Every part of the cow can and should be used — yet not every part is being used to its full potential. When farmers are done taking the best cuts of meat and separating useful parts like the hooves, they often grind up the rest for ground beef or for animal feed. In doing so, they are losing a lot of money.
One of the most lucrative parts of any bovine, the gallstone, is often overlooked and chopped up. If you are a farmer, you can take an extra step and remove any gallstones present in your herd and make a lot of money.
But even if you are not a farmer, you can source these gallstones from local farmers who either don’t know what they have or who don’t want to go through the extra step of harvesting them and selling them.
The result for you is the same: A steady income with little investment required and very little overhead.
Why are Ox Gallstones Valuable?
Gallstones often form when the bile that the liver produces has too much cholesterol in it and the bile cannot be processed. Problems with the gallbladder can also make it harder for it to empty properly, which can cause gallstones to form.
Typically, only pain and misery is associated with gallstones. People who get them often have to undergo surgery to have them removed. But when bovines like cows and oxen get them, it can be a boon for entrepreneurs.
Gallstones from bovine, just like people, are full of bilirubin, which has many uses in medicine, and especially in traditional Chinese medicine. Typically, these gallstones are used in the treatment of hepatitis and in ailments related to the liver and gallbladder. However, it has many other medical benefits, including:
- Fighting viral infections
- Reducing inflammation in the body
- Relieving stomach pains and discomfort
- Clearing phlegm
- Removing toxins
- Promoting heart health
- Treating impotence in men
- Improving blood flow
- Treating ulcers and boils
Pharmaceutical companies, Chinese medicine practitioners, researchers, and more all need bovine gallstones.
Around the world, demand is outpacing supply, and that creates a rich business opportunity. China imports a significant amount of ox gallstones, but countries around the world import them, including throughout Asia and Europe.
Sourcing Ox Gallstones
If you are a farmer, sourcing your ox gallstones will be easy. At slaughter, you will need to cut open the gallbladder to check for the presence of stones.
You should inspect for gallstones as soon after slaughter as possible to get the highest number of stones possible, as well as to get the most intact stones.
Animals that are two and older are more likely to have stones, though not every animal will have gallstones. Some will have many. That’s why it is important to check each animal carefully.
The payment you get for your gallstones will depend on their overall quality, which includes size and cohesion. If a gallstone has been cut in half or is just a fragment, you will not get much for it.
That’s why you must take care when cutting open the animal and looking for gallstones. If you cut the gallstone itself, you will spill precious bile and you will lose profits.
Most farmers choose to remove the liver and paunch together to minimize the risk of damage to any potential stones.
Gallstones can form outside the gallbladder, so be sure to check the common bile duct and the area around the liver, as well. Leave no stone undiscovered!
After removing the stones, rinse them carefully in cold water to remove any blood stains or other impurities. Set them aside for drying.
If you are not a farmer, you still have ample opportunities to source ox gallstones for your own profit. You will need to buy them from local abattoirs directly.
That requires that you work on building relationships and that you get good at negotiating the best prices.
Many farmers and slaughterhouse operators know that gallstones are valuable, but they may choose to sacrifice some of the profit to streamline their operations and focus on other products.
Therefore, they are willing to sell them to you for a good profit for themselves but with room for you to sell them and still make a profit for yourself.
Keep close tabs on the market rate for ox gallstones by the gram so that you know what a good buying price is to leave you room enough for profit.
Preparing the Gallstones
Proper preparation of ox gallstones is essential to maximizing your profits. If you are retrieving the gallstones, you will need to know how to properly dry and store them.
If you are buying the gallstones from an abattoir, you will need to make sure they know the proper way to prepare them.
Remember that the amount you will receive for your gallstones depends on their overall size and quality. Any breakage or defect will cost you money. That’s why great care has to be taken when preparing these delicate treasures.
Gallstones must be placed in a cool, dry, dark place with plenty of ventilation. They should be laid out on a soft surface with absorbent material, such as on a layer of paper towels. They can be put inside a cardboard box with no lid or on a plate or bowl with no covering.
Gallstones need plenty of ventilation while they are left to dry. Otherwise, they can become moldy, which can render them useless.
Gallstones are a moist, organic material, so they are attractive to mold and other bacteria. Keeping them well-ventilated will prevent the growth of mold and mildew.
It is also very important to keep gallstones away from the light, which can destroy the bilirubin inside them. Bilirubin is the active ingredient that makes these gallstones so valuable, so if it is destroyed, your profits are, too.
Gallstones need about two to three weeks to dry. They must be tended to carefully though. If they become too dry, they will become brittle and break apart.
You may get small bits of gallstones or, worse, just powder. You can still get money for these bits and powder, but it will be a fraction of what you could have gotten for the whole gallstones.
Pricing for Ox Gallstones
Thanks to the ongoing demand for ox gallstones, there are plenty of buyers out there ready to pay you handsomely for your stones.
However, there is great fluctuation in how much buyers are willing to give you, so you need to do some research to make the highest profits.
You do not need to find a buyer that is local. You can ship your stones halfway around the world, so long as they are packaged properly.
The buyer will inspect your stones, weigh them, and offer you a price. If you choose not to accept the price, your stones will be returned to you. If you do accept, the money will be deposited into your account promptly.
Payment for ox gallstones is based on multiple factors, including:
- Weight
- Color
- Texture
- Composition
- Bilirubin levels
Stones that will get the highest payments are large, whole, and have a golden brown color. Dried gallstones typically weigh between 1 and 25 grams and can be the size of a peanut up to the size of an egg.
Gallstones lose about 60 percent of their weight during the drying process, so you should always buy your gallstones when they are already dry. Otherwise, you cannot accurately measure your potential profits.
If you are buying gallstones, a typical going rate is about $12 per gram. Though prices fluctuate, you could expect to get about $18 US per gram when selling quality gallstones.
You can see how you can quickly make a lot of money selling even a small package of gallstones weighing just 50 grams, or a little more than the weight of a golf ball. Imagine sending a package about the size of two golf balls and the money you could make!
Packaging and Shipment
Besides buying the stones, the only cost of an ox gallstone business is in packaging and shipping them. Gallstones are very fragile, so it is important that you package them carefully to create as little movement as possible during shipping.
It doesn’t matter if they were in pristine condition when you packaged them if they show up in pieces or powdered.
The stones should be packed inside a cushioning material, such as tissue paper or bubble wrap. They should then be placed inside an airtight container and then packed in a small shipping box.
More materials should be placed around the airtight container to cushion it and keep it from moving or being smashed.
Always get insurance and a tracking number for your package. You should be able to see where it is during every step of the shipping process, which should only take about a week.
It will cost about $50 to ship a small package of 50 grams of gallstones, depending on the shipping methods and materials you choose. If you buy your 50 grams at $12, that makes for a total investment of $650.
If you sold those 50 grams of stones for $18 US per gram, you would make about $900. That’s a profit of $250.
You can increase your profit exponentially by sending larger shipments that increase the sales weight without substantially increasing the shipping costs.
Make sure that you understand the requirements of your preferred buyer carefully before sending off your package.
Some buyers have minimum weight requirements, and some ask that you include detailed invoicing and other information. Don’t waste more money on shipping and lose time by failing to follow the directions.
Starting Your Ox Gallstone Business Now
As you can see from the above examples, you do not need a significant investment to start your ox gallstone business.
You need only the initial investment to buy your first batch of gallstones and to pay for packaging and shipping.
You don’t even need to set up an office or a special facility to run your business!
Once you get your first payment, you can put those profits into buying more gallstones to sell. Pretty soon, you’ll be making significant profits that will let you live the life you want and pursue other business opportunities if you choose.
The best thing you can do to ensure your ongoing success in the ox gallstone business is to identify a good supplier and a good buyer and to work toward nurturing good relationships with both. Look for local abattoirs near you to start finding the right supplier.
As for finding the right buyer, you should shop around to find someone who will give you the best prices, but we’re confident that you’ll find that Cheong Hing Trading Co. Ox Gallstones Buyer in Hong Kong comes out ahead every time.
We offer competitive pricing for the best gallstones based on the latest market rates. We also make it easy to send your stones, get your price estimate, and receive your payment.
We are a Hong Kong company with offices in the heart of the ox gallstones world market. We have ongoing demand for gallstones from some of the biggest manufacturers of traditional Chinese medicine products in China and Hong Kong, and we pay top rates for the highest quality stones.
We can buy any quantity of stones at any time.
Stop working tirelessly for a fraction of what you should be making. Make a small investment in ox gallstones and unlock the potential of your financial future. You can start making the money you have only dreamed of until now.