The Velvet Antler 😨 EXPLAINED
The velvet antler is the soft, growing stage of an antler in the deer family. During this stage, the antler is covered with a fuzzy layer of soft tissue before it fully hardens and turns into bone. Normally, the animal would rub this layer off on trees once the antlers harden, revealing the tough structure underneath. However, before this happens, the antlers can be harvested while still in the velvet stage. The harvested velvet antlers are then sliced into pieces, which can be eaten directly or used in traditional Chinese medicine.