Costa Rica Ox Gallstones

Earlier this week, a story involving a meat processor being charged with stealing gallstones from a cattle abattoir in Queensland, Australia, caused considerable interest on social media. Many people believe that processors are making a fortune from these rare cattle byproducts.

Traditionally, gallstones were a highly prized medicine in China. They were used to treat a variety of ailments, particularly hyperpyrexia-induced infantile convulsions.

Medicinal Uses

Throughout history, gallstones have been used in a variety of medicinal ways. They can help boost the immune system, stimulate the brain’s neurotransmitters and more.

Ox and cow gallstones, also called bezoars, have a long history of being used in Chinese medicine, as well as in other cultures around the world. They’re known for their antipyretic, anticonvulsive, bacterial growth inhibition and antihypertensive effects.

They’re also often attributed to magic, because they can be used to heal poison and make people virtuous or even improve fertility. For this reason, they’re a valuable commodity in certain markets, where their value can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $8,000!

In traditional Chinese medicine, the use of animal biles (gallstones) as drugs for therapeutic purposes dates back a few thousand years. The earliest recorded use of dog and ox biles was in the Prescriptions for Fifty-two Types of Diseases, which dates from c. 475 to 206 BCE. It was followed by common carp bile, which was mentioned in the earliest recorded monograph on materia medica in China, Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, which dates from c. 206 BCE to 221 CE.

Other animal biles were also found to have medicinal uses, such as pig bile, which was used to treat a variety of illnesses. It was also believed to improve vision by improving the clarity of the cornea (nebulae) and removing opacities in the eye.

It was also used to treat conjunctivitis, ocular inflammation, and trachoma. It was also used to treat tonsillitis and acute sore throat.

Another important use for ox gallstones was in treating infantile convulsions. These convulsions were characterized by sudden onset, upward gaze of the eyes, lockjaw, rigidity of the neck, limb convulsions, “rattling” of pharyngeal phlegm and eventually coma.

In addition to its medicinal uses, ox gallstones were also a valuable resource for paint-on sword wounds in northern battlefields of ancient China[8,53]. They were often collected from fresh cadavers and were used to make “artificial” membranes when diluted with wine, which was a very popular technique.

The use of ox gallstones was very important in Chinese medicine, as they were often considered to be more precious than gold. They were also commonly prescribed as a remedy for various health disorders including jaundice, polydipsia, diarrhea, vomiting and nocturnal crying in children, which was referred to as ‘fright convulsions’.

Preparation Methods

Gallstones are a very precious commodity, and the cattle industry has long harvested them for their medicinal value. They are also in demand for other purposes, including Chinese herbal medicine.

MONDAY’S news story about charges being laid against an employee at a southeast Queensland abattoir over the theft of gallstones from cattle has raised interest in these natural byproducts of the slaughter process. But it is important to remember that, like oysters, they are a rare commodity that requires a lot of effort to harvest.

In order to make the most money from gallstones, you need to be able to source them efficiently and sell them at a high price. That means forming relationships with local farmers and abattoirs.

Once you have a good supplier, you can begin to collect gallstones from their animals after they’ve been slaughtered. You’ll need to do your best to inspect each animal carefully for gallstones, and you’ll want to check the common bile duct and the area around the liver.

If you do find gallstones on an animal, you’ll need to remove them from the animal quickly. Doing so will minimize the chance that you’ll spill precious bile and lose profits from the sale of the gallstones.

You’ll then need to dry the gallstones and place them in a cool, dark place to keep them from becoming moldy or too moist. If you fail to do this, the stones will dry too quickly and break down into small pieces or powder that won’t be worth as much as the whole stone.

Once the gallstones are completely dried, they will be ready for sale to a buyer. The buyer will weigh the stones and pay you for them according to their size, quality, and condition.

Ox Gallstones Costa Rica can be a lucrative business opportunity for entrepreneurs who are willing to put in the time and effort. With a little investment and careful attention to detail, you can quickly turn these natural byproducts of the slaughter process into a steady stream of income that can fund your lifestyle.

Storage

Gallstones are an animal byproduct that have risen in value over the past decade. They’re a small addition to the horns, hooves and blood that abattoirs collect from slaughtered cattle, but every stone counts.

A beef processor can’t make a profit on a single ox, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a chunk of the market price for a single stone if they find it. A handful of those tiny rocks could add up to a significant amount–an extra $6 per head at Australia’s big abattoirs, for example–if they’re found and sold to the right buyer.

That’s why, in the past 15 years, a lot of abattoirs have cottoned on to the idea of selling their cattle gallstones for a bit of extra cash. They know it’s a relatively low-risk, highly profitable proposition; a little extra money to throw in with the bile and muck that feeds their meat processing machine.

In Australia, a small business called Sunshine Trading bought all of the gallstones they could find from gutties and turned them into cash. Gerard Murtagh, a 19-year-old who started the family’s company in 2003, launched a national education campaign, teaching slaughterhouses how to dry, preserve and sell gallstones for maximum profit.

He also helped introduce the padlocked boxes that abattoirs have been using to lock up their stones since 2003, which have made it a crime to pilfer the box. That’s because those who try to steal the gallstones risk being caught red-handed, and facing a swift end.

The only way to guarantee that you don’t get caught is to keep your stones as clean as possible. This means removing blood and muck, washing them thoroughly in cold water to remove clots and impurities and drying them for two weeks in a dark, well-ventilated space at 20 degrees Celsius.

You’ll need to be careful not to break them, as they are brittle once dried. If they’re chipped, broken or otherwise damaged, the value of the stone drops significantly.

But if you’re a serious collector, you can sell your gallstones online to the right buyers and turn your collection into a steady stream of cash. Ideally, you’ll stash them in a safe, dark location–bilirubin is photosensitive and degenerates in light–and then carefully pack them into egg cartons or biscuit tins before shipping them overseas.

Transportation

Costa Rica has a wealth of transportation options that allow travelers to fit multiple experiences into a single trip. Whether you want to go to the rainforest, the cloud forest, the volcanoes, or the canals, there are ways to explore these areas during your time in this beautiful country.

Taxis travel to almost every destination that is reachable by vehicle. For example, if you’re in San Jose and you want to visit La Fortuna, you can get there with an official red taxi. Unofficial taxis (called piratas) are available in many towns and cities throughout the country, though they often operate outside of car-free areas.

Shared shuttle services are one of the most popular and least-expensive ways to transport yourself between destinations in Costa Rica. They usually offer transportation in an air-conditioned tourist van that typically seats 8-12 passengers. They are not private to your particular travel group and they make several scheduled stops along the way.

Public buses (signed as directos or colectivos) are the most common form of public transportation in Costa Rica. They can take you anywhere in the country that’s reachable by bus and are typically the fastest and most affordable.

These buses travel along scheduled routes that are primarily used by locals who live in small towns on the outskirts of major cities. They typically run between destinations in the early morning and late evening, but you can sometimes take them at any time of day if you’re willing to wait.

Charter flights are another popular way to connect Costa Rica destinations. They’re offered by a few individuals and private businesses, and they use a variety of planes, including De Havilland Twin Otter planes, Britten Norman Islander planes, King Air planes, Piper Seneca/Aztec planes, and Cessna Caravan/Cardinal planes, which seat anywhere from 3-18 people.

This transportation type is great for travelers who need to get from one place to another, but it can also be a bit expensive if you’re traveling with lots of luggage or if you have children or pets that require extra care. You’ll want to research and confirm all policies and fees before booking a charter flight so you know what to expect from your chosen provider.

Costa Rica Ox Gallstones