Stimulating The Immune System

In traditional Oriental medicine, velvet antler is often prescribed as a tonic for stress and fatigue and as a prevention of disease, especially prior to winter. This is part of oriental medicine's philosophy of "promoting wellness" rather than "curing illness".

This traditional usage, plus earlier Chinese research, indicates that velvet antler can act as a stimulator for the immune system. Known in scientific terms as "immunopotentiation", this means the stimulation of the body's immune system, especially through increased production of white blood cells.

The research programme was designed to test this theory.

In a cell culture system, human white blood cells were treated with varying doses of deer antler velvet extract. To test the impact of time of harvesting, extract of velvet cut at three different stages was used. To test the impact of different parts of the antler, extract from base and upper portions were used.

A positive control of a natural growth factor for white blood cells was used. White cell production was measured after an incubation period.

Results showed:

• Extracts of New Zealand antler velvet showed clear evidence of stimulating the immune system, measured by the increased production of human white blood cells


• All the antler velvet extracts stimulated growth of human white blood cells, at all level of dilution
  This indicates that the therapeutic functions of New Zealand deer antler velvet extracts may vary, depending on the time of harvesting and the section of the antler


• This also indicates that the traditional use of velvet in winter can be at least partly explained by its ability to stimulate the immune system and thereby ward off infections


• This also indicates that deer velvet may have other uses in building the body's immune system, both for a preventative effect and to support some remedial treatments

• That, albeit under experimental conditions, New Zealand velvet is effective in the treatment of a range of illnesses and conditions


• Different extracts from velvet may be effective in different ways and for different conditions


• Deer velvet increases human white blood cells therefore stimulating and strengthening the immune system