Ox Gallstones Indonesia

Gallstones harvested from cattle are a precious Chinese herbal medicine. They are either sold as natural gallstones or combined with other ingredients to form proprietary Chinese medicines.

Prices vary dramatically, depending on quality, shape and size. Whole, lustrous golden specimens attract the highest price. Dark and pitted stones are worth less.

Price

The price of ox gallstones Indonesia can range from U$ 70,00 per gram to several thousands of dollars, depending on the quality, shape and size of the stones. They are also in high demand as ingredients in Chinese herbal medicine.

They can be found in various shapes and sizes, from round to egg shaped. The best ones have a lustrous sheen, are whole and dry, are light in weight and have an attractive colour.

For the uninitiated, ox gallstones are formed inside a number of bovines, mainly depending on their age and diet. They can form in a variety of shapes and sizes and have to be carefully harvested from the animal by hand or in some cases by machine.

Once harvested, they are washed thoroughly with cold water to remove blood clots and other impurities. After that they are dried in a dark and well ventilated environment at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius for two to three weeks. This process is aided by regular flipping to avoid them sticking together and are then packed in hermetically sealed bags.

A few of our readers have asked us what the price of ox gallstones Indonesia is. As a guide, we’ve provided a chart of ox gallstones prices based on the highest price paid for each pound of ox gallstones per kilogram. The chart shows the prices of ox gallstones in the US, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Currently, the cost of ox gallstones in the United States is about USD 850/kg, while prices are much lower in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Availability

Ox gallstones are a bovine byproduct, which is harvested during bile extraction on the eviscera table in slaughter cattle abattoirs. They are a rare commodity; they occur in small numbers and can be difficult to find.

But they can be a treasured treasure, and are worth more than gold in some markets. The bilirubin they contain has been valued in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and can help to cure a host of ailments.

The gallstones are dried and crushed into pills, which can be mixed with other herbs to form a proprietary herbal medicine. These drugs can cost as much as HK$19,000 for one tael, or US$65 per gram.

Although the prices vary, there is an increasing demand for ox gallstones abroad. A lot of the selling takes place on darknet marketplaces and private Facebook groups.

As a rule, ox gallstones are found in older slaughter animals, such as cows and bulls. Younger cattle, such as a yearling or younger steer, do not produce gallstones.

However, some cattle, such as bulls and calf rearers, do find these hard lumps of bilirubin. The presence, frequency and quality of these rocks can be influenced by a wide range of factors, such as the availability of bore water, or the age of the animal at death.

Nevertheless, ox gallstones are a valuable byproduct of the Australian cattle industry. They can be worth $15,000- $35,000 a kilo, depending on where they are sold.

There are no fewer than 200kg of cattle gallstones harvested each year in Australia, according to a leading dealer in the market. Considering that the whole world produces just 1500kg, that means that Australia could be missing out on a significant opportunity to sell this precious commodity overseas, particularly in Asia.

The value of ox gallstones is determined by a number of factors, including dryness, colour, texture and size, as well as their appearance when broken up into pieces. In particular, a golden, smooth stone attracts the highest price, while a black, pitted or otherwise damaged specimen will command a reduced price.

Supply

Ox gallstones Indonesia are a byproduct of the beef industry. Often used in traditional Chinese medicine, these small octosyllabic stones are produced naturally by cattle and are harvested for use in herbal medicines.

The supply of these precious substances can be very limited. A single kilogram of ox gallstones costs around $20,000 in China, according to the Agricultural Research Institute of Canada.

However, there are several methods to produce this valuable product. One method is to filter the bile from a cow or pig, another involves extracting the gallstones from the intestines. Lastly, these gallstones must be drained of their water and dried.

These processes are carried out at a low temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. The resulting product is smooth and lustrous. The value of the item depends on its dryness, colour, size and shape. Whole, smooth, lustrous and golden specimens are considered to be the most valuable.

A number of companies are involved in the supply of ox gallstones. Some are in the business of supplying bulk quantities to the pharmacopeia while others specialise in a specific type of product.

Among them, Alpha Trading is the king of this particular trade. Established in 1967, Alpha Trading has built a reputation for supplying and trading ox gallstones.

This is a highly prized Chinese medicinal item and one that is in demand internationally. It can be sold as a stand-alone item or in combination with other ingredients to make proprietary Chinese medicines. The retail price of a tael (about three grams) of natural gallstones in Hong Kong is around HK$19,000, which is more than double the U.S. price of a similar pellet.

Demand

MONDAY’S story about the theft of gallstones from a Queensland abattoir has raised a lot of questions. One of the biggest is how on earth a rock weighing 57 grams could be worth $2,000?

That’s according to Sunshine Trading, an Australian company that has become the nation’s go-to supplier of cattle gallstones. Their business model is simple: teach slaughterhouses how to dry and store their gallstones in a way that maximises profit.

The gallstones themselves, however, are a rare commodity: something to be treasured, not tossed away. They’re rich in bilirubin, a pigment that Chinese medicine specialists believe can have a range of healing properties.

And it’s the bilirubin itself that’s worth its weight in gold: an antioxidant that is believed to help treat and cure a host of ailments from heart disease to hepatitis, gout and lung cancer. That’s why they’re often sold as a precious Chinese herbal medicine.

There are plenty of collectors and traders on the hunt for these rare and valuable stones, but you’d have to be pretty savvy to pull off the theft without being caught. They’re often smuggled out of the country in a dark net marketplace, or bought from a private Facebook group.

While the value of a gallstone can drop considerably if it’s chipped, cracked or even slightly damp, unbroken stones can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. That’s why many of the collectors and traders are shoving them into hermetically sealed bags before sending them out to international buyers.

They’re also encouraged to stash them in a dark place, as bilirubin is photosensitive and will degenerate under light. That’s why so much of the buying and selling of gallstones overseas now takes place via darknet marketplaces or private Facebook groups.

It’s a gamble, but one that pays off in spades. There are plenty of buyers on the lookout for these rare, coveted gems: a recent online auction saw a pair of smooth, rust-coloured balls sell for $2,000 each.

So while it’s a little disconcerting that a stolen batch of cattle gallstones can be worth a fortune, it shouldn’t be surprising at all. There are a number of large, well-funded gallstone brokers and dealers who have built up a reputation for getting top dollar for their products.

Ox Gallstones Indonesia