Ox Gallstones Belize – Are They Worth $20,000 a Kilogram?

As you may have seen on social media, Monday’s story quoting gallstones as being worth up to $20,000 a kilogram has drawn outrage. It’s hard to square the notion that processors are making a fortune from this little-known animal byproduct at beef producers’ expense.

In reality, they are a tiny fraction of the total yearly output from Australia’s biggest abattoirs; a minuscule slice that adds up to almost nothing.

Origins

Ox gallstones are a natural byproduct of the bovine digestive system. They are formed from a variety of sources such as liver and spleen. They are generally round, triangular or square shaped, vary in size and have an interesting appearance when viewed up close.

They can be a source of valuable medicinal substances, but it is the bile that is extracted from them that is prized. This is done by filtration, vacuum drying under reduced pressure and grinding. The aforementioned medical marvel is then distilled into various liquids for further use in the form of tinctures, extracts and powders.

The aforementioned gallstone is then used in various formulations for a variety of ailments. The most notable uses include a cough suppressant, appetite enhancer and blood purifier among many others. The aforementioned elixir is also useful for its blood sugar lowering properties. In the west, it has found a niche as a dietary supplement and is often combined with vitamins, minerals and herbs to promote a healthy immune system and good digestion.

Uses

In China, ox gallstones are used to clear heart heat and rejuvenate the spirit. They help to remove phlegm and delirium, put a stop to convulsions and tremors, and clear toxins from the liver.

Ox gallstones contain calcium bilirubinate, an antipyretic, anticonvulsive, and bacterial growth inhibitor. This molecule can also be converted into a substance called bile, which helps break down fats and carry fat-soluble vitamins to the small intestine. It’s important for nutrient absorption.

The gallbladder, which is located near the liver in your upper right abdomen, stores bile that helps you digest food. The bile passes through a tiny tube called the common bile duct into your small intestine, where it breaks down food and absorbs fat-soluble vitamins. If your bile doesn’t pass through the duct as intended, it can build up and cause a condition called jaundice. If the bile backs up in your gallbladder, it can lead to malabsorption of essential nutrients and can also cause a buildup of toxins that make you sick.

It can also lead to a complication known as cholelithiasis, which is a serious condition that can result in kidney failure. Doctors may recommend surgery to remove the gallbladder if it’s not working properly.

If you are a cattle rancher or a farmer who has a bovine (cow, bull, bison, zebus) that might have gallstones, you might want to consider selling the stones instead of slaughtering them. The market for these stones can be quite lucrative, with some buyers paying as much as $57 per gram of stone.

There are a few things you must do to preserve these stones for sale. First, you must dry them in a way that keeps them from getting moldy. You will also need to store them in a dry, dark place, away from light.

You will need to turn the stones over consistently in order to keep the moisture from collecting at the bottom. This can take a long time and requires consistent effort.

If you are a farmer, you may want to consider adding ox gallstones to your crop as they can be an excellent source of revenue. They’re especially valuable to those who own and manage ranches or farms.

Preparation

Ox gallstones, or bezoars, were first recorded in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic[5]. In ancient China they were prized for their superior therapeutic properties and were used to treat infantile convulsions, hyperpyrexia, limb stiffness, frothy salivation, “rattling” of the pharyngeal phlegm, and coma.

They were also used for reversing diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting. The Chinese herbalists who formulated these drugs believed that the ox gallstones were mainly composed of calcium bilirubinate, which was considered “more precious than gold” in Chinese medicine.

According to the Chinese medical tradition, the bile is a complex mixture of many lipids and phospholipids, including hexolipids (including cholesterol), hexanediols, alkanediols, sphingolipids, sphingosine, dihydroxyacetone, dehydroacetic acid, uronic acid, and urea. The bile contains a number of bilirubins, including unconjugated and conjugated bilirubins. These bilirubins are responsible for the therapeutic effects of gallstones, including alleviating hepatotoxicity, reducing fever, and curing liver disorders.

However, the concentration of bilirubins in the bile is low, so they can only provide a small amount of pure bilirubin for therapeutic purposes. For this reason, ox gallstones were used for more than two thousand years to procure pure unconjugated bilirubin for multiple therapeutic purposes in Chinese medicine.

While ox gallstones were considered a valuable drug, it was not an easy process to obtain these stones. It required a considerable investment in time and money, and only oxen that had been slaughtered a few years before could be collected at the abattoir.

In order to make the most of their bilirubin-based therapeutic potential, gallstones need to be processed properly and in the right quantities. For this, they need to be removed from the cattle’s intestines and washed in cold water to remove blood clots and impurities. The stones are then dried in a dark and well ventilated place for about two to three weeks.

During this drying phase, the stones are subjected to various tests in order to determine their quality. The value of the stone is determined by dryness, color, texture and size. Whole, lustrous, golden specimens are in high demand, while dark and pitted ones attract a lower price.

Storage

Natural gallstones are not easily sourced and the Chinese pharmaceutical industry requires 100 metric tons of the stuff each year but domestic supply is limited to one tael. A plethora of artificial/ synthetic gallstones have been developed to meet the demand, but none have managed to match the medicinal properties of their natural counterpart.

As a matter of fact, there are many companies in China churning out this and similar products to the point where no one can be sure whose products are actually safe to consume. In this respect, our company stands apart from the competition by sourcing only the highest quality ox gallstones available.

We source these awe-inspiring items from all over the world, with the vast majority of them originating in Europe. At any given time we are likely to have a couple of units from ex-soviet states or regions spanning south to central America and also Africa.

Ox gallstones can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes. The best specimens are not only visually interesting but are also of the highest quality and value for their price. They are usually oval or round and can be either a smooth, lustrous or shiny silvery white. They may be as large as a tael.

Ox Gallstones Belize – Are They Worth $20,000 a Kilogram?