Lu Jiao

Lu Jiao is the hardened, mature, naturally shed antler of the sika deer (Cervus nippon) or the red deer (Cervus elaphus), large cervids of the family Cervidae native respectively to East Asia and across temperate Eurasia. Unlike the young velvet antler (Lu Rong), which is harvested while still soft and richly vascularized, Lu Jiao consists of fully ossified antler that has lost its velvet covering and been cast naturally at the end of the rutting cycle, typically collected in late winter or early spring. The antlers are long, branching, and forked, with rough longitudinal grooves and a pale brown to grayish-brown exterior surface; the dense bone is white to pale yellow within. For use, the antlers are sawn into segments or further reduced by prolonged boiling into glue (Lu Jiao Jiao) or by powdering.