Velvet antler is the young horn of a male deer, such as a sika deer or red deer, that has not yet ossified and is covered with fine hair. The former is calledPlum Blossom Velvetalso known asYellow VelvetGenerally, the antler after branching is used, with one branch called two-pronged velvet antler, and two branches called three-pronged velvet antler; the latter is calledDeer Antleralso known asGreen Hairy AntlerThe antlers of red deer have more branches, a single branch is called Danmen, two branches are called Lianhua, three branches are called Sancha, and four branches are called Sicha. The best time to saw off deer antlers is when they are not ossified and have one or two branches. If they have already ossified, they are no longer considered deer antlers but can only be used as deer horns.
Deer antler is a precious medicinal material, now mostly produced through farming. After harvesting, deer antler needs to be repeatedly scalded and dried in boiling water to remove all accumulated blood, then sealed for preservation. When used, the outer hair is singed off and scraped clean, then moistened with yellow wine or a damp cloth to soften it slightly before slicing and drying.
Deer are traditionally prized medicinal animals, with every part of their bodies being usable in medicine. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the deer's body is a treasure trove of a hundred precious items." In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," distinctions are made among deer antler, deer horn, deer horn glue, deer horn frost, deer blood, deer brain, deer tail, deer kidney, deer tendon, deer fat, deer meat, deer head meat, deer bone, deer teeth, and deer marrow, among others. Among the various deer products, deer antler is particularly precious and has the most potent tonic effects. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the essence of the deer lies entirely in its antlers, and the antler is the tender sprout of the horn, where the vital energy is complete and not yet dissipated, thus it possesses the strongest ability to tonify yang and nourish blood. At the same time, deer antler is also a product of flesh and blood with emotional significance, making it highly effective in replenishing essence and blood, strengthening the governor vessel, and benefiting the marrow.
I. Efficacy of Deer Antler:
Deer antler tastes sweet and salty, and has a warm nature. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. Its effects includeStrengthen kidney yang, replenish essence and blood, fortify tendons and bones, regulate the thoroughfare and conception vessels, and expel toxins from soresKnown as the essential herb for tonifying kidney yang and replenishing essence and blood.
Commonly used forImpotence and seminal emission, uterine cold and infertility, emaciation, mental fatigue, aversion to cold, dizziness and tinnitus, cold pain in the lower back and spine, weakness of the bones and muscles, uterine bleeding and leukorrhea, non-healing of yin-type abscesses, and chronic deficiency and damagetreatment of conditions such as
Summary of Masterpieces by Renowned Authors
The Classic of Materia Medica: "It primarily treats incessant vaginal discharge and malignant blood, alternating chills and fever, fright epilepsy, boosts qi, strengthens the will, promotes tooth growth, and prevents aging."
Bie Lu: "Treats consumptive fatigue with chills like malaria, emaciation, soreness and pain in the four limbs, pain in the lumbar spine and back, frequent urination, seminal emission, hematuria, breaks up stagnant blood in the abdomen, disperses stone strangury, abscesses and swellings, heat in the bones, and ulcerations."
Compendium of Materia Medica: "Generates essence and replenishes marrow, nourishes blood and benefits yang, strengthens sinews and bones. Treats all types of deficiency damage, deafness, dim vision, dizziness, and deficiency-type dysentery."
"Treatise on Medicinal Properties": "Primarily tonifies men's lumbar and kidney deficiency cold, weakness in feet and knees, dream intercourse, spontaneous emission of essence, women's uterine bleeding, metrorrhagia, red and white vaginal discharge."
"Ben Cao Chong Yuan": "Deer possess a pure yang nature, with their breath connecting to the Du meridian. Antler is the essence of bone, penetrating from yin to the crown. Its flavor is sweet and warm, embodying the principle of fire and earth generating each other. It treats leaking and foul blood, as when earth qi is deficient and cold, foul blood leaks downward. Deer antler, endowed with fire qi, warms the earth. Yang deficiency leads to cold and heat. The heart, as the sovereign, stores the spirit; spirit deficiency results in fright and epilepsy. Deer antler gradually strengthens yang, replenishes heart spirit, thereby eliminating cold, heat, fright, and epilepsy. To boost qi and strengthen will is to enhance the qi of the kidney and fortify the will stored in the kidney."
Jade Carving Medical Explanation: Deer antler tonifies the liver and kidneys, generates essence and replenishes blood, greatly strengthens tendons and bones, treats impotence and seminal emission, nocturnal emissions and dream emissions, uterine bleeding and leukorrhea, lower back pain and weak knees, dizziness and deafness, among other conditions.
Ben Cao Bei Yao: "Sweet, warm, pure yang. Promotes the production of essence and replenishes marrow, nourishes blood and supports yang, strengthens tendons and bones. Treats cold deficiency of the waist and kidneys, soreness and pain in the limbs, dizziness and darkening of vision, uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, seminal emission, all types of deficiency damage and overstrain injuries. Suitable only for those with deep and fine pulse and decline of ministerial fire."
II. Compatibility and Application of Deer Antler:
1. For all deficiency syndromes caused by kidney yang deficiency and essence-blood depletion, such as aversion to cold and cold limbs, impotence and premature ejaculation, uterine cold and infertility, frequent urination, soreness and pain in the waist and knees, dizziness and deafness, mental fatigue, etc. Deer antler can tonify kidney yang and benefit essence-blood, making it an essential herb for tonifying the kidney and nourishing essence. It can be used alone by grinding into powder for consumption, and is often combined with qi-tonifying, blood-nourishing, and essence-benefiting herbs such as ginseng, prepared rehmannia root, and wolfberry fruit to enhance efficacy, such asGinseng and Deer Antler Pill for Strengthening the Body。
Li Ke treats all chronic deficiency syndromes that are difficult to recover from, including congenital insufficiency, aging and degeneration, immunodeficiency, as well as deficiency syndromes complicated by blood stasis, phlegm, and accumulation. He often combines deer antler with red ginseng, Trogopterus dung, human placenta, Panax notoginseng, and amber, grinding them together into powder for oral administration.Peiyuan Guben PowderThe curative effect is remarkable and worth learning.
Li Keyan: "The administration method of this prescription involves gradual supplementation with small doses. Take 1 to 1.5 grams each time, 2 to 3 times a day. After one week, gradually increase to 3 grams per dose, taken twice a day before meals. Avoid using large doses in pursuit of quick results. This prescription combines tonification with unblocking, promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, facilitating the flow of qi and blood, and has the effect of eliminating the old and bringing forth the new. It can repair pathological damage to vital organs and promote the metabolism and regeneration of brain cells and liver cells. The kidneys are the foundation of innate constitution, and prolonged illness inevitably damages the kidneys, thereby shaking the foundation of life. When all diseases are incurable, seek treatment from the kidneys. When the root is strong, the branches flourish. This is the meaning of this prescription in cultivating the foundation and strengthening the root."
For treating weak and low sperm count due to kidney yang deficiency, it is often combined with prepared rehmannia root, dodder seed, epimedium, astragalus, curculigo rhizome, Chinese yam, ginseng, and aconite to make pills for oral administration.Deer Antler Essence Pill。
For the treatment of male impotence, premature ejaculation, and female uterine coldness, deer antler can be combined with silkworm, prepared aconite, and arborvitae seed, finely ground and taken in capsules.Longfeng Capsule。
If treating a man with impotence, unclear complexion, frequent urination, and lack of appetite, one can use good deer antler combined with dried Chinese yam, both steeped in wine and taken.Deer Antler and Chinese Yam WineAfter drinking the wine, bake the deer antler until dry, which can then be taken as a tonic.
If treating kidney essence deficiency, weak tendons and bones, or delayed development in children, delayed closure of fontanelle, etc., one can use deer antler combined with prepared rehmannia root, Chinese yam, cornus fruit, poria, etc., namelyJiawei Dihuang Wan。
If treating internal deficiency heat of the liver and kidney, leading to weakness of the sinews and bones, inability to support oneself, requiring assistance in daily activities, inability to bear weight on the feet, intermittent tidal fever, tastelessness in food and drink, lack of vitality, and various deficiencies, one can use deer antler in combination with Cistanche deserticola, Gastrodia elata, Cuscuta chinensis, prepared Rehmannia root, Achyranthes bidentata, Eucommia ulmoides, Chaenomeles speciosa, etc., to make pills for oral administration.Deer Antler Pill for Four JinIt is indeed a good prescription, worthy of reference.
If dampness persists for a long time without treatment and lodges in the foot Shaoyin, with symptoms such as a white tongue, body pain, and swelling of the dorsum of the foot, it is often combined with aconite, tsaoko, dodder seeds, and poria, namelyDeer and Aconite Decoction。
For the treatment of aplastic anemia of the kidney yang deficiency type, adding fresh deer antler powder to the chemotherapy regimen may have certain therapeutic effects.
For the treatment of primary purpura in children, deer antler or deer antler essence can be combined with Spatholobus suberectus stem and red dates, that isDeer Antler Chicken Blood Vine Red Date Soup。
For treating chyluria, deer antler can be ground into powder and taken orally, combined with ginseng, Chinese yam, dodder seeds, psoralea fruit, poria, astragalus, mantis egg-case, processed aconite, cinnamon, etc., adjusted according to symptoms, decocted in water for oral administration.Deer Antler Supplementing and Astringing PillOne month constitutes one course of treatment. During the treatment period, it is advisable to avoid greasy, fatty foods as well as dry, heat-inducing, and stimulating items.
2. For women with deficiency and cold in the Chong and Ren meridians, unconsolidated leukorrhea, and incessant metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, etc. Deer antler can tonify the liver and kidneys, regulate the Chong and Ren meridians, and consolidate the belt vessel, making it particularly suitable for those with deficiency-cold constitution. To treat incessant metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, it is often combined with Chinese angelica root, cuttlebone, and cattail pollen.
If treating a young woman with deficiency and cold in the thoroughfare and conception vessels, and pure white vaginal discharge, it is often combined with Cibotium barometz and Ampelopsis japonica, namelyBailian Pill。
In addition, deer antler can also be used for conditions such as chronic non-healing sores and ulcers, and deep-seated yin-type abscesses that fail to surface, as it has the effect of warming and tonifying to promote internal drainage.
III. Usage and Dosage of Deer Antler:
Deer antler is a precious traditional Chinese medicine. Although it can be used in decoctions, it is rarely applied in this way by medical practitioners and is more suitable for making pills or powders. The common dosage for decoctions ranges from a few grams to over ten grams; for pills or powders, it is typically used in amounts of a few grams per dose or prepared according to the prescription.
Huang Yuanyu said: "Use after roasting with butter. Crush, boil with wine, remove the dregs, concentrate by boiling, and then cook into a paste using a double-boiling method, which is the best."
Wang Ang said, "When deer antlers first grow, they are two to three inches long, branching like a saddle, red as agate, and those that break like rotten wood are of good quality."
Mengxi Bitan: "Among all blood-containing creatures, flesh grows easily, tendons come next, and bones are the hardest to grow. Therefore, by the age of twenty, human bone marrow becomes firm. The antlers of elk and deer can grow to over twenty jin in less than two months. No other bones grow as fast as this, not even plants can match it. The head is the convergence point of all yang energies, concentrated in the velvet antlers. How can ordinary blood compare to this?"
IV. Application Notes for Deer Antler:
Deer antler is a highly nourishing tonic and should be taken in small doses initially, with gradual increases. It is not advisable to use large amounts abruptly, as this may lead to excessive yang rising and stirring of wind, resulting in dizziness and blurred vision, or damage to yin and disturbance of blood.Those with yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, heat in the blood, excessive stomach fire, phlegm-heat in the lungs, or external heat syndromes should avoid taking it。
"Deer Antler Comprehensive Study": "Although the efficacy of deer antler in replenishing essence and filling marrow is quite significant, improper consumption can often lead to symptoms such as vomiting blood, nosebleeds, hematuria, red eyes, dizziness, stroke, and fainting."
