Velvet refers to a stage of antler development of the antler. The blood in the antler is what is important at this stage. Velvet has sold on the world market for thousands of years. It is primarily sold to the Korean market for pharmacological products and used for prevention as well as medical treatments. The Asian world takes a different view to medicine than we do in North America.
Asian medicine is an old culture and they have been using velvet for multitudes of years.
They say they know it works. Velvet has been used traditionally in Asian countries for a wide range of ailments which include anemia, arthritis, impotence, spermatorrhea, and menopausal complaints. It is also used as an aphrodisiac. The velvet antler grows during the winter and is harvested in the spring. The antler is surgically removed after 65 days of growth.