Velvet antlers as medicinal preparation and nutritional supplement

Farmski uzgoj jelenske divljači karakteriziran je proizvodnjom kvalitetne divljačine i rogova u bastu te pored toga predstavlja osnovu za napučivanje prirodnih staništa jelenskom divljači. Ova je činjenica od posebna značaja za ugrožene vrste jelena. Rogovi u bastu predstavljaju rastuće, nepotpuno mineralizirano tkivo prekriveno specifičnom kožnom tvorbom zvanom bast. Odstranjivanje rogova u bastu je složen kirurški zahvat koji zahtijeva primjenu neke od postojećih metoda anestezije. Nakon odstranjivanja, rogovi u bastu prolaze postupak pripreme, u pravilu kroz dehidraciju, otapanje u alkoholu ili vodenu ekstrakciju. Sastav rastućih rogova pokazuje izrazitu dijetetsku komponentu te prisutnost velikog broja različitih biološki aktivnih molekula. Ovakav je sastav razlogom njihove izrazite primjene u sklopu tradicijske medicine Dalekog Istoka. Unatoč svemu, njihova primjena na zapadnom tržištu je neznatna, prvenstveno uslijed brojnih predrasuda i nedostatka znanstvenih potvrda o njihovom djelovanju. Konačno, u proizvodnji rogova u bastu neophodno je zadovoljiti sve aspekte dobrobiti mužjaka, pravilne pripreme i dodatnih mogućnosti zaštite produkta te veterinarsko sanitarnog nadzora u proizvodnji.Deer farming is characterized by production of quality venison and velvet antlers. It may also serve as a base for reintroducing threatened deer species into their natural habitats. Velvet antlers are growing, premineralized tissues that are covered by special type of skin, called the velvet. Velvet antler removal is a complex surgical procedure that demands the application of one of the available methods of anaesthesia. After the procedure, velvet antlers have to be treated, mainly through dehydration procedure, water extraction procedure or as alcohol solution. The composition of the velvet antlers reveals various dietetic components and a presence of large number of different biologically active molecules. This is the reason why velvet antlers are traditionally used as a part of Oriental traditional medicine. Despite these facts their use on the western market is still minor, mainly due to some prejudices and the lack of rigorous scientific proofs of effectiveness. Finally, in order to protect the quality of the final product and to satisfy all aspects of animal welfare, additional measures such as veterinary monitoring of velvet antler production should be taken