Natural Remedies for Gallbladder Attacks

Triggers

Posted by Rebecca (Co, US) on 04/14/2014
★★★★★

I found that my attacks were brought on my a combo of stress (huge!!!! ), not drinking enough water, and eating a large meal late in the evening with lots of salad and dairy fats, my favorite combo. Too hard to digest. Under advice of a naturopath I take lecithin, vitamin C, fish oil, and GB 6 which is a chinese herb blend. I ditched dairy and coffee and drink green tea, which is a calmative, and I have been symptom and pain free for a year. And, I'm healthier than I've been in ages. My GB was the canary in the coal mine for me. I find that stress really triggers spasms. If I feel spasms coming on, I sip a little cider vinegar in juice, and I take a percocet which my primary doc prescribed in case of attack. In addition to helping with the sudden onset of debilitating pain, it has muscle relaxing properties that can help calm the spasming before it gets full-blown.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Erika (Atlanta, Ga) on 03/20/2014
★★★★★

I came across this site when looking for feedback on something I discovered by accident. I too have to watch fats in my diet because of gallbladder pain.

Recently I began having plain yogurt in the mornings mixed with a little honey (for flavor). I have been amazed at the positive impact it has had on my digestion and my gallbladder. Hope this helps.

Hot Bath for Gallbladder Pain

Posted by Rebekah (France) on 08/07/2015
★★★★★

Just had my first attack in a few years, finally stopped the pain by lying in the hottest bath I could stand and hugging my knees to my chest. Also put Epsom salts in the water but no idea if that contributed. I tried drinking the ACV with lemon & lime juice diluted in about 6 oz. of warm water about 10 minutes before the bath, that may of helped as well, although I didn't get immediate relief like other posters said they did.

White Vinegar in Orange Juice

Posted by Elizabeth (Fenton Michigan) on 12/27/2013
★★★★★

OMG! My husband looked this up but I refused. About 1/2 hour ago I was ready to leave Disney to go to the ER. My son mixed 1 spoon full of white vinegar with some apple juice and my pain went from a 12 to a 6!!!! I'm on my second small glass and am able to type this. I'm absolutely flabbergasted!! I was ready to go to ER! I just can't believe it stopped excrutiating pain that quick. So, if you think you need this.... Please try! It really worked

White Vinegar in Orange Juice

Posted by Chad (Pennsylvania) on 06/21/2013
★★★★★

My wife had a severe attack and the pain was killing her she said worse than giving birth and we didn't have any apple juice or Apple Cider Vinegar and it was late so no stores were open but I did have two oranges and some white vinegar so I made her some fresh squeezed oj with white vinegar and within 5 minutes the pain was gone. It was absolutely amazing. Thanks for all the different posts, it was a life saver.

Apple Juice

Posted by Steve (Las Vegas) on 09/03/2013

For a severe gallbladder attack I have found that nothing works faster than a TBSP of epsom salt in an 8oz glass of warm water with a little of your favorite juice mixed in to make it taste better. Lie on your right side immediately after drinking with your legs pulled up. You should feel relief within 30min or less. Be sure a bathroon is never too far away because it will clean you out. A full liver/gallbladder cleanse is something you want to plan for soon. Recipes are on google.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Charity (faithville, Us) on 05/14/2022

Cody this is not much information to reply to. Ginger will soothe the gut and little lemon in water. If you are low on salt it can make you nauseas. If you are low bile from producing cortisol from stress~ you will not be able to digest food.

Not sure what you eat but certain foods need different things to break them down. Bromelain, papaya tabs, bile, Hydrochloric acid, microbes from Kefir, magnesium shortage will affect valve in esophagus, and it won't close.

Copper shortage can allow parasites to grow in stomach ~as can low acid. B vitamins are normally created in the gut but if you have an unhealthy gut, it may be hard to absorb a supplement, nutritional yeast is full of B vitamins. If this is auto immune, you may be low water and mineral balance may be off, creating histamine response. Stones are painful, chance Piedra nickname is stonebreaker. Baking soda can be taken ~ dose on box says how much for stomach and immune issues. The liver requires healthy fats to create bile to absorb food. Stress will stop digestion. Soy lecithin granules remove bad fats from organs and feed brain choline and inositol for memory. L taurine removes msg and helps our bodies recover from toxins. Hope you find solution.

I start most days with milk thistle and tall glass of water and end most days with a tall glass of water. Leave water out for an hour uncovered to dissipate chlorine. Sometimes relationships can cause nausea. Could be a bowel blockage in that case an enema or colace, store brand is less expensive. Virus can cause nausea- lysine and zinc. I usually hit any cold like problem with hydrogen peroxide on a q tip in each ear until the fizzle stops and then repeat.

That is a small list of things I have tried, depends on what is the root of the issue. Only you can know that.

Ted's Remedies, Digestive Problems (earthclinic.com)

Probiotics

Posted by Icia (Manila, Philippines) on 01/18/2012
★★★★★

I found out I had gallstones about 5 months ago. I had to change my lifestyle completely, as a teenager that sucks big time.

The doctor told me to take Buscopan (Over the counter med) when I get an attack, it works SOMETIMES. Its main job is to relax the gallbladder, but then since it is a tablet it takes a LONG time to work, sometimes it never does. :/

When I feel a bit full after a meal I immediately drink YAKULT (a probiotic drink), I dunno why but 90% of time I drink this, I don't get an attack whether I eat something a bit fatty. :) So I hope it works for others too!

Apple juice ACV: I will try this next time I get an attack!

Thank you! :) Hope it works for me! :)

Garden Greens

Posted by Lou (Tyler, Tx) on 06/06/2013

My mom used to cook dandelion greens and would add a little olive oil and lemon juice to make them taste better.

Lavender Oil

Posted by Sherry (Kalso, Bc Canada) on 02/13/2011
★★★★★

Hi I wanted to say thanks for this suggestion. I have recently started having attacks and found out I have gall bladder sludge. I checked out this site and found the lavender oil to be something I could both afford and consume without gagging. I am amazed!! It really has cut the attacks and pain down to almost nothing!! I put a drop in a large glass of water and just sip it all the time!! An extra benefit has been the freshest breath of all time! Thanks again for a great idea :)

Ted's Lemon Bicarbonate Formula

Posted by Edlon (Memphis, Tn) on 04/02/2010
★★★★★

after going to the dr.s and being told my gall bladder needed to be removed i tried teds lemon bicarb cure and it worked for me! i used limes instead of lemons and used a 1/4 tsp of baking soda twice a day at first. now i take it once a day or every other day. my gall bladder attacks weren't s bad as i've read and heard about other folk's. anything is worth trying before letting the dr.s cut on you. am glad i found E.C. and ted's help. thanks for being here.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Kelly (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 12/24/2009

To EJ from Middleborro, Ma (12/23/09) something that helped me lessen the pain of a gallbladder attack was to put 1 tbsp of flax seed in a pan w/ 2-1/2 c,of water and boil for 5 minutes. Then pour the top off(containing flax seed oil) and sip. I added a little cinnamon and truvia to taste. It really helped! Also, check out gallbladderattack.com for further info on diet changes. You don't need to grind the flax seed to get the oil out, just boil it for tea, or put a tbsp. of flax seed with a cup of water in a clear jar in the fridge and by morning the water(pure water) will have leached out the oil and will be ready to use( not for cooking). can be used on food as an addition(oatmeal salads,etc.) as a source of omega-3 fatty acids (as there is in fish). gallbladderattack.com has alot of good info for sufferers. they might be able to help you identify triggers as, they can be different from person to person. I felt like I was having a heart attack with mine. don't give up on a naturopath. Google your area and find another one. You may have just gotten one with an attitude (just what you need when you are sick huh.) I hope this helps. Many Blessings.

Flax Seeds

Posted by Jeanne (New York, NY) on 10/25/2009

Kelly's flax tea recipe caught my eye just in time. I just finished my first cup of flax seed tea after eating a very rich Indian dinner earlier tonight, which was starting to give me shooting gall bladder pain! I added half a cinnamon stick to the tea after it had boiled and a half teaspoon of blackstrap molasses since I don't like stevia's after-taste. Yummy! Too soon to tell if it has worked or not, but I think I will make a habit of drinking this regularly. My skin feels softer already. Thanks Kelly!

P.S. I did not grind the seeds before boiling them.

Lettuce

Posted by Angela (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) on 05/26/2008
★★★★★

I had about 15 atleast gallbladder attacks in 2 weeks -hospitalized one night as well and they wanted to take out the gallbladder for my "diamonds" gallstones which I'd had for 16 yrs. at least with no probs. except very sick in my 4 pregnancies because of excess bile... The attacks started due to taking digestive enzymes for 2 days and then going off them. The attacks began the next night with coleslaw, sausages, and saurkraut ..but continued for the next 2 weeks pretty much whatever I ate. In my worst attack I practically crawled to the computer to earthclinic.com. The 1/2 cup lettuce cure came up with 2 yeas. Sent son running to store for it and 20 mins. later after eating the 1/2 c. I had complete relief. As one writer speculated that it stimulated the liver to produce digestive enzymes that would stop the body from calling on the gallbladder to produce digestive bile.. So for the next 24 hrs. I ate nothing but iceberg lettuce -lots of it - and slices of organic apple. The next day I tried out eating whatever I wanted which had caused attacks throughout the prev. 2 wks. (except the cabbage/sausages -bad memory!) Even McDonald's failed to give me an attack. I am so thrilled with this cure of course!

Hearing once recently that digestive enz help people lose a lot of weight, I wonder if the stimulation of the liver a couple times a day with particularly iceberg lettuce (as it's supposed to work the best rather than other lettuces) would be a natural weight loss cure as well? I know it seems to make less of the slight puff around my ankles -more definition. So it might also help with fluid retention. As well my new pretty set wrinkles of 6 mos. ago have almost completely disappeared within a few days of ingesting 3x per day atleast (vertical ones beneath my eyes -not the crow's feet). Try it and I'd love to hear your feedback as I'm a personal trainer and would love to see if it helps people lose weight -at least it brings down the glycemic index of each meal you eat it with some.

Ted's Lemon Bicarbonate Formula

Posted by Sandra (BD, WI) on 01/24/2008
★★★★★

I have tried Ted's lemon and baking soda mix (juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 tsp. baking soda in water)' morning and night for two days. I started with diarrhea and then due to pain in the upper right quadrant, started to think it might be related to gallbladder.(I was diagnosed with a slow emptying gall bladder) I think I may have disrupted by acid/base balance by over eating oranges and grapefruits around Christmas and then eating quite a bit of fruit as well. I do get some relief from the pain, but diarrhea is still with me for two plus weeks. I will stay with this treatment for a few more days.

Ted's Lemon Bicarbonate Formula

Posted by Deirdre (CT) on 03/08/2007
★★★★★

Yesterday I had several hours of strange, quite intense pain in my abdomen, around the gallbladder. I decided to try Ted's lemon and baking soda alkalizing formula. Within 10 minutes the pain was down 50%. Within an hour it had all but disappeared. I am guessing this was perhaps a gall bladder attack. That was the fastest response I have seen yet with a home remedy. No wonder Ted considers this one to be the best of all the alkalizing formulas... AWESOME! Thanks

Ted's Lemon Bicarbonate Formula

Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) 392 posts

I am happy to hear about it. A gall bladder needs a lot of bicarbonates during digestion and they are one of the important components. If bicarbs are lacking, a gall bladder problem is possible. The vitamin c content neutralizes excess oxidation, and reduces the pain by both antioxidation and excess acidity which causes gallbladder pain.

Orange Juice

Posted by La Saundra (Montgomery, AL) on 08/11/2006
★★★★★

At the first sign of a gall bladder attack/Biliary Colic, I run for the orange juice or an orange. Every cholestoral Rx I've been prescribed, so far, causes my attacks!

Oatmeal

Posted by Carol (Georgetown, USA) on 01/21/2024
★★★★★

Gallbladder Attack

Eating oatmeal will push the bile through the bile tube and clean out the blocked stone. I have done this and it worked.

Chanca Piedra

Posted by Peter (Chicago) on 10/19/2023

Bill, my wife has a transplant kidney, (CP). Are you aware of any interaction with kidney rejection drugs (Tacrolimus)?

Ox Bile

Posted by Lauren (Tacoma, WA) on 10/04/2022
★☆☆☆☆

Ox bile is so inhumane. You can get same results with Tudca.

Aloe Vera Juice

Posted by Eleana (Sweden) on 03/22/2021

Aloe juice - how do you make it? If you take the inner fillet - that's a thick substance. Do you add water to it?

4 oz that would be 1.1 litre - that's a lot.

Aloe Vera Juice

Posted by mmsg (somewhere, europe ) on 10/16/2023

Not stones, Gary, or pain. Polyps seen on an ultrasound.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Karen (North Little Rock, Arkansas) on 11/15/2018

I just had my gallbladder removed in emergency surgery, and told to be on a low fat diet. I want to do well, but I know we need some good fats, and heard bad things about low fat diets. Any help and suggestions would be very appreciated.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Karen (Arkansas ) on 11/17/2018

Thank you very much for your help!

Dietary Changes

Posted by Denise (Us) on 11/17/2018 50 posts

You're so welcome, let me know if you have the chance, how things are going for you!

Orange Juice

Posted by Frank (Santa Rosa ) on 01/28/2016
★★★★★

Gallbladder Attack:

What makes my pain go away is orange juice. Within 10 to 15 seconds, yes seconds, my pain is gone. The nurse at Kaiser was amazed how it made the pain go away. That's after being doubled over in pain. Blew the doctor away too.

General Feedback

Posted by Amy (Wales) on 07/02/2015

Hi all just thought I would share this with u... I have been suffering with gallbladder attacks for around 3 months now (since having a baby). The pain has been so bad I have been to A+E 3times out of 4. The 1st 2 times they couldnt find what was wrong - but finaly seen another 2doctors about it and they said it is my gallbladder! Anyway... He told me to go on a 0% fat diet and has prescribed me with Buscopan. Buscopan is mylife savour.... Basicly the doctor explained that GB attacks are like have painfull cramping (contractions) ext.... and what Buscopan does it stops your GB from doing this. I would definitely recommend it... I also am very weary of what I eat now as I paranoid I am going to have an attack at any time! Knowing mine last around 24hours + and unbearable, At the moment I am waiting for a letter for a scan on my organs... And if it is 100% my GB which they say it is atm I will be having my gb removed... sooo I would keep going back to ur gp if your still suffering.

Ps I have been told that things like dairy products set off an attack so mayby try cutting that down to see if it helps ?

Ginger Tea

Posted by Timh (Ky) on 06/03/2015 2042 posts

M: Nice to hear your success story.

If I might suggest, the late, master, herbalist Dr Christopher developed an herbal formula along the same lines of your current list w/ the addition of more essential ingredience like Fennel, Peppermint, Goldenseal (or other natural antibiotics like Oregano, Garlic). If you wish, you could add all-the-above and make your own formula of powdered herbs and put them in capsules. Just saying.

Using menthol cough drops or lozenges is good way to melt cholesterol gallstones ( I use 3 loz's back-to-back to help open up bile flow). If stones are mixed or heavy calcified one may need to do a gallbladder flush. The herb Chanca Piedra is also good for gallbladder and/or liver problems.