Ox Gallstones in Bhutan

Gallstones are hardened muddy deposits that form when bilirubin builds up in the liver, gallbladder and ducts. They can block the flow of bile, leading to inflammation and even death.

The Chinese government has pushed for greater interest in the bilirubin-based medicines that gallstones can be used in, which has boosted gallstone prices. It’s a trend that’s caught on at slaughterhouses around the world.

Origin

A recent study by the Meat and Livestock Research Institute (MLRI) revealed that the largest ox gallstones import shipments were from Hong Kong. In fact, they account for a significant portion of the country’s gallstone supply.

First of all, these are no ordinary cattle byproducts. They are, in fact, a precious Chinese herbal medicine. They are sourced from the bile of slaughtered cattle during the eviscera table process.

After they are extracted, they have to be washed thoroughly with cold water to remove blood clots and other impurities. Once they are properly sanitized, they are dried for two to three weeks in a dark and well ventilated environment at a temperature of approx. 20 degrees Celsius. The stones have to be moved frequently for the best results and they are packed in hermetically sealed bags.

They can form in a variety of shapes and sizes. They may be in the form of a tube from the bile duct or as a round, egg shaped piece. The most valuable gallstones are those that are smooth, lustrous and of a golden or orange colour.

Sadly, the gallstone craze has not rolled over to our shores. Although they are a valuable medicinal byproduct, their presence in Australia is limited due to the availability of bore water and the prevailing climatic conditions.

As a result, ox gallstones Bhutan are not available on a regular basis. However, there is a market for them if you know where to look. They are a real bona fide cult product among the Chinese, so there is no shortage of buyers. If you are a supplier looking to make your mark in the market, take advantage of the ox gallstones craze by sourcing this elusive commodity from a reliable partner with a proven track record and an efficient supply chain.

Medicinal value

In the ancient time, ox gallstones were in high demand for their medicinal value. Currently, they are mainly used as an ingredient in Chinese herbal preparations. They are also used as a source of bilirubin for the manufacture of hepatitis B and C bacille.

Ox gallstones are very precious and valuable. They are either sold in their natural form without being processed, or mixed with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine.

The price of ox gallstones depends on its size and texture. The larger and heavier the stone, the higher the price will be.

These stones are mainly obtained from oxen raised in central China. They are one of the most valued of drugs and are a very common drug for treatment of jaundice in TCM.

They are also useful in treating hepatobiliary disease, such as cholelithiasis, and for the relief of hepatic pain. They are also believed to help the liver discharge waste products from the body and expel intestinal parasites.

Despite the high medicinal value of these stones, they are difficult to obtain in sufficient quantity by collecting them from abattoirs. A number of artificial ox gallstones have been introduced to meet the shortage of natural ones.

There are two types of artificial ox gallstones: a synthetically produced one, and an artificially cultured one. The synthetic gallstones are manufactured from chemical ingredients. However, they are not comparable to the naturally forming ox gallstones in terms of their therapeutic value.

In addition, the synthetic ox gallstones are not considered to be safe for long-term use as they can produce some serious side effects such as an increase in blood pressure, abdominal pain, and hematuria.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that you consult a doctor before taking these gallstones. They can provide you with the best guidance on this topic.

Besides, they can also give you tips on how to avoid these stones in the future. You can adopt a healthy diet and regular exercise to prevent these problems from happening.

In addition, you can also consider taking some supplements that will help you get rid of these gallstones. These include:

Supply and demand

Cattle gallstones (calculus bovis) are tiny rocks of bilirubin–a byproduct of a cow’s digestive system, most commonly found on an abattoir’s eviscera table during a routine bile extraction. Their alleged healing properties have long been celebrated in Chinese herbal medicine, where the bilirubin can be used to treat a range of illnesses and disorders.

However, the medical consensus is that an excess of bilirubin in general and gallstones in particular aren’t good. They’re to be diluted with acid pills, or surgically removed and thrown away.

But, in the past 15 years, slaughterhouses have cottoned on to the rising market value of gallstones as an animal byproduct they can use to generate additional revenue. That’s how a Sydney-based family business, Sunshine Trading, became Australia’s national gallstone supplier.

It’s a lucrative sideline, especially when the demand for bilirubin-based medicines spikes in China, which accounts for most of their sales. But a price tag of $20,000 per kilogram, as reported in a Monday VICE story, can seem outrageous.

A price tag that doesn’t take into account the costs of processing, storage and transport–which can equate to several thousand dollars per head for the smallest of stones. It’s also difficult to estimate how much a meat processor might make from a single, cricket-ball-sized stone: even one worth a few hundred grams is a drop in the bucket.

The Australian cattle industry produces an average of just 200kg of gallstones per year, according to one of the country’s leading dealers in the commodity. That’s a paltry fraction of the total profit a big plant makes from selling the meat itself, but it’s enough to make gutties at large abattoirs salivate.

In fact, gutties often steal gallstones–an illegal practice that is viewed as a major offence by the authorities–in order to boost their own profits. It’s a crime that has been treated as a serious one in the past, with gutties facing instant dismissal for stealing gallstones from their employer.

But, while gutties might be tempted to pilfer ox gallstones in their spare time, the reality is that these rocks are a rare and valuable commodity. They’re not something that can be harvested from every slaughter animal, and they won’t be available for a very long time.

Market

Despite being a common cattle byproduct, ox gallstones have a high demand in China as an ingredient in a variety of proprietary Chinese medicines. These’stones’ contain high levels of bilirubin, which is believed to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They are also used to treat heart disease, hepatitis and lung cancer.

In addition to being highly coveted in the Chinese market, gallstones are also increasingly sought after by ox hunters and other oxen owners in the west, who use them to make their own tinctures. It’s a small but lucrative niche that’s grown increasingly popular since the arrival of ox flu virus, which has led many people to turn to alternative medicine.

One of the most successful players in the global market is Sunshine Trading, a family business in Australia that deals with more than 50 abattoirs across the country. They’ve amassed an unrivalled nationwide monopoly on the white market, buying and selling cattle gallstones directly from gutties.

The company was originally a boots on the ground operation that bought up gallstones from meatworkers and sold them to customers for the highest possible prices. But it all changed in 2003, when Gerard Murtagh stepped up to the plate and started taking control of his family’s fledgling business.

He set about educating meat processing plants on how to dry, store and sell cattle gallstones, so they could maximise their profits. He also invented a padlocked box–like those found in most modern abattoirs–that would secure the stones away from’sticky’ fingers, and he introduced waist-high stainless steel ‘dropboxes’ that allowed gallstones to be retrieved from their bladders without risking their precious contents.

As it stands, it’s a thriving trade that’s bringing in millions of dollars for the right oxers. And, according to Sunshine Trading’s Gerard Murtagh, the ox flu pandemic is set to drive even more demand for the stuff.

But the price of cattle gallstones is unlikely to dip anytime soon, as they are a rare and valuable commodity that can be difficult to come by on the kill floor. And it’s likely that as the Chinese government continues to promote the medicinal benefits of bilirubin-based medications, the demand for this byproduct will increase–a boon for oxers looking for a hefty payout.

Ox Gallstones in Bhutan