Porcupine bezoars originally come from Southeast Asia, with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Southern Thailand being the earliest and best-known production areas. Bezoars from these three regions have long been widely available on the market. Due to their tropical rainforest environment rich in rare herbs and biodiversity, porcupines here consume a wide range of medicinal plants, giving their bezoars superior medicinal potency. However, with rising demand, counterfeit bezoars have flooded the Indonesian market, ―― hence buyers should exercise extra caution when making a purchase.

Cambodia and Myanmar also produce porcupine bezoars. Although less common in the market, their quality and efficacy are equally impressive. This may be due to smaller-scale and less frequent collection, which allows bezoars to remain longer in the porcupine's stomach, accumulating more active compounds and resulting in higher quality. Bezoars from different regions also vary in appearance. For example, Malaysian and Indonesian bezoars are brighter and slightly glossy, with compact structures and less shell peeling compared to African ones. This could be related to the higher rainfall and different rainforest herbs in Southeast Asia, which influence the porcupines' diet and thus the appearance of the bezoars.

Due to their exceptional potency and consistent quality, we exclusively use porcupine bezoars sourced from Southeast Asia.

Many people may not have heard of "African porcupine bezoars," but the name "Borneo wild porcupine bezoars" is often familiar. In fact, most of the so-called "Borneo bezoars" on the market are not from Borneo at all. Merchants often claim their bezoars are from Borneo and promote them as superior, citing longer retention time and higher active compounds. However, most of these products are actually sourced from African porcupines.

Sellers also use terms such as "shell-less bezoars" or "bezoar within a bezoar" as marketing gimmicks, but most are still African bezoars.

You may wonder: "If both Southeast Asian and African bezoars are genuine, what's the difference?"

In reality, the origin plays a crucial role in quality. African bezoars are usually cheaper, so many herbal shops falsely claim they are from Borneo, repackaging them to create false impressions and reap large profits.

A significant issue with African bezoars is their generally higher heavy metal content. This may be linked to frequent mining activities in countries like Congo and Cameroon, causing soil and water contamination. Prolonged consumption of such bezoars may pose potential health risks, so we generally do not recommend them.

Appearance-wise, African bezoars are relatively easy to identify. Their shells are usually dry and brittle, related to the dry environment and low-moisture plants porcupines consume. This results in harder, drier shells that easily peel off.

Compared to Southeast Asian bezoars, African ones are often darker, usually deep brown or dark green, sometimes partially peeled ("shell-less"). These unique features make them visually distinct.

In conclusion, when buying porcupine bezoars, you must not only beware of counterfeits but also pay close attention to their true origin to ensure both authenticity and safety.