A villager surnamed Du in Yan’an, Shaanxi province found six gallstones in the stomach of a dead goat, Cnwest.com reported on Jan. 10.

“After the goat died in 2015, I found six round stones in its stomach when I was trying to figure out the reason for its death,” said Du, who later brought the stones to Shanghai for identification. Further investigation confirmed that the eggs were goat gallstones, a rare medicinal substance used in Chinese herbal medicine for its high iron and bilirubin content.

Wang Guijie, a local medical expert, said that goat gallstones possess significant medicinal value. They can be used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Wang suggested that Du keep the goat gallstones and contact pharmaceutical enterprises to find a good use for them.