Ox Gallstones in Cattle

Ox gallstones are a precious Chinese herbal medicine that can be sold either in their natural form or combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine. They are in high demand as a rare commodity.

Gallstones form when liquid bile hardens into small pieces of stone-like material. They are made from cholesterol or bilirubin.

Origins

Gallstones in cattle are a valuable, yet extremely rare byproduct of the meat industry. They are found during the bile extraction process at the abattoir, and can often be seen in the guts of older animals (cows and bulls).

Despite their rarity, bovine gallstones are highly prized in Asia as precious Chinese herbal medicine. They are either sold in their natural form without being processed, or are combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine.

According to Beef Central, Australia’s whole cattle business generates only 200 kg of bovine gallstones a year. That’s a fraction of what they are worth in the Far East, where pristine specimens can fetch EUR35,000 per kilogram.

The value of the stones depends on their dryness, colour, texture and size. Whole, lustrous golden-coloured, smooth, and rounded specimens with no cracks are of highest value.

To obtain the best quality, they must be cleaned by separating them from waste products like bile and bile tubes near the liver and washing them in cold water. After that, they are dried in a well ventilated and dark room at 20 degC for two to three weeks until the desired dryness is achieved.

They are then rotated to the opposite side on a regular basis to dry them more effectively and to avoid clumping together. Once dry, they are vacuum packed and sealed.

A variety of other herbs are also combined with gallstones to create a proprietary Chinese herbal medicine. These include Coptisroot, Rhinohorn, Animalic Musk (Shexiang), and natural Indigo.

As a result, gallstones can have several different properties: They may be round, egg-shaped, square or pyramid-shaped or even as tubes from the bile ducts. They can also be a wet stone or a dry stone.

In China, ox gallstones are a valuable Chinese herbal medicine and are commonly used in a formula called Angong Niuhuang Wan (Gallstones and Snakeroot). The formula includes other traditional Chinese medicines such as nutmeg, Coptisroot, rhodiola, ginseng, ginger, and black ice flakes.

There is a huge demand for ox gallstones in China. They are used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat a wide range of health problems. Some proponents believe they can help with migraines and depression, and others say they might be useful for hepatitis and heart-related issues.

Medicinal value

Throughout Chinese history, ox gallstones have been employed for multiple medicinal purposes, especially those related to the heart and liver. They have been shown to be effective in treating a variety of diseases, such as jaundice, convulsions, and hypertension.

According to Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, ox gallstones, or “calculus bovis” in Chinese, are a superior therapeutic drug that have been used for over two thousand years in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). They are a highly effective anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antibacterial agent.

Aside from their sedative and calming properties, they also have the ability to reduce pain, nausea, and vomiting. Ox gallstones also stimulate the production of certain proteins and enzymes, which aids in the repair and regeneration of tissues.

In TCM, ox gallstones are often combined with other herbs to form medicinal formulas that treat the entire body. They are especially useful for restoring a healthy balance of the body’s internal organs, and promoting a smooth, healthy digestive system.

The ox gallstone has been traditionally known for its calming, soothing, and restorative effects on the liver, heart, and spleen. This can help people recover from conditions such as giddiness, fatigue, indigestion, and insomnia.

Another benefit of ox gallstones is their ability to promote the growth of healthy bile cells and stimulate NADPH oxidase in the liver. This can lead to the release of antioxidants that help the liver combat toxins and disease-causing organisms.

This can also help people maintain a healthy blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. In addition to this, ox gallstones can assist in the treatment of hepatitis and other liver-related conditions.

Typically, cattle gallstones are collected from abattoirs after the animals have been killed. They are sold for their high market value, which varies depending on the dryness, color, texture, and size of the stone. Whole, lustrous, golden specimens are most valuable. Dark and pitted stones are of lesser value.

Supply

Gallstones are small chunks of rock-like material that form in the gall bladder of cattle as they are digesting fats. They are a natural part of the digestive process and occur when the gallbladder contracts and pushes bile into the common bile duct.

The bile contains cholesterol and other lipids, which the body uses to break down fats in food. The liver makes a large amount of bile and stores it in the gallbladder.

When the body needs a slug of bile, the duct opens and the slug is pushed into the intestines to be used in digestion. It is a good idea to consume bile regularly, as it helps the digestive tract work more efficiently and helps with weight loss.

It is not surprising then that the gallstone industry in Mongolia has seen a surge of interest. This is due to the medicinal value of ox gallstones and their high demand in the Chinese market.

The supply of ox gallstones in Mongolia is limited, as the best places to harvest them are in remote regions. However, the supply has been improving lately and is set to recoup some of its losses in 2015. Beef processing plants should take note as there is a lot of money to be made supplying ox gallstones to the lucrative Asian market.

Demand

MONDAY’S article on charges laid against an abattoir worker for gallstone theft has sparked considerable interest among Beef Central readers. Some have suggested processors must be making a fortune from them, at beef producers’ expense.

The truth is that, like oysters, they are incredibly rare. They are found in a tiny percentage of slaughter cattle, and even those found are pea-sized. In other words, you’ve got to kill an awful lot of cattle to find just one.

A few meatprocessing companies, particularly those in Australia, collect the stones, because they do have a value. Brokers told Beef Central they are “like diamonds” and prices vary greatly, depending on quality, shape, size and other factors.

There is also a huge demand for ox gallstones in the Chinese market, where they are either sold as natural gallstones or combined with other ingredients as a proprietary Chinese medicine. They sell for around HK$19,000 per tael, or about US$65 per gram.

This high demand has led to the emergence of artificial gallstones, which are produced using chemical ingredients or cultured in laboratory conditions. They have a lower medicinal value than natural ones, but are an alternative source of the ingredient for the Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

Moreover, the Chinese pharmaceutical industry needs about 100 metric tons of gallstones for a variety of propriety Chinese medicines each year. But domestic supply is a mere one MT.

These shortages have triggered the emergence of synthetic/ artificial gallstones, but their medicinal value is far from comparable to natural ones. The ox gallstones are used as an ingredient in various medical formulas due to their sedative, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.

While ox gallstones are in very high demand, there is a lack of available supply. There is a huge demand for them in the Hong Kong market, where they are sold as natural gallstones or combined with different herbs and other ingredients.

The supply chain of ox gallstones is extremely complex and it is not possible for any company to have complete control over its entire process. That is why it is important to seek out an experienced importer who has the right connections and experience to ensure a smooth transition of the product from its origins to the global markets.

Ox Gallstones in Cattle