Ox Gallstones Bengal

Ox gallstones develop inside a number of bovines, mainly depending on their age and diet. They are essentially located in the gallbladder.

They are in high demand as a precious Chinese herbal medicine. The Chinese pharmaceutical industry requires around 100 metric tons (MT) of natural gallstones for a variety of propriety Chinese medicines each year.

Medicinal Value

For many people, ox gallstones Bengal are nothing more than a clunky old stone to be disposed of, but in Asia they have a long and interesting history. They are a true medicine talisman and have been used for more than two millennia to cure everything from night blindness to infertility.

One of the most lauded features of an ox gallstone is its bile, which is a complex liquid secreted by the liver and sphincter of Oddi, or gallbladder. Bile is a powerful and potent detoxifying substance that carries out several functions. These include softening and soothing the gut, acting as an antiseptic and killing pathogens, and delivering vitamins A, D, E and K.

A lot of research has been done on ox gallstones and what they can do for the body. Those in the know say that ox gallstones are a natural antihistamine, have antipyretic, anticonvulsive and antibacterial properties. They also have the medical benefit of improving heart function and lowering blood pressure. The ox gallstone is also the tiniest of the microorganisms that makes up this bile-rich secretion, which is one of the reasons they are so valuable.

Supply and Demand

Ox gallstones, also known as ox bezoars, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. They are a precious and valuable drug that has a reputation for curing a range of illnesses. They are used in herbal preparations for treating a variety of ailments, including liver and heart diseases.

The demand for ox gallstones has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly in China, where a small pellet can cost as much as US$65 per gram. There is a growing market for ox gallstones in Hong Kong as well, where they are being imported in large quantities.

In China, ox gallstones are sold as a natural product or combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine. They have a high medicinal value and are often considered more precious than gold, with their therapeutic properties being more widely recognised and utilised in Chinese medicine than other biles.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, ox gallstones were highly sought after as a natural treatment for disease. They were regarded as a superior, top grade therapy, and were also referred to as “calculus bovis” in the literature.

As the demand for ox gallstones has grown, abattoirs have started to pick up on the lucrative trade, which can add up to significant profits for beef processing plants. Every little bit of the stone’s value adds up, as a single cricket ball-sized stone can net the meat factory as much as $6 per head of cattle.

These prices are largely dependent on the quality and size of the stone. A pristine, undamaged stone is worth more than a diamond; it can even rival gold bullion prices.

According to one gallstone broker, the price of a ‘good’ stone can be as low as $57 USD per gram and a ‘bad’ one could fetch up to $60 USD. The stones are then sorted into different categories, based on their size and other parameters such as the presence of blood clots or impurities.

After the gallstones are sorted they are washed thoroughly with cold water to remove any blood clots, impurities etc. They are then dried in a dark environment for two to three weeks before being packaged in hermetically sealed bags. The dried stones are then sold to buyers around the world. A lot of the trading now takes place via private Facebook groups and darknet marketplaces, with collectors encouraged to stash their stones in a dark location before sending them overseas. This can minimise the risk of breakages and bilirubin degeneration, which can damage or ruin the rock’s potential to make money on the global market.

Extraction

When bilirubin gets into the wrong places in a vertebrate’s body, it can cause the development of gallstones. These hardened deposits can block the bile duct and lead to serious problems.

When an animal is slaughtered, it’s important to inspect all the animals for these gallstones before they are discarded. You can find them in the liver and around the common bile duct, but you also need to look in the gallbladder, where they are more likely to form.

If you have a good relationship with a local abattoir, you may be able to get ox gallstones for free or at a discounted price. However, this may require some work on your part to develop relationships with both the farmer and the buyer.

Once you have your supply, you need to make sure that you dry them properly so they don’t break down and become worthless. This requires two to three weeks of drying in a dark and well-ventilated area at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius.

You’ll also want to be careful not to leave your ox gallstones in the sun or in a humid environment, which can deplete them of bilirubin and reduce their value. Once dried, you can sell them to a variety of buyers who will weigh them and pay you a high price for them.

Typically, you’ll get about $57 USD per gram for ox gallstones that are of average quality. But if you have a higher-quality lot, you can easily get up to $60 USD for each gram.

There is a huge demand for ox gallstones across Asia and Europe, and it’s unlikely that the price will drop any time soon. As a result, there is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to source these valuable materials and turn them into a profitable business.

If you’re interested in pursuing this lucrative business, you need to do some research and build relationships with both your supplier and buyer. Once you have the right resources in place, you’ll be able to start making a solid income with very little overhead.

Drying

Gallstones are a precious Chinese herbal medicine harvested from cattle after the bile is filtered without special processing. They are either sold at the retail level as natural gallstones, or combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine.

In ancient China, ox gallstones were one of the most popular drugs, and their price was often quoted as HK$19,000 for one tael (US$65 per gram) [4, 5]. They were also prescribed in the formula Angong Niuhuang Wan to treat the symptoms of polydipsia and diarrhea, and to cure vomiting “caused by fright” and nocturnal crying, based on their ability to relieve hepatic toxicity by counteracting toxins from the stomach and intestines.

They were also prescribed for febrile infantile convulsions, characterized by sudden onset, upward gazing of the eyes, lockjaw, rigidity of the neck, limb convulsions and frothy salivation. Ox gallstones were also used for hepatobiliary diseases and jaundice.

The main ingredient in ox gallstones was calcium bilirubinate, which could be found in many traditional Chinese medicines and was commonly used as an antidote for poison. According to Tao Hong-Jing in his Records of Famous Physicians (c. 510 CE), the gall stones were also used to combat fevers by “decreasing the body’s ability to withstand the heat” and by restoring the balance of water in the blood.

However, it was important to separate the “true” ox gallstones from the “false” ones. The former were softer, and had a sweet smell; they were not crystalline, but were more like cholesterol or carbonate crystals.

There were four types of ox gallstones: San Huang, Man Huang, Tuan Huang and Sheng Huang, based on their texture, size and position in the bile ducts. The Sheng Huang, which resembled soft hen’s eggs at first, became hard after being immersed in water.

Gallstones are dried in a dark, well-ventilated room at 20degC for two to three weeks. They are rotated to another side regularly so that they dry properly and do not clump together. Once they are completely dry, they are vacuum packed and sealed. They are then sent to their buyers.

Ox Gallstones Bengal