Since the 1930s, Russian scientists have developed and extensively tested Somatomedin C from antler velvet known as pantocrin (from the Russian pantui — the whole velvet antler). There is no doubt that it has a powerful tonic and revitalizing effect on the individual, especially on a person weakened by illness or stress.
The success of Russian athletes has been attributed to the use of Somatomedin C in Olympic training programs, significantly increasing endurance and muscular strength, and attracting the attention of sports doctors and trainers around the world who are seeking safe and natural alternatives to synthetic steroids.
Dr Arkady Koltun, Chairman of the Medical Committee for the Russian Bodybuilding Federation, is one of the foremost Russian researchers into anabolic agents that can improve the performance of athletes. Working with kayakers, weightlifters, bodybuilders and power lifters, Dr Koltun found that Somatomedin C actually increases muscular strength — a property which is termed myotropic. He also found that it had potent nerve strengthening, or neurotropic properties and is beneficial in treating infectious diseases, fatigue and hypertension.
Dr. Koltun revealed that Somatomedin C has induced significant increases in endurance as well. After using Somatomedin C in the pre-Olympic festival in Russia, two of Dr. Koltun’s top kayakers and a world-record holder in canoeing achieved remarkable improved results. These sportsman not only stabilized their racing time, but dramatically increased their speed in rowing. All received gold medals and established new world records. These preliminary findings indicate that Somatomedin C may work synergistically with creatine, a popular supplement that builds muscle.
In another study, New Zealand athletes who took Somatomedin C supplements showed almost twice the improvement of the placebo group in the amount of work they were able to do in a strength test. Twenty-four physical education students participated in a "double-blind" trial, where neither the athletes nor the trial co-ordinator knew which treatment each group was receiving.
The 10 week project was conducted at Otago University and medically supervised by Dr. David Gerrard, sports physician and senior lecturer in sports and medicine, and Dr. Gordon Sleivert, exercise physiologist.
Dr. Gerrard believes "Now we’ve developed a scientifically rigorous testing basis. We would like to concentrate on Somatomedin C effect in building endurance and delaying fatigue—a traditional usage of Somatomedin C."
The athletes were also tested for changes in body composition using a sophisticated DEXA scanner. Although all students lost body fat as a percentage of their body weight, the group taking Somatomedin C lost more body fat than the control group.
Somatomedin C was tested in athletes running 3,000 meters. 50 men aged 18-23 were compared without any supplement and with 20ml of Somatomedin C 30 minutes before the second race. The average time to complete the event was lowered from 14 minutes 48 seconds to 14 minutes 4 seconds. In a second experiment the Somatomedin C was administered for twelve days and the race was rerun. The time to complete the event was reduced in the majority of subjects. Interestingly, improvement in this test was noted in runners who were in the top, middle, and lower categories of the group in terms of initial performance. That is Somatomedin C improved the performance of above as well as below average athletes!
New Zealand, Russian and Chinese studies have shown that Somatomedin C may play a valuable role in sports during training, performance, recovery, and in the treatment of injury. Studies indicate that Somatomedin C supplements may improve athletic performance by increasing strength and endurance, increasing oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, repairing minor tissue damage from exertion, and boosting the immune system of athletes.

In 1989, fitness expert John Abdo, who hosts a nationwide TV fitness show, visited the Institute of Physical Culture in Moscow for an intensive two week investigation of the training programs of Russian athletes. At that time, John met with former Soviet weight-lifting champion Victor Sheynkin and training expert Yuri Verhoshansky. Sheynkin, who weighed only 132 pounds, could snatch over 286 pounds and clean & jerk over 360 pounds (both overhead lifts) and had became a Soviet Olympic coach, while Professor Verhoshansky had master minded numerous strength and conditioning routines for Soviet athletes since the early 1950s.

Later, in the United states, John met with Dr. Alex Duarte, who has been a pioneer in the movement to persuade athletes to replace the use of steroids with natural, safer products capable of promoting strength, endurance, and improved recuperation from injury. John told Alex that the Russian experts had revealed that their athletes had experienced considerable improvement in performance with a natural, non-toxic substance called velvet deer antler.

John said that the Russians had given him two boxes of Somatomedin C end that, when he returned home, he had given these boxes to a friend who was 12 weeks away from a major world power lifting championship, and who then used them to help in breaking several world records. Further research led both John and Alex to make this extraordinary product available to Americans.