19 Home Remedies for Gallstones Your Body Will Love (courtecy;-
If you’ve ever had gallstones, you’ll likely try anything to prevent the pain and discomfort they cause. Medications can be quite expensive, but effective home remedies for gallstones are not – and they are certainly a better option than gallbladder surgery. You may not realize the importance of your gallbladder or gallbladder health unless you’ve had gallstones or gallbladder removal surgery. The gallbladder stores bile created from cholesterol in your liver. Bile is then released from the gallbladder to help break down fat in the small intestines (1).The gallbladder is located just below the liver.
It is estimated that well over 30 million Americans get gallstones every year, resulting in nearly one million gallbladder removal surgeries (cholecystectomies) annually. Other gallbladder conditions include infection (cholecystitis), gallstone pancreatitis, and (rare) gallbladder cancer (2).
What are Gallstones?
Gallstones (known as cholelithiasis) are hard, sometimes crystallized substances that form in the gallbladder. Gallstones are usually very small – as small as a grain of fine sand – but they can get rather large. Most gallstones form and pass without causing issues. When too many gallstones form (or when they’re too big) your gallbladder will have issues (3).
Most people think of gallstone issues as a blockage of the bile duct, but there are a few other ways gallstones can act up. Gallstones can block the bile duct of the gallbladder, resulting in pain, infection, and/or jaundice (4).
Sometimes a gallstone becomes lodged inside the gallbladder, causing pain and gallbladder inflammation without blockage. This is known as cholecystitis and is usually accompanied by a fever as well.
Symptoms of gallstones can include pain in the right side or center of your abdomen, pain in the right shoulder, between the shoulder blades, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. Gallstone pain may last for a few minutes to a few hours at a time.
Less common is a blockage of the pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct feeds digestive juices into the gallbladder. When this duct is blocked, it can cause pancreatitis and cholecystitis at the same time. While gallstone pain alone can come and go, this combination results in severe and persistent pain that usually requires hospitalization (5).
Gallstone Causes
The cause of gallstones and other gallbladder-related conditions is still (mostly) unknown. The color of the gallstones can give some clues as to a contributing imbalance in the body. Cholesterol gallstones, which occur when there is too much cholesterol in the liver and bile, are yellow in color. However, gallstones that are brown or black indicate that there is too much bilirubin in your bile.
There are some risk factors that increase your chances of getting gallstones or gallbladder disease. For example, women experience gallstones much more frequently than men.
Other risk factors include:
- Native American or Hispanic heritage
- Being over the age of 40
- Sedentary lifestyle
- High fat, high cholesterol diets
- Low fiber diets
- Pregnancy
- Family and/or personal history of gallstones
- Diabetes
- Being overweight or obese
- Sudden, rapid weight loss
Surgical removal of the gallbladder seems to be the go-to treatment anymore, but living without a gallbladder comes with its own set of complications and side effects.
19 Home Remedies for Gallstones
Even though cholecystectomies are now minimally invasive and somewhat routine, gallbladder surgery should be a last resort. To that end, preventative treatments should be utilized as much as possible, beginning with these home remedies for gallstones.
1. Reconsider Taking Birth Control
So, this one isn’t a home remedy so much as a strong recommendation to double check.
Certain types of birth control are known to increase the risk of gallbladder disease, including gallstones. If you are susceptible to gallstones, avoid birth control containing desogestrel, drospirenone, and norethindrone (6).
Below are examples of the brand names associated with these ingredients:
- Desogestrel: Apri, Azurette, Caziant, Cesia, Cyclessa, Desogen, Emoquette, Kariva, Mircette, Ortho-Cept, Reclipsen, Solia, Velivet, Viorele (7).
- Drospirenone: Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol, Ocella, Safyral, Syeda, Yasmin, Zarah, Beyaz, Gianvi, Loryna, Yaz (8).
- Norethindrone: Camila, Errin, Heather, Jencycla, Nor QD, Nora-BE, Ortho Micronor, Incassia (9).
2. Try a Gallbladder Cleanse
A gallbladder cleanse is a can help keep your gallbladder (and the flow of bile through it) running on all cylinders.
Before performing a flush, you’ll need to get checked to make sure you don’t have any current gallstones that could block your bile duct.
Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk is an incredibly rich source of soluble fiber. This kind of fiber binds to cholesterol in your system, helping to prevent gallstones from forming in the gallbladder (14). Aim for between 10-25 grams of soluble fiber daily (15).
8. Dandelion
Dandelion, in the form of dandelion greens or as a dandelion root supplement, contains a beneficial compound called taraxacin.
Taraxacin encourages the liver to emit bile, which helps keep the flow of bile moving through the gallbladder (16). Note: Do not use dandelion root if you are diabetic.
9. Milk Thistle
Like dandelion root, milk thistle contains a compound that helps stimulate and release bile from the liver. The compound in milk thistle is known as silymarin (17). A bitter substance, most people enjoy milk thistle in tea with honey or in supplement form. Unlike dandelion root, milk thistle is safe for diabetics (18).
10. Castor Oil
Castor oil is a favorite home remedy for several conditions, gallstones being just one of them. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory with some pain-killing properties. Find instructions for an effective castor oil compress here.
11. Pectin
Pectin is a substance found in a variety of fruits. Consuming pectin helps to expel bile and soften gallstones, helping them pass through the bile ducts (19,20). Pectin is also found in fruits, so feel free to indulge in some sweet snacks.
Fruits that contain the highest amounts of pectin include apples, pears, apricots, guava, gooseberries, plums, all citrus fruits, and more (21).
12. Alcohol (in Moderation)
A study conducted at the University of Ulm in Germany found that individuals who enjoyed alcohol in moderation had a lower risk of gallstones (22). This was further confirmed by another study that established drinking 14 grams of alcohol daily reduced the risk of gallstones by as much as one-third (23). There are, of course, other benefits to enjoying alcoholic beverages in moderation – particularly with red wine.
Consuming a half-glass to a glass of wine during a gallstone attack may help reduce the pain in just a few minutes.
13. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or obese (having an unhealthily high amount of body fat) is one of the biggest contributing risk factors for gallstones. Excess body fat is associated with an increase in cholesterol levels, which increases the likelihood of cholesterol gallstones (24). Take the necessary steps to reduce weight and body fat to healthy levels without crash dieting, which can further increase the risk of gallstones.
14. Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best ways to reduce cholesterol in the body, which in turn reduces the risk of cholesterol gallstones. The benefits extend beyond gallstones: moderate exercise reduces the risk of all gallbladder problems, regardless of a person’s weight (25). When you have a gallstone attack, exercise can also reduce pain levels through the release of endorphins.
15. Avoid Fad Dieting
Even though obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for gallstones, rapid, unsustainable weight loss associated with fad dieting can make things much worse. Rapid weight loss usually leads to nutrient deficiencies and an electrolyte imbalance, both of which can contribute to the development of gallstones. Research studies show that a weight loss of greater than three pounds per week can increase the risks for gallstones 15 to 25-fold (26).
16. Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet
There’s no question that diet has a huge impact on our overall health and well-being. By following a healthy diet high in anti-inflammatory foods and avoiding foods that may increase inflammation, you’ll heal your gallbladder and reduce your gallstone risk. Inflammation is a by-product of gallstones, so anti-inflammatory foods can help reduce pain and discomfort too (27).
17. Check your Medication
Just as there are medications that can help treat gallstones, there are medications that can increase the risk of getting them. Hormone therapy treatments that increase estrogen levels can also cause gallbladder problems as estrogen increases cholesterol levels in the body (28). Luckily, there are medications and hormone treatments options that do not increase the risk of gallstones. Talk to your doctor for more information.
18. Olive Oil
Olive oil will actually help flush gallstones out of your gallbladder (provided they are small enough to pass). Olive oil encourages contraction and emptying of the gallbladder, which also helps prevent gallstones from forming – especially the larger stones that cause a blockage. Bonus: olive oil is one of the best sources of healthy fats, which help lower the cholesterol that can lead to gallstones in the first place (29).
19. Get Some Sun
Exposure to sunlight activates vitamin D2 in the body, and it does so by synthesizing it from cholesterol. Cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, and research shows that taking a calcium supplement with vitamin D decreases cholesterol levels (30).
Since most sunscreens block this from happening, try to get 10-15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure at a time to reap the benefits without doing damage to your skin.
Now that you know these home remedies for gallstones, your gallbladder will be healed in no time.
There are a few different approaches, most of which prohibit food for some or all of your cleanse.
Here are a couple of options:
- Dr. David Williams’ gallbladder flush
- Dr. Hulda Clark’s Gallbladder Flush
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
Almost every single gallbladder cleanse or flush involves apple cider vinegar, and for good reason. Raw, unprocessed apple cider vinegar is a wonderful aid for gallstone prevention and treating the pain associated with gallstones.
Apple cider vinegar contains live enzymes that aid gallbladder function, as well as acetic acid, vitamin c, potassium, and calcium. While ACV won’t flush gallstones out of your gallbladder, it may help substantially reduce the pain that comes with them.
4. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice, besides being a wonderful toxin eliminator, helps prevent the development of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Since cholesterol is the biggest cause of gallstones, preventing cholesterol buildup will go a long way in gallstone prevention.
For best results, drink a glass of water with lemon juice and/or food-grade lemon essential oil first thing in the morning and throughout the day.
5. Peppermint
Peppermint and peppermint essential oil are incredibly effective digestive aids (10). The herb stimulates the flow of bile, encouraging the gallbladder to contract and empty (11). For existing gallstones, the terpene compounds found in peppermint helps dissolve the stones (12,13).
6. Juice Cleanse
Juice cleanses detoxify and help to “reset” your body. Since cutting down on fatty foods is absolutely necessary for the prevention and treatment of gallstones, juice cleanses are a great option to avoid cravings. Stick to mostly vegetables to keep sugar content low, and add in apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and maybe a bit of peppermint to help things along.
Here’s a simple recipe:
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 apple
- 4 celery stalks
- 1/2 orange
Instructions:
- Juice all the ingredients or blend at high speed and strain.
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