Ox Gallstones Cambodia

Ox gallstones are in high demand in the Chinese community as a precious Chinese herbal medicine. They are sold either as natural gall stones or combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine.

They are used for hepatitis and liver and heart related diseases in China. They are also used as an aphrodisiac in Japan.

Origins

Gallstones are a natural byproduct of the meat industry and are collected during the bile extraction process at abattoirs. Generally, they are found in older slaughter animals such as cattle and bulls but the frequency and quality can vary.

A report on Monday that a beef processor had been charged with theft over the collection of bovine gallstones from an abattoir in southeast Queensland has aroused considerable interest in the cattle industry and on social media. Many responses to the story have suggested that processors must be making a fortune from the material, at the expense of beef producers.

It’s true that pristine bovine gallstones are worth up to EUR35,000/kg in the Far East, but they’re incredibly rare. They are made up of 75 percent water, so they must be completely intact and in perfect condition to be of any value.

Ox gallstones are also considered a precious Chinese herbal medicine, either sold alone or mixed with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine. They are used in the treatment of hepatitis and liver and heart-related diseases. They are also thought to help with migraines and depression, as well as sexual dysfunction.

These calming, anti-inflammatory and antipathetic substances are believed to have been in use since ancient times, and their therapeutic uses are still being investigated today. The medicinal value of ox gallstones has led to a huge demand in China and Asia, where they are often used to treat hepatitis and liver disease.

They can be purchased online, and are usually a few grams in size. They can be dark or light, and are priced according to their dryness and luster. Whole, smooth and golden stones attract the highest prices, while dark and shattered stones are of less value.

The majority of ox gallstones are extracted from cattle intestines, and are washed thoroughly to remove blood clots, impurities etc. They are then dried for two to three weeks in a dark, ventilated environment at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius. The stones are moved regularly to ensure proper drying and to avoid them sticking together.

Symptoms

Gallstones occur when fat molecules, cholesterol, and other substances break down too quickly, forming pebble-like particles that are stuck in the walls of the gallbladder. They can also form in the ducts that drain the gallbladder.

Most gallstones don’t cause any symptoms, and they aren’t dangerous unless you get them in your liver or intestines. If a gallstone becomes trapped in your bile ducts, it can block the flow of bile and cause serious problems.

Your gallbladder releases a fluid called bile, which contains water, bile salts (bilirubin and phosphate), cholesterol, lecithin, and other components. During digestion, bile breaks down fat and other proteins into smaller particles that can be absorbed into the intestine.

In addition, bile can help your body fight diseases by stimulating certain immune cells and signaling pathways in the liver and intestines. Increasing amounts of bile can even cause your blood to produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

When you eat foods that contain fat or a lot of cholesterol, the muscle cells in your gallbladder contract to help release the bile into your small intestine. Then, your gallbladder contracts again to send bile back to your liver to be stored. This process can be triggered by a hormone produced in the liver, called cholecystokinin.

The bile then travels through a system of tubes to other parts of your digestive tract. The largest tube is the common bile duct, which leads to your small intestine. It is surrounded by several smaller tubes called the cystic duct and the pancreatic duct.

If a gallstone blocks the cystic duct or obstructs the common bile duct, you may experience pain in your upper right abdomen and/or an inflammation of the pancreas. This condition is referred to as biliary colic or complicated gallstone disease.

About 10% of people with symptomatic gallstones have stones that obstruct the common bile duct, or choledocholithiasis. This condition can be life-threatening, and your doctor may recommend ERCP to remove the gallstone.

In rare cases, ox gallstones can be accompanied by symptoms that aren’t related to the bile. These symptoms include intense abdominal pain and fever, which can lead to jaundice. Other symptoms can include difficulty urinating and feeling sick or nauseated. These symptoms can be relieved by taking acetaminophen and other over-the-counter pain medicines.

Treatment

Ox gallstones (Niu Huang) have long been a popular drug in traditional Chinese medicine and were used as a sedative for infantile convulsions, vomiting, and nocturnal crying. Moreover, they were also employed to treat hepatitis, pyogenic tonsillitis, and bronchitis.

In China, natural ox gallstones were a valuable treasure. In fact, according to the Chinese materia medica, these stones were considered to be an excellent “top grade” therapeutic drug. They were primarily obtained from oxen raised in central China. The most expensive gallstones were called Sheng Huang, while the cheapest ones were named Zhong Huang.

Sheng Huang were composed of small granules that varied in size and color. They were usually found in intrahepatic bile ducts. They were soft “like the yolk of an egg” at first, but when placed in water they hardened up to form a solid stone.

A similar stone was also called Man Huang, a mixture of smaller stones that were hard at first but became soft as soon as they were placed in water. This was often obtained at necropsy after a sick ox had died.

Despite their pharmacological significance, the supply of these natural ox gallstones is limited, especially in China. As a result, artificial/ synthetic gallstones have emerged to satisfy the demand for them in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

Another complication is that these artificial gallstones are not comparable to the medicinal value of natural ox gallstones. However, their therapeutic value is still recognized by some practitioners.

Since the mid-1950s, Chinese scientists have introduced a method for producing artificial ox gallstones ex vivo by implanting a pinhead-sized natural ox gallstone in the ox’s bile canal, which results in spontaneously forming gallstones within 1-3 years. This procedure can be performed on any ox with a gallbladder, and on average a 4 g pigment gallstone is produced.

Because ox gallstones are a precious medicinal ingredient, they are not only sought out in the traditional Chinese medicine community but have been incorporated into many proprietary herbal formulations, and even into some modern-day commercial products such as e-cigarettes. They are therefore in high demand and are worth a significant amount of money.

Prevention

One of the most effective ways to prevent ox gallstones is by eating a healthy diet. Fruit and vegetables, especially those that contain a lot of fibre, can help to prevent the formation of gall stones in the first place. In fact, researchers found that people who ate a lot of fruits and vegetables had a 25.6 times lower risk of developing gall stones than those who didn’t.

In addition, a high consumption of polyunsaturated fats, such as fish, cold pressed flaxseed oil and extra virgin olive oil, may also help to prevent the formation of gall stones. These fatty acids can help the gall bladder to produce bile more efficiently.

A recent study by the University of Oxford has revealed that a person’s diet could play a major role in their chances of developing gallstones. Those who eat a lot of sugars and alcohol are more likely to develop gall stones than those who don’t.

The most important factor in preventing gall stones is by making sure that a person’s bile flows well. If this is not done, then a buildup of salts within the bile can cause a nucleus of stones to form.

These crystalline masses are produced in the gallbladder or bile ducts as a result of bile pigments and cholesterol in digestive fluids. They usually only weigh a few grams, but they can be incredibly painful when they obstruct the flow of bile and lead to gallstones.

Ox gallstones are a precious Chinese herbal medicine that are harvested from cattle and sold at the retail level either in their natural form or as an ingredient for a proprietary Chinese medicine. They are in high demand for their medicinal value, but domestic supplies are scarce.

According to Beef Central, ox gallstones can be worth as much as HK$19,000 for a single tael (US$65 per gram), but only pristine specimens will fetch such a price in Hong Kong. This is because ox gallstones are made up of 75 percent water when they are extracted from cattle and lose a great deal of that weight when dried.

Ox Gallstones Cambodia