CBS Report: Alabama players took deer antler spray, other banned substances before 2012 BCS Championship

Red Deer Antler Velvet is something that Asian medicine has known about for a very long time, well over 2000 years, but only lately has the Western world caught on to. Taken from mature male Red Deer, this substance is processed and used in both traditional Chinese medicine and in Western culture as a nutritional supplement. In the west it is called “deer antler spray” or deer antler velvet. No matter what the name, it is harvested from populations of Red Deer in New Zealand. These farmed deer are known to be disease free and thus provide the best quality antler velvet.

Although it has been known to work for centuries, although only in the last thirty years has science uncovered why. The active ingredient in this product is a very effective growth hormone that has great impact on the human body. While it can be taken in a powdered form, via pill or in a drink, the most popular form is in a spray. This spray is known as red deer antler spray and has a fat based delivery system that claims to deliver the hormone into the bloodstream faster and have more of the hormone where it will do the most good for longer then a pill or powder can.

This is a product made from Red Deer farmed in New Zealand. Male Red Deer produce antlers each year, and these antlers are removed from the animal while they are still “velvet” covered to keep the males from injuring each other.  This material can be taken from the deer just like a fingernail can be removed by certificated farmers and Veterinarians, leaving the animal unharmed. Because antlers grow at an astounding speed, the entire harvest takes just a few weeks.  After removal the velvet deer antler is freeze dried and processed into various forms from powders and pills to sprays.

Deer antler spray has been linked to a number of hormones that are proven to have positive health benefits. The most important is IGF-1. IGF-1, or Insulin-like Growth Factor-1, is the star hormone here. This performance enhancing chemical is naturally made by the body, and thus is hard to detect in standard dope-testing. It is a byproduct of HGH in the body. And where HGH is heavily controlled, getting IGF-1 into the blood through the use of these sprays is legal.  It has been proven that IGF-1 helps with muscle development and performance. It does this by transporting energy and building blocks that muscles need. More being delivered to the muscle cells mean they can work faster at healing or growing.

The side effect of this is that by using deer antler spray one can improve athletic performance, simulate the metabolism, improve the overall condition of the heart,  and help fight off colds and flu. By allowing the body to burn off more stored sugars and require the burning of fat stores to fuel increased muscle use, this spray can do a lot in way of rejuvenation on the body. This may help with nerve damage repair as well. Deer Antler spray has IGF II, NGF, TGF-B, EGF, FGF, and a score of other growth factors, in addition to a wide range of proteins as well.

This is a very popular nutritional supplement.  It is also nearly impossible to detect if it is being used.  This is one reason why such sport figures like Bengals safety Roy Williams feel as though they can come right out and admit using deer antler spray on a regular basis.  Mr. Williams has never come up positive on a doping test, so even though IGF-1 is a banned substance in the NFL, there is no way that a urine- based test can detect it. Coaches (like Hue Jackson), athletes (yep even the legendary Ray Lewis), who knows who else, all use this spray, and for all we know, really, there’s little harm in it.

Fact is, deer antler spray is based in medicine used in Asia for centuries. The spray is natural, discrete,  effective, and for the most part clean to use. Since it is something that naturally occurs in the body it cannot be detected by standard tests.  There appears to be limited long term risks involved in using it, although there are some well documented benefits to it.  While it might not be for everyone, deer antler spray does have positive points for those who do need it, and increasingly many people will find they do need it.