Oman Gallstones

Gallstones harvested from cattle are a precious Chinese herbal medicine. These can be sold at the retail level in their natural form without being processed or as a proprietary Chinese medicine mixed with other ingredients.

The value of individual gallstones is determined by dryness, colour, texture and size. Whole, smooth, lustrous golden specimens attract the highest prices. Dark and pitted stones as well as those with calcium inclusions (white) are of reduced value.

Natural Gallstones

Gallstones are hard, solid particles that form in the gallbladder when there’s an imbalance of cholesterol, bile salts and bilirubin. They can cause pain, especially in the upper right part of the abdomen and back. Other symptoms may include indigestion, nausea, gas and bloating.

There are several natural remedies for gallstones that can help you get rid of them naturally, but you should consult a doctor before trying these methods. A doctor can recommend treatments that are safe for you and provide the best results.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV): The acid in ACV can help metabolize fats and reduce the risk of gallstones. It also may help control lipid levels in people with diabetes.

Acupuncture: This method has been shown to be helpful for some people with gallstones. Acupuncture can help relieve pain by reducing spasms and easing bile flow.

Herbal supplements: Herbal supplements are a popular natural remedy for gallstones. Taking herbs like milk thistle, lupin and nettles can help prevent or treat gallstones. However, you should talk to your doctor before starting any herbal treatment because some herbs can interfere with medications or medical conditions.

Gold coin grass: Lysimachiae herba or gold coin grass is a traditional Chinese remedy for gallstones. The supplement is available as a powder or liquid. It may be helpful for preventing or treating cholesterol gallstones, but there’s not much research to support this claim.

Castor oil packs: Some people use a warm cloth soaked in castor oil to massage their abdomen for gallstone pain relief. While it’s not known if this is an effective treatment, it can be very useful for some people.

Keeping your weight in check: Obesity is one of the leading causes of gallstones, so losing weight can make it easier for your body to process fats and bile. Eating low-calorie, healthy foods and getting enough exercise are also key ways to keep your weight in check.

Drinking lots of water can also help your body to flush out toxins and reduce the risk of gallstones. If you’re not sure if your diet is healthy, ask your doctor for a nutrition consultation.

Artificial/ Synthetic Gallstones

A gallbladder is a pear-shaped, hollow structure under the liver on the right side of the abdomen. It stores and concentrates a digestive fluid called bile, which carries waste products like cholesterol and bilirubin.

When too much of any one of these substances gets stuck in the bile ducts, it may form a stone. Usually, this is caused by conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver or blood disorders that cause your body to make too much cholesterol and bilirubin.

The bile ducts then empty into the small intestine where the bile is used to break down fats and digest them. In this process, the bile salts and other chemical components of the bile get mixed with phospholipids, which are a type of oil that helps dissolve cholesterol.

In most cases, bile is dissolved by the enzyme chyma sulfatase. However, in some patients this is not enough to remove all the cholesterol and bilirubin from the bile.

So, the bile starts to stick together and crystallize into a stone, which is also a good measure of the quality of bile that your liver produces. These crystals then form the gallstone.

A gallstone can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball, with the largest stone accounting for around 20% of the total weight. While gallstones can cause abdominal pain and a number of other health issues, they are often not life threatening, though a few can lead to complications such as cholecystitis and sepsis. This is why a proper diet and regular physical examinations are recommended by the medical community to detect early signs of gallstones, so that treatment can be started before the disease progresses to an uncomfortable and potentially life-threatening condition.

Cattle Gallstones

When you look at gallstones, they’re unlikely to elicit a lot of empathy. They look a little like lumps of bile, and can be a bit repulsive, but the market for these rare cattle byproducts is worth an absolute fortune in Asian markets.

They’re sold in the form of bezoars, which are a valuable Chinese herbal medicine. They are typically mixed with coptisroot, rhinohorn, animalic musk, natural indigo and ghostleafflower in the formula Angong Niuhuang Wan.

Historically, the stones were used for protection against poisons and bad spirits – they were believed to cure snake bites and scorpion stings, and they were worn as a charm. Elizabeth the First, for instance, was said to have one of these bezoars set inside her silver ring, which she believed protected her from poison and evils she might encounter in her lifetime.

In the eighth century AD, Serapion, the court physician of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, said that he used to cure snake bites and scorpion stung by rubbing them with ox gallstones. He also claimed that they can “dissolve poisons in the stomach.”

Since then, there has been a huge demand for these ancient medicines and bezoars have become a sought-after commodity, especially in China. The country’s government has been pushing interest in bilirubin-based medicine, which has seen gallstone prices rise to $15,000 a kilo.

The value of a gallstone depends on the quality and condition of the stone. A chipped, broken or damp one can drop its value significantly, but a rock with no imperfections is worth a fortune.

As a result, gutties at abattoirs have started using padlocked boxes to store their precious stones: waist-high stainless steel vaults that keep them safe from sticky fingers. Some abattoirs even have surveillance cameras installed above the kill floor, so supervisors can watch over their workers as they cut bladders open to retrieve a gallstone.

But these methods aren’t without their risks. A recent Australian media report on the subject of gallstone thefts has shown that gutties are being caught out by smugglers who have stolen more than a thousand kilos from slaughterhouses in the past year.

Ox Gallstones

tis ts tas blingworthy in the form of the tops on the gall bladder for a while albeit for only a few lucky ducks at a time. Its a pity we did not tee up the prize in one hand, let alone a glass of vino and a belly full of booze. Having said that, we stumbled upon a happy hour after hours and a few too many cocktails later to count. Thankfully, we have the budget for the rest of the evening. Besides, we are about to get some of the best deals on the aforementioned ole ee for the rest of your life!

Oman Gallstones