Ox Gallstones – Are They Worth a Fortune?

Gallstones are a natural byproduct of the bile duct of cattle. They are collected during the bile extraction process at the abattoir.

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

Supply and Demand

Cattle gallstones, known as calculus bovis in Australia, are a natural, non-cultured product of bilirubin production within the gall bladder. They’re found most frequently on older slaughter cattle – usually cows and bulls – and are extracted at abattoirs during the process of removing bile from the gut.

After they’re retrieved from the gut, the stones are washed with cold water in order to remove any blood, impurities or other imperfections, and then dried for two to three weeks in a dark and well-air conditioned room at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. During the drying process they’re moved regularly in order to avoid them sticking together and they’re packed in hermetically sealed bags.

They are then sold to Chinese buyers who use them to make a range of proprietary Chinese medicines, such as ginseng and hyaluronic acid. These medicinal products are used to treat a range of conditions including sore throat, fever and lung disease.

The supply of these rare, naturally occurring rocks is extremely limited. The Australian cattle industry only produces around 200kg of them each year, according to one of the country’s largest dealers in the white market.

Gerard Murtagh, director of Sunshine Trading, is responsible for raking in an estimated $11.5 million USD from the country’s top abattoirs each year. His family business deals with more than 50 abattoirs across all states and territories, and is now regarded as the “market leader” for cattle gallstones in Australia.

He’s also the man behind a patent design dropbox, which forces gutties to open their bladders over stainless steel boxes with mesh baskets inside, in order to secure the’stones’ from any sticky fingers. And he’s the reason that almost every abattoir in the country now has a surveillance camera sitting above their gutting table.

In the past, meatworkers at many of Australia’s major abattoirs would ‘collect’ gallstones for a price. But, as Beef Central has been able to reveal, that was often a far cry from what they’re worth these days.

In recent years, the demand for these’stones’ has increased dramatically due to their purported health benefits. Medicinal practitioners in China and other Asian countries have been spruiking them as a cure-all for a range of illnesses and conditions. These’stones’ are also said to have a calming effect on the mind and emotions, which can be helpful when dealing with anxiety or depression. Interestingly, these’stones’ are also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. This makes them a great addition to a range of holistic therapies.

Processing

MONDAY’S story of charges laid against a Queensland abattoir worker over the theft of gallstones (click here to read original article) has raised questions about what is really going on behind the scenes at beef processing plants. Among the responses on social media has been a belief that processors must be making a fortune at cattle producers’ expense, by collecting and selling these tiny diamond-like objects at astronomical prices.

Gallstones are formed when bilirubin, a pigment produced in the liver that’s also found in your bloodstream, builds up over time and doesn’t get excreted as normal. When they block your bile ducts, they can cause a range of complications including jaundice and even death.

The human body produces a large amount of bile, which is necessary for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and breaking down fats that can’t be broken down by other means in your small intestine. This bile is made up of cholesterol and bilirubin.

Your liver breaks down fatty acids and other nutrients in the bloodstream before sending them to your small intestine. This process is essential for your health.

But a buildup of bilirubin and other waste products in the gallbladder, and a blockage of the bile duct, can result in the formation of gallstones. These stones can either move around and obstruct your bile ducts or get stuck in the neck of your gallbladder. The resulting condition is called cholelithiasis.

Symptoms of cholelithiasis include biliary pain, sometimes known as ‘biliary colic’. This is a dull and persistent pain that usually develops in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen, but can also be felt elsewhere.

The bilirubin in the gallbladder can also lead to inflammation of your gallbladder and other organs. This can cause a range of diseases, including acute cholangitis and chronic cholangitis, which can lead to more serious conditions such as cirrhosis.

In order to prevent a buildup of bilirubin, your doctor may prescribe medication to help your body excrete the substance more quickly. This can help to keep your bilirubin levels from becoming too high, which can then create gallstones. In addition, you may be given medications to help your gallbladder function more efficiently.

Quality

Ox Gallstones are a precious Chinese herbal medicine that can be sold either in their natural form without being processed, or as a proprietary Chinese medicine mixed with other ingredients. They are a popular choice in alternative medicine as they can be used to help treat and cure a variety of ailments, including heart disease and hepatitis.

They can be found in the gall bladder of cows and bulls, and are retrieved during the bile extraction process at abattoirs. The amount of gallstones that are present in cattle can vary, and even the quality of the stones can have a significant effect on their value.

There are numerous sources for cattle gallstones in the world, and most are collected from Europe and ex-Soviet states. But a small percentage of the supply comes from Africa and Asia, especially India.

After collecting the stones from the intestines of cattle, they are thoroughly washed with cold water to remove blood clots and other impurities. They are then dried in a dark and well ventilated environment at a temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius. They are then moved frequently to ensure they dry properly and to avoid them sticking together.

The quality of the ox gallstones is determined by their texture, colour and size. Whole, smooth, lustrous stones attract the highest prices. However, stones that are pitted, dark or with calcium inclusions (white) are of lesser value.

Since gallstones can be found in a wide range of cattle, and are largely found on older slaughter animals like cows and bulls, they can be of varying sizes. They can be round, egg shaped, pyramid shaped, or a tube from the bile ducts.

Compared to other cattle byproducts, gallstones are relatively rare. A beef processor’s entire production of gallstones – which is less than 200kg a year in Australia – is just one per cent of its overall yield.

It’s a small drop in the bucket compared to the profits made from the meat itself, and every little bit helps the big abattoirs make more money. But when the news broke last Monday that an employee from a Southeast Queensland abattoir had been charged for stealing ox gallstones from the plant, social media users were quick to accuse meat processors of making a fortune out of the byproduct at their expense.

Pricing

If you’ve seen the media coverage about a gutting worker in southeast Queensland being charged with the theft of gallstones from an abattoir, you may have been led to believe that these precious stones are worth a fortune. But the truth is that ox gallstones are a rare commodity, and are unlikely to drop in price anytime soon.

The reason they’re so expensive is because gallstones are an important part of Chinese medicine. They’re used to treat a variety of conditions, including fever, coughs and colds, swollen hands and feet, convulsions in children, and nocturnal crying.

These rare stones are also known for their ability to help the body absorb bilirubin, which is a component of blood. As a result, Chinese medicine experts and pharmacists have long used gallstones in their preparations as a cure for bilirubin deficiency.

According to a China-based dealer, the price of these precious stones is based on a number of factors. These include the dryness, shape, size and texture of the stone. Whole, smooth, golden specimens are coveted most. Dark, pitted or broken stones are less valuable.

Traders say it’s also important to store gallstones in a dark environment–bilirubin degenerates in light. This helps ensure they don’t lose their value, and buyers abroad are encouraged to use special care when packaging them.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, there’s been an upsurge in ox gallstones exports to Hong Kong and other Asian markets. These are mainly sold as natural gallstones or combined with other ingredients to form a proprietary Chinese medicine.

As of the end of 2017, it was estimated that the ox gallstone market in Hong Kong spanned HK$19,000 per tael (about US$65), although this can vary depending on quality and quantity. But as long as the Chinese government continues to promote a demand for bilirubin-based medicines, it’s likely that the price of these precious stones will remain high.

But despite these high prices, it’s not always easy to make a profit on gallstones. It takes a lot of time and effort to extract them from a cow’s intestine, then to dehydrate them, dry them out, store them and sell them. So the fact that they’re now being sold to people overseas for a premium is good news for those on the kill floor, but it means that gutties are still facing an uphill battle trying to make their money back.

Ox Gallstones – Are They Worth a Fortune?