Modern Advances in Velvet Antler Research: From Identification Methods to Pharmacological Mechanisms

Velvet antler, a valued traditional medicine of animal origin, contains an abundance of bioactive compounds including amino acids, peptides, proteins, and nucleosides. It exhibits notable health-promoting properties such as wound repair, antioxidant activity, and metabolic regulation, making it a high-quality natural ingredient for functional foods and biopharmaceutical applications. Currently, velvet antler has gained widespread global use as a dietary supplement. Nevertheless, challenges remain in species authentication, mechanistic understanding of active constituents, and quality standardization, which impede the modern development and efficient utilization of this resource. This review summarizes recent advances in identification techniques for velvet antler—encompassing traditional, chemical, and molecular methods—analyzes its chemical composition and influencing factors, and explores the potential mechanisms behind its various pharmacological effects. Furthermore, key issues concerning safety evaluation, quality control standardization, and industry regulation are critically discussed. The findings provide a solid theoretical basis for improving the quality consistency and application reliability of velvet antler products, with the aim of promoting the scientific development and global industrialization of velvet antler resources in food science and biomedicine.