Deer’s antlers have been a popular element of Oriental medicine for centuries and contain small amounts of insulin-like growth factor 1 or IGF-1.
IGF-1 is prohibited by both the FDA and the World Anti-Doping Agency, and it is also a proven performance enhancer if it is taken in the form of large, very expensive, chemically purified doses administered via injection.
But when it comes to the use of sprays or aerosols, there is little evidence that the deer antler offers benefits to improve the performance of any type, because, you can’t eat this stuff in a pill, since the digestive system will destroy it.
As for under-the-tongue sprays, some relatively small proteins might be absorbed that way, but the amounts would be vanishingly small.
In contrast to the synthetic steroids that some athletes have injected illegally to produce muscle gains, deer antler extracts can stimulate anabolic changes to the muscle without chemical derivatives from the laboratory.
IGF-1 is a banned performance enhancer, but there’s no clear evidence that deer antler is any more likely to provide unfair IGF-1 boosts to athletes.
The harvest of live deer, antlers, and drops aerosols makes the body build more muscles, improve resistance, and burn fat.
They can even provide critical musculoskeletal support for paralyzed diseases such as MS or severe arthritis.
Professional athletes in all the major leagues are using and, unknowingly, popularizing the deer antler extracts supplement.
Although there has been controversy in the media about whether these supplements should be used, the general argument is that deer antler extracts are safe and do not create an unfair advantage to the user.
The Use of Deer Antler Drops
The most coveted deer antler velvet comes from around 500 young deer living in a New Zealand farm.
The soft covering that covers their immature ducks is culled, freeze-dried, ground in powder, and sold in liquid bottles for many companies.
The animals use their antlers to fight among them for food, territory, and domain.
The antlers also make a deer visually appealing to future breed mate.
Starting as soft cartilage, the antlers stand out directly from the skull. It’s extremely fast growth into powerful physical weapons is driven by antler velvet, which covers the skin that covers the cartilage.
Deer velvet is highly venous, and it contains IGF-1, a growth factor similar to insulin.
The high levels of IGF-1 lead to the rapid growth of berries that are regrown every year in deer species.
This same growth factor can create similar growing conditions in the muscle tissue of the human body.
IGF-1 is also naturally produced by humans and is a growth hormone loaded with 70 amino acids.
The presence of IGF in the cells makes them split up and grow rapidly.
This process occurs during childhood, and when working out, the growth of the muscle tissue is demanded, since the lifting of weights makes pressure and creates tears in the muscle fiber, IGF swamps the cells and reconstructs the tissue, stronger than it was before.
This same action can cure more serious injuries, such as broken muscles or even broken bones.
Some of the most aggressive advocates of deer spray claim that the product does much more than promote muscle growth, as they claim that it slows the aging process, promote a healthy prostate, and increases libido.
Deer Antler Drops Contain IGF-1
Deer antler droplets do not contain HGH but contain IGF-1, which is a derivative of the human growth hormone.
Although there are medical uses for IGF, it has been difficult to complement it until recently.
IGF-1 is considered a substance controlled by Schedule III by the FDA. You cannot buy without a prescription, and doctors usually prescribe it for physical therapy or rehabilitation, or to promote muscle disorders.
Furthermore, IGF-1 is delicate and decomposes when exposed to stomach acids and liver processing. Thus, if you eat it as a pill, it is unlikely that both an active ingredient will reach the bloodstream and muscle cells.
For this reason, some athletes inject the hormone directly into the muscle they try to build since simply ingesting IGF-1 in the form of a pill will not be effective.
Any product that wants to be supplements of deer velvet extract that comes in the form of a pill is probably ineffective.
However, when antler drops are placed or sprayed under the tongue, either with a dropper or spray-like, it can enter the bloodstream directly without going through the stomach.
The tiny capillaries line the meat under the tongue, making it an ideal place to administer liquid medications.
Why IGF-1 is Banned
Sports organizations do not want their players using IGF-1 for these reasons:
- Players who use IGF-1 will gain an unfair advantage over players who do not use it.
- The misuse of IGF-1 could cause dangerous side effects, comparable to those of anabolic steroids. These effects can include abnormal growth, imbalance of mood, and some types of cancer.
- The use of any growth hormone also violates the principles and integrity of good sportsmanship.
Conclusion
The power of the deer antler extract to combat the degradation of the body associated with aging is clearly of value, even outside of the gym configuration.
The natural “technology” that makes deer-antler grow so quickly can provide critical muscle support to both professionals and amateurs.
Most people who work on personal fitness goals only seek safe and natural support for muscular and bony health.
If you take a harmless organic supplement you can increase lean muscle mass and recover the speed of injury, and as such, most bodybuilders are probably interested in exploring the option.