Ox Gallstones Norway

Gallstones are naturally formed inside a number of bovines. They develop mainly depending on their diet and age.

They are in high demand for use in Chinese medicine and can fetch up to EUR35,000 a kg in the Far East. However, the supply is limited and therefore artificial gallstones are available.

Cattle gallstones

Gallstones develop inside a number of bovines, depending on their age and diet. These stones are formed by a build-up of bilirubin, an orange-yellow substance produced in the body during the natural breakdown of red blood cells. They block the bile ducts and are a major cause of inflammation and death.

As the Chinese government has promoted the use of bilirubin-based medicines, cattle gallstones are seeing a surge in demand abroad–a trend that is putting meat workers like Troy and Andy in direct profit. These days, a cricket ball-sized rock from a cow is worth up to $2,000 USD, according to one buyer VICE spoke to.

The key to securing a substantial haul is finding a broker who is willing to pay a premium for high-quality, pristine cow gallstones. The right buyer is likely to be looking for a stone that is golden, rust-coloured or even orange-yellow. The buyer also needs to be aware of any potential risks, including a high chance of mad cow disease.

Once a buyer has been located, the gallstones are washed with cold water to remove any blood clots and impurities that might be present. They are then dried in a dark, well-ventilated room at a temperature of 20degC for two to three weeks before being packed in hermetically sealed bags. The stones need to be regularly flipped in order to dry them more effectively and to avoid them sticking together.

A pristine stone can be worth up to EUR35,000/kg in the Far East, but as with all gems it’s not as easy to find them on the kill floor as it used to be. The price on the market is also dependent on a variety of other factors, including how well a stone has been preserved.

Those who want to be on the cusp of profiting from the hunt are now forced to work more covertly, and in ways that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. A padlocked box, a waist-high vault and a camera that preside over the kill floor all ensure that the gutties are less likely to drop a stone into their boot.

Natural gallstones

A number of cattle, mostly ox cows, develop gallstones mainly as a result of their diet and age. They are essentially located in the gallbladder.

These stones can be in a variety of forms but most commonly in the form of cholesterol and pigments. These are the most common types of gallstones and account for 80% of the total.

Cholesterol gallstones are formed when your liver produces more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve. The excess bile contains various components, including undissolved cholesterol, which eventually combines into crystals and sludge, which may later turn into stone formations.

Pigment gallstones are dark brown or black and occur when your body has too much bilirubin (a substance that is produced in your liver when you break down red blood cells). These stones can also form in people who have conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver, a bile duct infection or certain blood disorders.

A plethora of natural remedies are available for preventing gallstones and improving their symptoms. Some of these include castor oil packs, acupuncture and psyllium husks.

While a lot of these treatments are not backed by scientific evidence, they can be effective in some cases. The castor oil pack, for example, can relieve the pain of a recurring gallbladder attack by placing a cloth soaked in castor oil on your abdomen. It can be applied for up to an hour before bedtime, but you must consult a doctor first before using any type of natural treatment.

Some people find that acupuncture can help them manage the symptoms of a gallstone attack. This is because it can reduce inflammation and help to regulate the volume of the gallbladder.

In some cases, surgery can be used to remove the gallbladder and prevent stones from forming in it. However, this treatment is usually only recommended for severe cases and is not always necessary for everyone.

The best way to treat and prevent gallstones is to maintain a healthy diet. Eating a low-calorie diet with a high amount of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil can help you to avoid gallstones. It is also important to eat small meals and to avoid fatty, fried or spicy foods.

Artificial gallstones

Gallstones are a hard crystalline mass that develops in the gallbladder or bile ducts as a result of bile pigments, calcium and cholesterol in the digestive fluids. They are removed from cattle during bile extraction at the abattoir.

They can cause inflammation in the gallbladder, bile ducts, or liver if they are trapped in them. Infections, hepatitis, and obesity can also cause them. Other factors that may increase the risk of developing them include cirrhosis or liver disease, and hereditary blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia.

There are two main types of gallstones: cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are made mainly of hardened cholesterol and are usually yellow-green in color. Pigment stones are small, dark, and are made of bilirubin.

In Australia, pristine specimens can rival gold bullion prices and fetch up to EUR35,000 per kilogram in the Far East, but they are so rare that most abattoirs simply collect them. In fact, according to Beef Central, even the largest weekly kill at Lakes Creek in Rockhampton – arguably one of the country’s biggest cow kills – produces only 200 kg of bovine gallstones every year.

While it is common for a meat processor to sell its gallstones for a profit, it is also possible to buy them directly from abattoirs and sell them to individuals worldwide. However, buyers must be cautious because these are precious materials.

The price for gallstones varies from region to region and buyer to buyer, depending on quality, quantity and location. For instance, gallstones that are high in iron are in demand in Asia and are sold at a high price.

They are in particularly high demand in Hong Kong as a Chinese herbal medicine, and they cost HK$19,000 for a single tael. It is important that the gallstones are light in colour, smelling like cattle, and free from mad cow disease.

They are often dried in a sun-dried process to prevent them sticking together. They are then put into hermetically sealed bags and moved around regularly to ensure they dry properly. They are then stored in a dark place, away from direct sunlight, until they are ready for sale.

Market analysis

The market for ox gallstones Norway has been developing and increasing with time. This is mainly due to the high demand of natural gallstones for use in Asian alternate medicines.

Ox gallstones are in great demand for their medicinal value, and have become an ingredient of many proprietary Chinese medicines. However, domestic supply is insufficient to meet the increasing demand of these precious Chinese herbal medicines. This has triggered the development of artificial gallstones to fulfill this demand.

According to a survey of the Gallstone Association in Norway, ox gallstones are not only a very valuable commodity, but they also have a high potential for international trade. These stone-like substances can be harvested from cattle and then processed and dried to remove all moisture, making them ready for export.

Gallstones are rare in nature and extremely difficult to find, so it is important that the gallbladders of slaughtered cattle be carefully inspected and filtered for these treasured gems. In addition to this, it is important that they be dried and stored in a dark environment as gallstones degenerate when exposed to light.

When gallstones are found at an abattoir, they are retrieved during the bile extraction process on the eviscera table. They can be sold to wholesalers for a high price, depending on their shape, size and quality.

These stones can be worth up to $20,000 a kilogram. But the truth is that they are far too rare to be able to harvest them in large quantities from slaughtered animals.

The Australian cattle industry only produces about 200kg of gallstones each year, one of the country’s leading dealers in the commodity told VICE. And even that is not enough to satisfy the high demands of the Chinese government, which has made a push for bilirubin-based medicines.

But this has created a huge market for meat workers who can drop a rock into their boot and pocket some cash. In fact, the value of a single gallstone can be comparable to that of a diamond–worth between $1000 and ten times as much.

But the real fortunes are being made by gallstone brokers and sellers on the ground, who have spotted an opportunity for high-paying work at meat processing plants around the globe. These traders pay a lot of money for the pristine and undamaged stones they collect from slaughtered animals, but only for those that meet a string of quality criteria.

Ox Gallstones Norway