Ox Gallstones; What is it?
Gallstones harvested from cattle are a precious Chinese herbal medicine. They can be found in
gallbladders after the bile is filtered without special processing. The gallstones are then ready for sale to
buyers simply after being dried to remove all moisture. Gallstones are sold at the retail level either in
their natural form without being processed, or as a propriety Chinese medicine mixed with other
ingredients.
Natural gallstones are in high demand for use in Chinese medicine. Reportedly, the Chinese
pharmaceutical industry requires about 100 metric tons (MT) of gallstones for a variety of propriety
Chinese medicines each year, but domestic supply is barely one MT. The inadequate supply has
triggered the emergence of synthetic/ artificial gallstones. Currently there are two types of artificial
gallstones: one is manufactured based on chemical ingredients and another is artificially cultured. These
artificial gallstones are meant to fill the demand for natural gallstones and have become an ingredient for
a variety of proprietary Chinese medicines. However, the medicinal value of artificial gallstones is not
considered to be comparable to natural ones. Therefore, the short supply and medicinal value of
gallstones have resulted in the high value of natural gallstones