How should deer antler velvet, considered a "miracle drug," be used?

(Baonghean.vn) - According to traditional medicine, fresh deer antlers are considered one of the four precious remedies beneficial to health. Deer antlers have a sweet taste, warm nature, and salty flavor. They enter the kidney, heart, and pericardium meridians, and are very good for individuals with decreased physiological function, women with irregular menstruation, the elderly with poor bone and joint function, and children with rickets, poor appetite, and slow growth.

To preserve deer antlers for a long time, according to the people of Quynh Luu, after harvesting the antlers, they need to wash them thoroughly with alcohol mixed with crushed ginger, slice them into small pieces, dry them, and then soak them in alcohol or store them in the refrigerator…

Quynh Luu currently has nearly 14,000 deer and elk, producing over 4 tons of antlers annually and generating revenue exceeding 30 billion VND. Currently, the antler harvesting season is underway, so farmers are urgently collecting the harvest.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ke, residing in Hamlet 5, Quynh Yen Commune, currently owns 20 deer and elk. On average, each deer yields 0.6-0.8 kg of antlers per year, and each elk yields 1.5-3 kg per year. During the harvest season, his family earns 150-200 million VND. In addition, he also purchases 600-700 kg of antlers annually from other households. To keep the product fresh for longer, he has purchased two refrigerators for preservation.

After harvesting deer antlers, Mr. Nguyen Van Ke, from Quynh Yen commune (Quynh Luu district), preserves them in the refrigerator.Photo: Viet Hung

After harvesting deer antlers, the first step is to clean them by scraping off the outer layer of hair with a knife, then washing them with alcohol, or heating them over a fire until the outer surface of the antlers becomes slightly warm, and then washing them again with alcohol.

For cases where only a small or moderate amount of deer antler velvet is needed, it can be sliced, ground into powder, or left whole and stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Deer antlers are considered one of the four precious remedies beneficial to health.Photo: Viet Hung

Through preliminary processing steps, deer antlers are prepared into many nutritious dishes such as deer antler porridge, steamed deer antlers with rice, antlers soaked in wine, deer antlers soaked with Cynomorium; in addition, they are also processed with honey and stewed with chicken.

According to local tastes, most deer antler velvet is now processed into dishes like porridge and steeped in alcohol.

Preparing deer antler porridge. (Photo: Archival image)

How to prepare porridge:Fresh deer antler velvet is sliced ​​thinly and then finely chopped. The velvet is added only when the porridge is cooked until soft. Use 2-5 grams of velvet per serving (equivalent to a slice about the size of a 5,000 VND coin).

How to prepare deer antler velvet tincture:For every 1 kg of deer antler velvet, soak it in 5-6 liters of 45-50% alcohol. First, fresh deer antler velvet must be cleaned thoroughly to remove all the hair, as any remaining hair can cause coughing and intestinal inflammation.

After cleaning the velvet antlers by burning them over a flame or dipping them in boiling water and then scraping them off with a razor blade, wipe the fresh antlers clean with ginger wine, avoiding the cut areas. Once the antlers are cleaned and the velvet is dry, slice them thinly and place them in a glass jar. Alternatively, you can leave them whole if you want a more visually appealing jar of deer antler wine. Then, pour enough wine to completely cover the antlers.

An average deer yields between 1.5 kg and 3 kg of antlers per year.Photo: Viet Hung

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