized trials an independent systematic review was able to find, only two reported any positive effect and the reviewers judged both unconvincing, although they allowed that osteoarthritis may have some promise. The clearest positive joint result on record is in dogs, not people, and the animal and cell work uses an isolated velvet antler polypeptide fraction rather than the whole powder sold to consumers. Joint benefits remain speculative, and no trial has shown velvet antler to relieve joint symptoms in people in a way that survived independent review.

Supported by Trial 3, Trial 1

Not supported: testosterone/IGF-1 boosting claims

Marketing emphasizes IGF-1 and testosterone effects, but multiple trials have shown no change in serum total/free testosterone or IGF-1 vs placebo, and no endocrine, red cell mass, or VO2max changes. Trials in rowers found no significant hormonal differences between velvet antler and placebo. The endocrine boost claims are not supported by rigorous human RCTs. A separate 12 week trial in 32 men aged 45 to 65 also found no change in sex-related hormones and no improvement in sexual function versus placebo. Three facts belong together here. Velvet antler is marketed on its IGF-1 content. IGF-1 is prohibited in sport at all times, so a product sold for its IGF-1 can put a drug-tested athlete at risk of a positive test even though velvet antler itself is not named on the prohibited list, and an anti-doping laboratory has confirmed human pharmaceutical IGF-1, an adulterant, in four of six commercial deer antler velvet products it analysed. And the controlled trials measured IGF-1 and testosterone directly and found no change. The marketing claim and the doping risk both rest on an effect the trials did not find, so a tested athlete can take on real regulatory risk in exchange for a benefit the research has not demonstrated.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 1

Anti-fatigue (animal evidence; limited human)

Animal studies show velvet antler extracts reduce fatigue markers and increase swimming endurance times. Mechanism speculatively involves multi-component effects on stress response, mitochondrial function, and possibly mild adaptogenic activity. Human translation is thinner than the marketing implies. The 2012 systematic review of randomized human trials of velvet antler found trials for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sexual function and sporting performance, and none testing fatigue. Human fatigue trials have appeared since, but they test branded, enzymatically produced deer velvet extracts rather than plain velvet antler powder, and they were run with the manufacturers involved: an 8 week trial in 100 adults with chronic fatigue reported lower fatigue scores and a longer distance to exhaustion, though the exercise result only reached significance after outliers were removed, and a separate 8 week trial in 120 healthy adults aged 40 to 70 reported higher natural killer cell activity. Neither has been independently repeated. It is also worth knowing that the deer antler review most often quoted for anti-fatigue effects, including on this page, is about deer antler base, the bony base of the antler, rather than the soft velvet that supplements are made from.

Supported by Trial 3, Trial 2

Mechanism of action

1

Growth factors (IGF-1, BMP, TGF-β) — bioavailability uncertain

Fresh velvet antler tissue contains growth factors involved in rapid antler regeneration (one of the fastest-growing tissues in any mammal, up to 2 cm/day). IGF-1 levels in raw antler can be substantial. However, oral bioavailability of polypeptide growth factors is essentially zero — they are denatured/digested in stomach. Clinical effects (when observed) cannot be attributed to direct growth factor activity. Marketing emphasizing growth factors is mechanistically implausible for oral supplementation.

2

Glycosaminoglycans and collagen peptides

After hydrolysis, velvet antler proteins yield amino acids, dipeptides, and tripeptides — including collagen-derived peptides (similar to collagen supplements). Chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid components may produce joint health effects similar to those supplements. This mechanism is more plausible for any genuine clinical effect than the growth factor hypothesis.

3

Adaptogenic/stress-modulating activity (speculative)

Russian/Korean traditional medicine researchers proposed velvet antler has adaptogenic effects analogous to Eleutherococcus or Rhodiola. Mechanism unclear; may involve HPA axis modulation. Human evidence sparse.

4

Anti-inflammatory polypeptides

Some isolated velvet antler peptides demonstrate anti-inflammatory effects in cell culture. Clinical relevance for oral supplements unclear given digestion of peptides into individual amino acids.

Clinical trials

1
Velvet Antler in Male Athletes

Double-blind randomized controlled trial (Sleivert G, Burke V, Palmer C, Walmsley A, Gerrard D, Haines S, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 13(3):251-265).

38 active males randomly assigned to deer antler velvet extract (n=12), velvet antler powder (n=13), or placebo (n=13). 10-week strength training program. Measured testosterone, IGF-1, EPO, RBC mass, plasma volume, total blood volume, muscular strength/endurance, VO2max.

ALL groups improved 6RM strength equivalently (~41%, p<.001). Powder group showed greater isokinetic knee extensor strength gain (30% vs 13%, p=.04) and endurance (21% vs 7%, p=.02) than placebo. NO endocrine, RBC mass, or VO2max changes in any group. Authors explicitly noted findings 'do not support an erythropoetic or aerobic ergogenic effect' and warned that further work is required 'to ensure this observation is not a type I error.' The single 'positive' finding for velvet antler athletic effects — but with major caveats from the authors themselves.

2
Elk Velvet Antler in Rowers (Negative)

Randomized controlled trial (Syrotuik DG, MacFadyen KL, Harber VJ, Bell GJ 2005, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 15(4):366-385).

46 male and female rowers (25 male + 21 female) ingested either elk velvet antler 560 mg/d or placebo during 10 weeks of training. VO2max, 2000m rowing time, leg/bench press strength measured. Serum hormones measured before and 5/60 min after simulated 2000m race.

VO2max and strength increased and 2000m times decreased similarly (p<0.05) with training in both groups. NO significant difference between EVA and placebo for any hormonal response. Testosterone (males) and growth hormone (both genders) elevated 5 min after simulated race in both groups but returned to baseline at 60 min. Confirms NO erythropoietic or hormonal effects of elk velvet antler. Strong negative finding for athletic performance claims.

3
Elk Velvet for Rheumatoid Arthritis (Negative)

Randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Allen M, Oberle K, Grace M, Russell A, Adewale AJ 2008, Biological Research for Nursing 9(3):254-261). Six month trial in patients with stage 2 to 3 rheumatoid arthritis who still had symptoms after standard treatment.

168 rheumatoid arthritis patients randomized to elk velvet antler or placebo, with comprehensive measures of RA symptoms, disability, joint count, biomarkers.

NO significant differences in RA symptoms or biomarkers between elk velvet and placebo groups. Authors concluded: 'Elk velvet does not effectively manage residual symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.' An earlier phase II trial in 40 rheumatoid arthritis patients had likewise found no significant difference in health status between elk velvet antler and placebo at one month, and its authors concluded that the supplement could at least be taken safely alongside arthritis medication. Together with the negative athletic performance trials, the cumulative controlled human evidence does not support velvet antler for its major marketed indications.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Generally well-tolerated at studied doses; few adverse events reported. Worth knowing that the trials behind this were short, the longest ran six months, and most were designed to test whether velvet antler worked rather than to characterise its long term safety.
Mild GI upset, nausea at high doses.
Allergic reactions: rare but possible.
Anti-doping risk for tested athletes. Velvet antler itself is not named on the WADA Prohibited List, but IGF-1 is prohibited at all times, velvet antler is sold on its IGF-1 content, and WADA has urged athletes to be extremely vigilant with these products because they could lead to a positive test. This is not hypothetical: an anti-doping laboratory that analysed six commercial deer antler velvet supplements confirmed human pharmaceutical IGF-1, an adulterant rather than a natural deer protein, in four of them. Without laboratory testing there is no way to know what is in a given product, so drug-tested athletes are generally advised to avoid it.
Pregnancy/lactation: insufficient safety data; avoid.
Hormonal cancers: theoretical concern though not demonstrated in trials. Animal-source risk: velvet antler is cervid tissue, and researchers have detected infectious prions in the antler velvet of elk affected by chronic wasting disease, noting that people who consume antler velvet as a supplement are at risk of exposure. No human illness has ever been traced to a velvet antler supplement, but it is a reason to prefer velvet from herds and countries under active chronic wasting disease surveillance and to avoid product with no traceable origin.

Important Drug interactions

Anticoagulants: theoretical bleeding concern with high-dose velvet antler.
Hormone-sensitive cancer treatments: avoid given growth factor claims (even if effects unsupported).
Diabetes medications: theoretical effects on insulin signaling unclear.
Most medications: no clinically documented interactions.
WADA prohibited list status — velvet antler itself is not named on the Prohibited List, but IGF-1 is banned at all times and velvet antler is marketed as an IGF-1 source, so drug-tested athletes should treat these products as high risk and check with their national anti-doping authority before using one.

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Frequently asked questions about Velvet Antler (Deer/Elk)

What is deer velvet antler used for?

Velvet antler is a traditional supplement made from the soft, growing antler of deer or elk, used in East Asian medicine for vitality, joint support, recovery, and athletic performance. It contains collagen, growth factors, and minerals.

What is velvet antler good for?

It is traditionally used as a tonic for energy, strength, joint and bone health, and recovery, and is marketed to athletes. The human evidence does not back this up. Controlled trials found no effect on rowing performance, on hormones, on sexual function or on rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, and a systematic review of all seven randomized trials concluded the claims are not based on rigorous human research.

How much velvet antler should I take?

Doses depend on the product and standardization; follow product labeling. It is used as a powder or extract. For reference, the controlled trials used 560 mg a day in rowers and 215 mg capsules, up to six a day, in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Those trials found no benefit, and the one trial that did report a strength effect flagged it as possibly a chance finding, so no dose has been reliably shown to work.

Is velvet antler safe?

It is generally reported as well tolerated. Because it is sold on its IGF-1 content and IGF-1 is prohibited in sport at all times, drug-tested athletes are advised to avoid it, even though velvet antler itself is not named on the prohibited list. Those with hormone-sensitive conditions should be cautious. Choose tested products and check with a doctor.

What is Velvet Antler?

Velvet antler is a traditional supplement made from the soft, growing antler of deer or elk, used in East Asian medicine as a tonic for vitality, joint and bone support, recovery, and athletic performance.

What is Velvet Antler used for?

Velvet Antler is researched primarily for Joint Health. One small RCT in active males found the deer antler velvet powder group showed greater isokinetic knee extensor strength gain (30% vs 13% placebo) and endurance (21% vs 7%) after 10 weeks of strength training, but 6RM strength improved equi…

What is the recommended dosage of Velvet Antler?

The clinically studied dose is Athletic: 1.5-1.6 g/day or 560 mg/day; TCM: 0.3-1 g/day powdered; these doses were studied, not shown to work, and trials found no benefit. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Velvet Antler safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, Velvet Antler is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Generally well-tolerated at studied doses; few adverse events reported. Worth knowing that the trials behind this were short, the longest ran six months, and most were designed to test whether velvet antler worked rather than to characterise its long term safety. It may also interact with some medications. Velvet Antler is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Velvet Antler interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Anticoagulants: theoretical bleeding concern with high-dose velvet antler. Hormone-sensitive cancer treatments: avoid given growth factor claims (even if effects unsupported). If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Velvet Antler?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Velvet Antler as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 3 clinical trials and 14 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(14 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Sleivert G, Burke V, Palmer C, Walmsley A, Gerrard D, Haines S, Littlejohn R The effects of deer antler velvet extract or powder supplementation on aerobic power, erythropoiesis, and muscular strength and endurance characteristics International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2003;13(3):251-65. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.13.3.251.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 38 active men across a 10 week strength training program; the deer antler velvet powder group showed a greater increase in isokinetic knee extensor strength vs placebo, but overall findings were inconsistent across measures; no significant testosterone or IGF-1 changes; The authors themselves cautioned that further work is required to ensure the strength observation is not a type I error, and that the findings do not support an aerobic or erythropoietic effect. It is the only positive athletic result from a trial of velvet antler in healthy trained people; it is a secondary outcome from a single small trial, it was never clearly replicated, and the larger rowing trial that followed found no performance benefit at all.
  2. Wu F, Li H, Jin L, Li X, Ma Y, You J, Li S, Xu Y Deer antler base as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2013;145(2):403-15. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.12.008.PubMedUsed to support: A review of the traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology of deer antler base, summarizing laboratory and animal reports of anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis and immune-modulating activity. Two limits matter. The material reviewed is deer antler base, the bony stub at the bottom of the antler, which the review itself distinguishes from the velvet antler that supplements are made from, so this is evidence about a related but different tissue. And the findings are preclinical, with the authors calling for human trials and further safety assessment before medicinal use. Cited here for background on composition and traditional use, not as evidence of an effect in people.
  3. Xie WQ, Zhao YJ, Li F, Shu B, Lin SR, Sun L, Wang YJ, Zheng HX Velvet antler polypeptide partially rescue facet joint osteoarthritis-like phenotype in adult beta-catenin conditional activation mice BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019;19(1):191. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2607-4.PubMedUsed to support: Study in genetically modified mice bred to develop an osteoarthritis-like facet joint phenotype, in which velvet antler polypeptide partly reversed osteophyte formation and cartilage loss and reduced the cartilage-degrading enzymes MMP13, ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 through the Wnt and beta-catenin pathway. Two limits: this is an animal model, and it used an isolated polypeptide fraction rather than the whole velvet antler powder people swallow, so it shows why a joint effect is biologically conceivable without being evidence that the supplement works in humans.
  4. Syrotuik DG, MacFadyen KL, Harber VJ, et al. Effect of elk velvet antler supplementation on the hormonal response to acute and chronic exercise in male and female rowers. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2005;15(4):366-85..PubMedUsed to support: Randomized trial in 46 rowers, 25 men and 21 women, who took 560 mg a day of elk velvet antler or placebo through 10 weeks of training. VO2max, leg and bench press strength and 2000 m rowing times improved in both groups equally, and there was no difference between velvet antler and placebo in any hormone measured at rest or 5 and 60 minutes after a simulated 2000 m race. This is the trial behind the statement on this page that the athletic and hormonal claims are not supported. Limitations: a single trial at one dose, in trained rowers rather than the general population.
  5. Allen M, Oberle K, Grace M, et al. A randomized clinical trial of elk velvet antler in rheumatoid arthritis. Biol Res Nurs. 2008;9(3):254-61..PubMedUsed to support: Six month randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 168 people with stage 2 to 3 rheumatoid arthritis who still had symptoms on standard treatment. Elk velvet antler produced no significant difference from placebo on joint pain and swelling, tender and swollen joint counts, global disease activity, functional ability, quality of life or C-reactive protein, and the authors concluded it does not effectively manage residual rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. This is the largest controlled human trial of velvet antler and it is negative. It tested an add-on to existing drug therapy in an autoimmune disease, so it does not by itself settle the question for osteoarthritis or everyday joint aches.
  6. Allen M, Oberle K, Grace M, et al. Elk velvet antler in rheumatoid arthritis: phase II trial. Biol Res Nurs. 2002;3(3):111-8..PubMedUsed to support: Earlier phase II dose-finding trial in 40 people with stage II rheumatoid arthritis, randomized to placebo or 2, 4 or 6 capsules of 215 mg elk velvet antler daily for one month while continuing their arthritis medication. There were no significant differences between groups in adverse events or health status; the six capsule group improved most but the difference was not statistically significant. This is the source of the capsule doses quoted for arthritis on this page. It was small, only one month long, and designed mainly to check that the supplement could be taken safely alongside medication rather than to prove benefit.
  7. Gilbey A, Perezgonzalez JD Health benefits of deer and elk velvet antler supplements: a systematic review of randomised controlled studies. N Z Med J. 2012;125(1367):80-6..PubMedUsed to support: Independent systematic review of every randomized controlled trial of deer and elk velvet antler the authors could find: seven trials covering rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sexual function and sporting performance, rated 3 to 5 on the Jadad quality scale. Five found no effect, and the reviewers judged the two that did report positive effects unconvincing. They concluded that claims made for velvet antler supplements are not based on rigorous research from human trials, while allowing that osteoarthritis may have some promise. This is the best overall summary of the human evidence and it is the main reason this page sits at the lowest evidence level. It was published in 2012, so it does not cover the branded deer velvet extract trials that have appeared since.
  8. Conaglen HM, Suttie JM, Conaglen JV Effect of deer velvet on sexual function in men and their partners: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Arch Sex Behav. 2003;32(3):271-8..PubMedUsed to support: Twelve week double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 32 men aged 45 to 65 and their partners, taking capsules of ground deer velvet or placebo daily. There were no significant differences in sexual function on validated questionnaires for the men or their partners, and no significant change in sex-related hormones in either group from start to finish. Included because it is an independent test of the hormone claim that found nothing. Limitations: small, in healthy middle-aged men rather than men with a diagnosed problem, and it tested one deer velvet powder.
  9. Angers RC, Seward TS, Napier D, et al. Chronic wasting disease prions in elk antler velvet. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009;15(5):696-703..PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory study that detected infectious prions in the antler velvet of elk affected by chronic wasting disease, using prion-susceptible transgenic mice and protein misfolding cyclic amplification. The authors state plainly that people who consume antler velvet as a nutritional supplement are at risk for exposure to prions. This is a tissue and animal study, not evidence that anyone has been harmed, and no human illness has been traced to a velvet antler supplement. It is included because velvet antler is cervid tissue, and it is the reason sourcing from herds and countries under active chronic wasting disease surveillance matters for this particular supplement.
  10. Cox HD, Eichner D Detection of human insulin-like growth factor-1 in deer antler velvet supplements. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2013;27(19):2170-8..PubMedUsed to support: Analysis by an anti-doping testing laboratory of six commercially sold deer antler velvet supplements, using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry able to tell deer IGF-1 apart from human IGF-1. Four of the six contained human pharmaceutical IGF-1, a prohibited substance that does not come from deer and was not declared on the label. This is the concrete basis for the anti-doping warning on this page: the danger to a tested athlete is less the trace IGF-1 naturally present in antler than the chance that the product has been spiked. Limitations: six products analysed in 2013, so it describes what was on sale then rather than any particular product today, and it says nothing about whether velvet antler works.
  11. Jamrasi P, Seo JW, Sung Y, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Enzyme-Derived Deer Velvet Extract Supplementation on Adults with Chronic Fatigue: a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2026;36:e2601055..PubMedUsed to support: Eight week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 100 adults with chronic fatigue syndrome taking YC-1101, an enzymatically produced deer velvet extract. General and physical fatigue on the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory and parts of the Fatigue Severity Scale improved more than with placebo, and exercise distance to exhaustion was greater in the supplement group. Several limitations belong with it: this is one specific branded enzymatic extract rather than the plain velvet antler powder most products contain, four of the authors work for the company that makes it, the exercise result only became significant after outliers were excluded, the participants had a diagnosed fatigue condition rather than being healthy adults, and no independent group has repeated it.
  12. Kim JR, Kim SJ, Kim KK, et al. Efficacy and safety of YHC-BE-2040 on immune function: An 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025;104(11):e41805..PubMedUsed to support: Eight week multicentre randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 120 healthy adults aged 40 to 70 taking a high or low dose of YHC-BE-2040, an enzymatically digested deer velvet extract, or placebo. Natural killer cell activity rose more than with placebo at both doses, with a dose response, interferon gamma also rose, and the product was well tolerated. Limitations: another specific branded enzymatic extract rather than ordinary velvet antler; the outcome is a laboratory measure of immune cell activity rather than fewer infections or illnesses; the authors themselves call for larger and longer studies with clinical endpoints; and it has not been independently replicated. Included so this page does not tell readers the human evidence is absent, while making clear it is not evidence for the joint or athletic claims velvet antler is actually sold on.
  13. Moreau M, Dupuis J, Bonneau NH, et al. Clinical evaluation of a powder of quality elk velvet antler for the treatment of osteoarthrosis in dogs. Can Vet J. 2004;45(2):133-9..PubMedUsed to support: Double-blind placebo-controlled veterinary study of elk velvet antler powder in 38 client-owned dogs with osteoarthrosis, in which gait measured on a force plate, owner-rated performance in daily activities and vitality all improved on the supplement. This is the strongest positive joint finding anywhere in the velvet antler literature, which is why this page still discusses joint support at all. Two limitations decide how much it can carry: the species is wrong, dogs rather than people, and 13 of the dogs took placebo for 30 days and then the supplement in sequence rather than being compared against a separate placebo group throughout, which is a weaker design than a parallel randomized trial.
  14. Johnson CB, Wilson PR, Woodbury MR, et al. Comparison of analgesic techniques for antler removal in halothane-anaesthetized red deer (Cervus elaphus): electroencephalographic responses. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2005;32(2):61-71..PubMedUsed to support: Veterinary study in 29 anaesthetised red deer stags carrying growing antler ready for commercial harvest, comparing pain responses on the electroencephalogram during antler removal using a lidocaine ring block of the antler pedicle, a compression band, or neither. The ring block blunted the response, while the compression band proved to be a noxious stimulus in its own right and gave less protection. Cited for the sourcing note on this page: velvet is amputated from living, innervated tissue on a live animal, and the method of pain relief genuinely matters. This is animal welfare research and says nothing about whether the supplement does anything in people.