Deer antler refers to the soft hair on the antlers of deer or elk.
There are mainly two types of deer antler sold on the market: deer antler from sika deer, called "flower deer antler," and deer antler from elk, called "elk deer antler." They are made into antler slices and antler chunks with skulls.
Taking deer antler can enhance the strength of heart contractions, especially in improving body functions and relieving fatigue. When purchasing deer antler, it is important to note the difference between flower deer antler blood slices and elk deer antler powder slices and old horn slices.
Medicinal deer antler is usually processed and sold in slices. The most valuable part of medicinal deer antler is the sliced tip of the antlers, commonly known as "wax slices" and "blood slices," but the quantity is very limited. This high-quality deer antler is usually light brown or brown, semi-transparent in circular thin slices, with a slight fishy smell and a slight salty taste. There are red-brown or brown hair around the edge of the thin slices.
A flower deer antler can produce only about ten blood slices, followed by "powder slices" in the upper part of the antler and "old horn slices" near the root. These two types of antler are usually thick, white (or light brown) circular slices, with a hard and rough texture, without bone or with a slight bone texture. There are visible honeycomb-like pores in the middle, with the same smell and taste as the blood slices.
Elk deer antler is not bled during processing, so the powder slices and old horn slices of elk deer antler are also reddish-brown.
However, distinguishing between the two is not difficult, and it requires attention to three points:
1. Pay attention to the texture of the antler slice. Those with a fine texture and no small pores are blood slices;
2. Look at the color of the surrounding hair. Blue hair indicates elk deer antler, not flower deer antler blood slices;
3. Look at the size of the antler slice. Remember that smaller ones are the superior blood slices.
