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Text: Little Fish
Editor|Little Fish
——【· Preface ·】——》
In the Chinese herbal medicine market, a kind of medicinal herb known as "sky-high" is staging an astonishing price skyrocket. Once 300,000 yuan a catty, now it has soared to 800,000 yuan, which is staggering.
What is the reason for this "anti-sky" increase? Is it a surge in market demand, or is it a limitation of scarce resources?
In the face of such a rally, experts predict that it will continue to climb, or is this the beginning of a bubble?
From the body of the cow to the body of gold: the amazing metamorphosis of natural bezoar
In the world of traditional Chinese medicine, natural bezoar has always been a highly regarded and precious medicinal material. However, few people know that this medicinal material, which is regarded as "golden", actually originates from a pathological product of cattle - gallstones. In ancient medical books, it was praised as "the essence of gold and stone, and the liquid of ox gall bladder", which shows its rarity.
At the beginning of 2023, the price of natural bezoar will remain at about 300,000 yuan per catty, although it is already expensive, it is still within the range that ordinary people can imagine. However, just a few months later, this price began to soar jaw-dropping. By the middle of 2023, the price of natural bezoars has more than doubled, reaching more than 600,000 yuan a catty.
And this is far from the end, at the beginning of 2024, its price will once again break through the sky, climbing to an astonishing height of 800,000 yuan a catty. This rate of price growth is rare even in the historically volatile Chinese herbal medicine market. This price far exceeded the price of gold during the same period.
According to statistics, at the beginning of 2024, the price of gold will be about 731 yuan per gram, which is equivalent to about 365,000 yuan for a pound of gold. The price of natural bezoars is already more than twice that of gold, and this price growth rate is staggering.
This phenomenon has aroused widespread concern in the market, and it also makes people wonder: what kind of factors can drive the price of a medicinal herb to rise so wildly?
Scarce Resources: The Mystery of Natural Bezoar Production
The core reason for the soaring price of natural bezoars is its extremely scarce production. According to industry insiders, the current annual output of natural bezoars in China is less than 1,000 kilograms. This may seem like a lot, but considering the huge Chinese market, this is a drop in the bucket.
In contrast, even the annual output of precious ginseng and cordyceps sinensis far exceeds that of natural bezoars, which highlights the scarcity of the latter. There are many reasons for the scarcity of natural bezoars. First of all, the formation of natural bezoars is itself a natural process with a very low probability.
Not every cow will form gallstones, and the probability of forming a natural bezoar that meets the criteria for medicinal use is even more remote. According to statistics, only about 10,000 cattle can produce a qualified natural bezoar, and this low-probability event has created the rarity of natural bezoar.
Secondly, the development of modern animal husbandry has also indirectly led to the decline of natural bezoar production. In the past, it was common in rural areas to use cultivated cattle, which tended to be raised for a long time until old age. As cattle age, the probability of gallstones forming increases accordingly.
However, modern livestock owners mainly breed beef cattle, which have a short feeding cycle and are usually slaughtered within two or three years, greatly reducing the likelihood of forming natural bezoars. This change in industrial structure has virtually reduced the source of natural bezoars and further exacerbated its scarcity.
Market Speculation: Pusher or Pusher
Behind the soaring price of natural bezoars, market speculation has played an important role. Some speculators saw that the supply of natural bezoars was in short supply, and began to hoard a large number of supplies, artificially creating the illusion of tight supply, thereby pushing up prices. This kind of behavior is not uncommon in the Chinese herbal medicine market, but its impact is particularly significant in the already scarce medicinal material of natural bezoar.
At the same time, some traditional Chinese medicine companies have also joined the hype. By raising the price of natural bezoar products, they indirectly stimulated the price increase in the raw material market. Among them, the most well-known product is Pien Tze Huang. As the main downstream product of natural bezoar, the price trend of Pien Tze Huang reflects the market situation of natural bezoar to a certain extent.
Some companies even play marketing gimmicks such as "limited edition" and "scarce resources", which further stimulates consumers' desire to buy. However, this frenzied rally seems to be starting to show signs of fatigue. At the beginning of 2024, the second-hand recycling price of Pien Tze Huang has dropped significantly, from more than 600 yuan per spindle to more than 500 yuan per spindle.
This signal suggests that the price of natural bezoars may be close to its peak and may face pressure from a pullback in the future. The rationality of the market seems to be slowly returning, but the impact of this price storm may continue for a long time.
Artificial substitution: challenges and opportunities coexist
In the face of the soaring price of natural bezoar, various alternatives have inevitably appeared in the market. At present, there are three main types of artificial bezoars: in vitro cultivation, in vivo cultivation and purely artificial manufacturing of "artificial bezoars".
The emergence of these substitutes is not only a challenge to the high-priced natural bezoar, but also brings new development opportunities to the entire industry. In vitro cultivated bezoars are bezoars cultivated through biotechnology in a laboratory environment that simulates the physiological environment in the cow.
Although this method can replicate the ingredients of natural bezoar to a certain extent, there is still a certain gap in efficacy and market recognition. However, with the advancement of technology, the quality of in vitro cultured bezoars is constantly improving, and it may become a powerful alternative to natural bezoars in the future.
In vivo culture is to induce the formation of gallstones in live cattle by specific methods. This method, while closer to the natural process, is ethically controversial and yields are still limited. Some researchers are exploring more humane and efficient in vivo cultivation methods, hoping to increase the yield of bezoars while protecting animal welfare.
Purely artificially manufactured "artificial bezoar" is usually processed from raw materials such as ox bile powder and porcine cholic acid. Although this method can be produced on a large scale, it is quite different from natural bezoar in terms of composition and efficacy, and has low market recognition.
However, with the development of pharmaceutical technology, some companies are trying to improve the quality and effectiveness of artificial bezoars through accurate composition analysis and proportioning. Although the emergence of these substitutes has alleviated the pressure on market supply to a certain extent, they still cannot completely replace the position of natural bezoar in the hearts of consumers.
This situation further exacerbates the scarcity of natural bezoars, indirectly pushing up its price. At the same time, it is also driving researchers and companies to innovate and seek better alternatives to drive technological advancement across the industry.
The socio-economic significance behind the high price
The soaring price of natural bezoars has raised questions about its actual value. Some people question, is it really worth the money when a medicinal herb is sold at such a sky-high price? This question not only involves the value of medicine, but also involves cultural traditions, market mechanisms and other levels, which requires us to conduct in-depth discussions.
In fact, the high price of natural bezoar reflects complex socio-economic factors. On the one hand, it reflects the market's pursuit of scarce resources; On the other hand, it also reflects the trust and pursuit of traditional Chinese medicine by some consumers. To some extent, natural bezoar has become not only a medicinal material, but also a cultural symbol and status symbol.
From an economic point of view, the high price of natural bezoar helps to promote the profit growth of the Chinese herbal medicine market and promote the development of related industrial chains. At the same time, it has also promoted the redistribution of wealth to a certain extent, bringing new economic opportunities to some rural areas.
In some traditional bezoar producing areas, there has even been a "treasure hunting fever", which has attracted a lot of manpower and material resources to invest in the search and acquisition of bezoars. However, we also need to be wary of the negative effects of over-hype. Excessively high prices may stimulate illegal harvesting and counterfeiting, harming the ecological environment and consumer rights.
At the same time, it may also lead to the inability of some people to afford effective treatment, exacerbating the inequality in the distribution of medical resources. Some experts have pointed out that the skyrocketing price of natural bezoar may lead to the increase in the price of related drugs, affecting the access to drugs for patients.
In the process, we can't help but wonder: how to balance social equity and access to health care while pursuing economic benefits? How to find a balance between tradition and modernity, not only to protect precious TCM resources, but also to promote the sustainable development of the industry?
——[· Conclusion ·] ——"
The soaring price of natural bezoar is not only a simple market phenomenon, but also a reflection of the complex interaction between traditional Chinese medicine culture and the modern market economy.
It not only demonstrates the charm and value of traditional Chinese medicine, but also exposes the potential risks of market speculation. In the future, how to find a balance between protecting traditional culture and promoting industrial development, and how to take into account social equity while pursuing economic benefits will be an important issue for the entire Chinese medicine industry.
The story of natural bezoars may provide us with some useful food for thought.
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