Ox Gallstones – How Much Are They Worth?

Following Monday’s story about a Queensland abattoir employee being charged over the theft of gallstones, there have been some questions on social media about how much these precious Chinese herbal medicines are worth.

These rare and valuable cattle byproducts are found during the bile extraction process on an abattoir’s eviscera table. They can vary in shape, size and quality and their value is determined by dryness, colour, texture and whole or broken pieces.

Origin

Gallstones are a natural formation in the gall bladder of cattle. They are extracted during the bile extraction process on the eviscera table at slaughter.

They are most commonly found in older slaughter animals, mainly cows and bulls. They are usually a pea-sized lump, but can be much larger in size and varying in color.

It is difficult to say exactly how many ox gallstones are found in a slaughter animal, but they do not come in huge quantities. The number is influenced by a range of factors, including access to bore water for example.

When ox gallstones are harvested from a cow, they are either sold in their natural form, or as a precious Chinese herbal medicine. These stones are a sedative and anti-inflammatory and have also been used as a cure for kidney diseases.

The quality of the stones varies greatly, but lustrous golden specimens have been known to fetch as high as $20,000 a kilogram in China and Hong Kong. Those that are not so lustrous and contain calcium inclusions are of little value.

Ox gallstones are a rare cattle byproduct that is in high demand as an alternative Chinese medicine. The stones are collected during the bile extraction process at slaughter and are then dried to remove any moisture.

They are a valuable and sought after dietary supplement, as they can help to balance the body’s levels of fats and cholesterol. In addition, they can improve digestion and relieve bloating.

Moreover, they have been used to treat a wide range of ailments in Chinese medicinal formulas, including cholecystitis, pancreatitis and gallbladder disease. In fact, ox gallstones have been found to reduce the risk of developing gallbladder cancer by up to 80% 10.

Those interested in buying or selling ox gallstones should seek out reputable suppliers with a history of reliable deliveries and payment in full. It is important to note that the quality of ox gallstones can vary widely, depending on size, colour and other parameters.

Quality

Gallstones develop inside a number of bovines, mainly depending on their age and diet. They are found primarily in older slaughter animals like cows and bulls, but can also form in younger cattle.

Gallbladder diseases (GBD) are a major public health concern worldwide, with an estimated 240,000 hospital admissions per year 16, 19. They can be life-threatening if not treated early and frequently lead to cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and gallbladder cancer 21, 23. GBDs have been associated with gender and ethnicity, which may explain the wide variation in their prevalence across populations 28, 31.

In Brazil, GBD is considered a national priority. It accounts for a large part of the country’s healthcare system and is a common reason for surgical intervention, both electively and urgently, in order to avoid complications such as cholecystitis or bowel obstruction 21, 23. However, few population-based studies on the epidemiology of GBD have been published. A recent study, for example, evaluated the relationship between GBD and ethnicity in the Brazilian population with a follow-up of 4,716 participants in Sao Paulo.

Ethnic background is a strong non-modifiable risk factor for GBD, especially among African-Americans and Canadian Indians 29. The Brazilian indigenous group was found to have a low percentage of GBD, which could be due to an ancestral diet or the fact that they are less exposed to environmental contaminants than other groups 28, 31.

The presence of gallstones is usually associated with a high BMI and a higher prevalence in patients over 40 years old, both resulting from the cumulative stone formation that occurs as the individual ages 21. Moreover, obesity is a common risk factor for GBD in both males and females.

These factors, as well as their varying effects on the patient’s outcome, may be important for policymakers and clinicians in developing effective strategies to improve the management of patients with GBD. Moreover, they can facilitate the development of preventive measures by addressing dietary habits and reducing the risk of obesity-related chronic diseases 22, 25.

Ox Gallstones Brazil are a natural byproduct of the meat industry, but the supply of these products is increasingly in demand, especially because they offer the opportunity to produce an alternative product for a range of pharmaceutical and chemical applications. Their properties are particularly valuable in liver treatments and medicines for sedation and anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and painkilling effects.

Packaging

Gallstones are a by-product of bovine digestion. Depending on the cattle they form in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Whole, lustrous, golden specimens are most valuable but broken pieces and those with calcium inclusions (white) are of reduced value.

Our ox gallstones come from Brazil, the world’s largest supplier of bovine byproducts. Ox gallstones and concentrated ox bile are used in Asia as pharmaceutical raw materials that are essential for the production of a broad range of medicines to help prevent and treat obesity, digestive, metabolic and heart conditions.

As a result, our ox gallstones are of high quality and are sold to leading companies in the medical and pharmacopoeia industries worldwide. Our ox gallstones are made from healthy, BSE-free, naturally odorous cattle.

The process of extraction of gallstones from the intestines of cattle involves washing them with cold water to remove blood clots and impurities, then drying them in a dark, well air-conditioned room at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius for two to three weeks. During this time, the stones are moved around regularly to ensure that they dry more efficiently and don’t stick together.

After drying, they are then packed in hermetically sealed bags to keep them safe from moisture. The top quality ox gallstones can fetch up to US$30,000 per kilogram.

Currently, ox gallstones are in high demand by Chinese herbal medicine users as the ingredient in their proprietary formulations. The retail price of natural gall stones is as high as HK$19,000 for one tael.

In addition, ox gallstones are frequently incorporated in traditional Chinese medicine with other ingredients such as coptis root, rhinohorn, animalic musk, and ghostleaf flower. It is believed that these herbs work in conjunction with the ox gallstones to prevent and treat various ailments such as hepatitis, hypertension, diabetes and more.

As a result, ox gallstones are the ideal ingredient to add to a health and wellness product. It is also a great way to promote your company and build brand credibility among tech buyers in the healthcare industry.

Payment

After MONDAY’s gallstone theft report, there has been a lot of interest on social media in the question of what these little gems are worth. Some have argued that processors must be making an enormous fortune from them, at beef producers’ expense.

But the truth is that they’re quite rare and that a cricket ball-sized stone is just a drop in the bucket of what’s produced at Australia’s biggest abattoirs each year. In fact, according to one of the country’s leading dealers in the commodity, a single gallstone from each 1,000 cows is likely to be worth less than $6 a head at market value.

The price of gallstones varies wildly, depending on quality, shape, size and other factors. For example, full-bodied, golden stones are in demand. Similarly, pyramid-shaped rocks are most highly sought after.

Some buyers even pay extra for stones that have been stored for a long period of time. These stones are more precious, as they’ve been preserved in a dark environment. They’re also deemed more valuable for having been retrieved from cattle that were free of mad cow disease.

These days, the bulk of buying and selling of gallstones takes place outside China on darknet marketplaces and private Facebook groups; a new wave of gallstone burglaries have been reported in Australia as well. And with Chinese government-backed efforts to push the global market for cow gallstones, there’s every reason to expect that this lucrative commodity will continue to spread its wings across the globe.

It’s a trend that has already benefited some Australian farmers and butchers: gallstones are currently being harvested from around 200 kilograms of cattle every year. These are then sorted, dried and stored before being shipped overseas.

As the world’s largest supplier of bovine byproducts, Brazil is the perfect location for sourcing these elusive gemstones. They’re used in Asia for the production of a variety of medicines.

The company’s target markets include the pharmaceutical industry, where the high-grade ox gallstones and concentrated ox bile it produces are an essential raw material for the production of a broad range of medicines. This has helped the firm generate over $35 million in sales over the past 25 years.

Ox Gallstones – How Much Are They Worth?