What is Elk Velvet Antler (EVA)?
Traditional Chinese Medicine has used antler velvet for thousands of years for its restorative, tonifying and supportive properties. Cervid antlers, like those from deer and elk, go through rapid growth phases each year where an outer layer of soft velvet covers the antler. This velvet has unique properties that can be harvested and converted into capsules, powders, and extracts to support peak wellness for pets and people.
What is Elk Velvet Antler (EVA) used for?
Elk Velvet Antler is commonly used to support musculoskeletal health, athletic performance, hormone balance, and healthy energy levels. From a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine perspective, it is warm, sweet, salty, and a tonic for Jing, Qi, and Blood. Because of its unique and rapid growth stage when it is harvested, it has over 400 active compounds including:
- IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) – This component of EVA has been demonstrated to influence cartilage, muscles, organs, and other tissues.
- Glucosamine Sulfate - supports joint structures including bone, cartilage, ligaments, joint fluids and tendons.
- Chondroitin Sulfate - supports cartilage, giving it elasticity.
- Hyaluronic acid - substance that binds cartilage cells together and lubricates joints.
- Amino acids - precursors for all protein production.
- Collagen - structural protein present in bone, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues.
- Trace minerals - such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese.
Harvesting of Elk Velvet Antler
The Elk Velvet Antler is harvested once per year during the optimal growth stage to ensure efficacy. Only Grade A velvet antler is used. After harvest, the antler is freeze-dried to preserve nutrients, then ground into powder, encapsulated or extracted. Our Elk Velvet Antler products are exclusively from American elk farms that do not use hormones or antibiotics. All herds must be tested and free from Tuberculosis, Brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The animals are kept on hundreds of acres of pasture, in a calm and low stress environment to maximize herd health.
Benefits of Elk Velvet Antler
Because of its wide range of active ingredients, it also has a wide range of uses. Due to the nature of its rapid growth stage when harvested, EVA can be particularly helpful for young animals to support their own stages of growth. Because of its hormone balancing properties, many animals that have had their reproductive hormones removed via traditional spay and neuter can benefit from EVA supplementation. Senior animals (and people), can benefit from not only the musculoskeletal support, but also its support of healthy energy levels. Athletes and those that remain active will benefit from EVA as well.
We have been using velvet antler products for years with great success. It is a unique and well rounded supplement that can benefit many pets and people.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or replace consulting a primary veterinarian for individualized care. * These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.