A sex psychologist and 30 couples have disproved a 2000-year- old myth that deer velvet improves your sex life.
The six-month study was the first scientific challenge of a traditional Asian myth that the furry skin on growing deer antlers can give you a sexual boost.
Dr Helen Conaglen and her husband,Waikato Hospital endocrinologist John Conaglen, have discovered that the deer velvet made no difference in the hormone levels and sex drives of men aged between 45 and 65.
Half of the men took a deer velvet pill and the other half took a placebo.
The men and their female partners then took blood tests to monitor hormone levels and answered the same questionnaire used for trials of the impotency drug Viagra.
The trial was funded by an anonymous over-the-counter deer velvet capsule manufacturer.
Dr Conaglen said some of the men and partners claimed some improvements to their sex lives, which could be researched further.
She said there was room for a further trial on women.
Game Industry Board velvet manager Mark O'Connor said the deer velvet would need to be tested generically, not just on one brand, to prove or disprove sexual benefits. He said the board would consider further research next month.
"New Zealand is a world leader in deer velvet research and we have already proved its effects on health and stamina and have a strong market for it."
Deer velvet exports were booming at $35 to $40 million a year and targeted untapped western countries like the United States.
