Gallstones

Does anyone have any recommendations for dissolving and passing gallstones?

In many cases the Homeopathic remedy Cholesterinum potency 7 DH or a 3C can eliminate stones in as little as one week. I have seen this work and relieve the pain in less than two hours. You can order Homeopathic remedies on line from Boericke and Tafel. A hot water bottle will give temorary relief but is not a cure. There are other remedies that can be used but the person willl need to know how to reperatize the symptoms properly to determine the correct remedy.
Dennis

Look into Gravel Root and Juniper Berries as options. A diuretic will help with the process as well.

Andreas Moritz wrote a book called The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush that describes a protocol to use to flush out the stones. It involves olive oil, grapefruit juice, and epsom salts. It's super cheap when you consider how much surgery costs. Chanca Piedra is an herb that is used for those individuals whose gallbladder is packed with stones and won't budge. It helps break them up. I have passed many stones using the protocol, and am currently on my eighth flush. When there are no more stones, you stop passing them. I know of a few individuals who've reached this state. It usually takes about eight to twelve flushes.

You can look it up on the earthclinic website - I think apple cider vinegar is supposed to be good to dissolve all stones that are calcium, tho there are other types.

One more thing - there's a tick-borne illness that causes congested gallbladders, babesia. Being farmers who are outdoors a lot, we're probably more prone to tick-borne illnesses than most. If you suspect babesia the best remedy, IMHO, is artemisinin, an herbal based on wormwood. Basically babesia works just like malaria except instead of an acute infection you get a chronic infection, but any anti-malarial works, so if you'd like to treat yourself with gin-and-tonics, make sure you use the real quinine stuff.

Celia Revel wrote:Andreas Moritz wrote a book called The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush that describes a protocol to use to flush out the stones. It involves olive oil, grapefruit juice, and epsom salts. It's super cheap when you consider how much surgery costs. Chanca Piedra is an herb that is used for those individuals whose gallbladder is packed with stones and won't budge. It helps break them up. I have passed many stones using the protocol, and am currently on my eighth flush. When there are no more stones, you stop passing them. I know of a few individuals who've reached this state. It usually takes about eight to twelve flushes.

And anyone wants to have their property overrun by the invasive enjoy growing the delicate chanca piedra, I'll be happy to provide you with all the seed you want. Send me a Moosage.

A suggestion for those considering the liver/gallstone flush that was mentioned, check it out with medical info sources with good reputations. Get some real medical knowledge about what your body is doing. What you are passing with those flushes is not gallstones. Real gallstones are solid and they sink. What is being passed is soft (prior to being air dried) and floats. They are blobs of bile stained saponified oil. Not gallstones. They are from the ingredients you swallowed doing the so called flush.

I normally try to avoid telling other people what to do, but it really annoys me to see charlatans conning people into bogus treatments and scams. So....just a word of warning.

...Su Ba
www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Celia, I'm not calling you the charlatan. I apologize if it sounded that way. I didn't mean to criticize you in any way. But the person who wrote that book is the type of person that I would not trust to give me sound medical advice. People like that laugh all the way to the bank, having profited from their scams.

...Su Ba
www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Squatting a lot.

Squatting while gardening, squatting while reading, eating, pooping etc. Our ancestors squatted a lot more than we do.

Limiting fatty foods in general but especially limiting sudden spikes in fatty foods. Like, eating a low low fat diet and then suddenly a pile of corn chips with guacamole.

Stress is a big factor too.

I've had gallbladder trouble for years and control it pretty well now, but man does it hurt! I was counseled to have it removed at one point but I'm so glad i didn't. I have since spoken to a number of people who had their gallbladder removed and continue to have the same pain or worse.

I did that "cleanse" and others like it a couple of times. They seemed to help. Perhaps they are bunkum but I felt better for a while. I've been pregnant or nursing or both for almost three years now so I haven't done it again. I've been taking care as above though, so I'm fine.

I know a person that did the cleanse routine. He said it basically saved his life or at the lease totally improved his quality of life. If this person (book writer) was the only one that had success with the process it would be one thing. There are MANY people that have given their testimony to it out there though.

One does NOT have to buy the book to find out what is needed to be done either.

It could be that while it doesn't flush out any gallstones, it does flush out some pathogen that is causing inflammation or something and the root of the problem.

Renate, you've brought up a really good point! Current medicine is just now delving into the effects on health that the gut flora and fauna have. Purging very well alters the make up of the zoo & botanical garden living inside us.

...Su Ba
www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

Yes, some of those gall stone purges can be dangerous. The herb school I attended recommended a blend of 3/4 Gravel Root (also called Queen of the Meadow and Joe Pye Weed), and 1/4 Marsh Mallow Root (either the Althea or the Malva genus will work). Drink in a tea or you can use in a tincture form too if that is more available. Go slow if you can. It gently dissolves the stones and releases them and the smaller they are when they release, the less painful.

In response to the criticism of the liver flush. First I will take the false idea that is being spread on the internet (you need to be aware that some websites are created to look like legitimate medical advice sites) about the stones being made from the oil itself. There is no scientific evidence, that I'm aware of, that the stones are sapponified. You are talking to a professional soap maker here. Sapponification is the act of oil turning into a soap or a soap-like substance upon chemical action with an alkalai. It takes lye that will eat the flesh of your bones at ph 14 to make soap. The intestines have a ph of about 8. That's about the ph of baking soda. Have you ever tried making soap with oil and baking soda? It's impossible. The oil just sits there. So, for me, that claim on its surface sounds made up.

There are several people I know who have stopped passing stones after a number of flushes. If the oil was sapponifying in the intestines wouldn't it continue to do so?

Some of the stones do sink and some float. People have taken the stones in for lab testing and the results showed that they are made of cholesterol. Some are calcified.

It's a terrible thing to discourage someone from trying a protocol that can do so much for the body. I have lost weight (water weight that was sequestering toxins my poor liver was too congested to deal with). People say my skin looks radiant. I have gotten compliments from so many people for my youthful zeal and energy. I even have gotten some of my libido back. Not to mention my seasonal allergies are completely gone. This was the first year in 20 that I didn't buy Claratin.

As far as the gut flora issue. I believe more of my gut flora has been destroyed by antibiotics than any of the flushes I have done. If anything, my poos are even more healthy looking now that I have proper bile flow. A probiotic drink like kefir doesn't hurt either.

Lastly, I have had zero pain releasing stones because of the strict protocol I followed using Andreas Moritz' book. I have released some about 1/2 of an inch in diameter. Others I know of have released even bigger ones painlessly. The epsom salts dilate the ducts. It is essential, however, to do a colonic withing two days afterwards to wash out any stones that may have lodged in the intestines, especially if you have a clogged colon. That was the only problematic part of the cleanse for me because of the expense, but, being permie about it, I found plans to build my own colonic board, and now it costs me nothing.

Celia Revel wrote:I even have gotten some of my libido back.

do a colonic withing two days afterwards

Well, HOORAY for you on the libido. That is a very important thing to get back!!!

Colonic Withing? Too tired to look up, easier to just ask.

I will not criticize the liver flush - only that I personally know people whose bodies were cleansing and passing things too fast and the pain involved was utterly excrutiating. It is something that if possible ought to be done with guidance. Yes, it can work but people need to know they might have to take it slow. I am about dissolving things first if that is possible and I apologize if I err on the side of caution, but that is just a good idea most of the time.

Su Ba wrote:A suggestion for those considering the liver/gallstone flush that was mentioned, check it out with medical info sources with good reputations. Get some real medical knowledge about what your body is doing. What you are passing with those flushes is not gallstones. Real gallstones are solid and they sink. What is being passed is soft (prior to being air dried) and floats. They are blobs of bile stained saponified oil. Not gallstones. They are from the ingredients you swallowed doing the so called flush.

I normally try to avoid telling other people what to do, but it really annoys me to see charlatans conning people into bogus treatments and scams. So....just a word of warning.

...Su Ba
www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

I agree that telling people what to do isn't good practice. I can understand the concern.. but what exactly is "real medical knowledge?" The only option a "real" MD gave me, was to surgically remove my gallbladder. I did the flush several times, passed a ton of stones and here I am 4 years later with my gallbladder intact. I haven't had a gallbladder attack since.

Also Su, you are wrong about gallstones.. not all gall stones are solid and sink.. many are leathery like the ones I passed. Some are even very fine like soft gravel. I did a ton of research on the flush and the idea that it's the ingredients forming bogus stones does not hold any credence scientifically whatsoever.

I have had a few of my own health challenges over the years and if I would have listened to doctors I honestly don't think I'd be here writing this today. My old circle of friends who still lead a typical lifestyle and rely on western medicine are literally falling apart.

All I can say from personal experience, is that the gallbladder flush with olive oil, grapefruit juice and epson salt worked for me. If you are interested in it, look it up because there is a very specific way to do it.

I think drinking a lot of unfiltered apple juice before the flush is a smart move because it helps dissolve gall stones over time as apples are high in malic acid. In my opinion fresh raw apple juice would probably be even better because it contains helpful live enzymes. Also you might want to look into Gerson Therapy as a way to cleanse periodically. Gerson Therapy has been documented to cure practically every chronic degenerative disease known to man. Even cancer. The documentation is available for anyone willing to seek it out for themselves.

Celia Revel wrote:Andreas Moritz wrote a book called The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush that describes a protocol to use to flush out the stones. It involves olive oil, grapefruit juice, and epsom salts. It's super cheap when you consider how much surgery costs. Chanca Piedra is an herb that is used for those individuals whose gallbladder is packed with stones and won't budge. It helps break them up. I have passed many stones using the protocol, and am currently on my eighth flush. When there are no more stones, you stop passing them. I know of a few individuals who've reached this state. It usually takes about eight to twelve flushes.

Andreas Moritz has a large following. I have not followed this procedure but I am happy to hear of positive results. Unfortunately, Andreas Moritz passed away from acute injuries caused an exposure to an insidious mold he inhaled in conjunction with severe arrhymia he had from childhood. My understanding was that he refused medical treatment and incidentally died from his condition. For what its worth, I posted a video of him explaining his process.

I am currently learning about gallstone stuff.  

This book suggests that there are ways to soften and even dissolve gallstones through diet and some supplements:



http://amzn.to/2xY4eP3  (4.6 stars with 73 reviews)


Summary of summaries of summaries ....

Eat less grain, sugar, eggs, onions, pork, certain oils and nuts

Eat more beets, beet leaves, dandelion greens, lemons, limes, radishes, veggies (except potatoes), fruit (but only two servings a day), fish, poultry, grassfed red meat, good fats

Supplements:  ox bile, apple cider vinegar, vitamin C

Oodles more suggestions and details in the book, of course.  



It seems the conventional advice is a low fat diet.  The book addresses that on page 1 and says "sugar is a bigger problem for the gallbladder than fat is."

"Your gallstones did not develop overnight; they have probably been in there for at least ten years.  Therefore it is realistic to expect natural remedies to take many months to a couple of years to dissolve gallstones."

ERCP's (where they go in through your mouth all the way down to the duodenum, in through the duct that secretes bile into your digestive system and suck out those stones) don't look very enjoyable.  And at any rate  whole-person health and diet is important.

But gall stones are slowly precipitated out of your bile like scale in a pipe over quite some time. Like kidney stones and pearls, it's a physical result at the end of a long chain of physiological processes. I worry that if a cleanse or a herb is potent enough to alter the consistency of gall stones what else might it be affecting?  It might not be a bad idea to consult with a pharmacist and have a doctor monitor your progress if you use unconventional advice.

The trick is that different people have different advice.   And different doctors have different advice.  So then it is up to the individual to sort it all out.  

I feel that a popular book on the topic with so many reviews and such a high review score says a lot.  

One doctor might say "low fat" and then the next doctor says "If people will only listen to two words for all of their dietary advice, that might be the best two words.  But if we may be allowed to have a richer conversation, let's talk about reducing bad fats, sugars, grains and raising certain vegetables, for a few months and tapering off after a year."  So it isn't so much that there is a conflict as much as there is a bumper sticker version of the book.  

Two ways that I known of to dissolve stones are chanca piedra and diet/fruit.

Chanca Piedra is an herb that dissolves stones in the body.

Malic acid dissolves stones.  Malic acid is found naturally in many fruits.  I think it's found mostly in the skins of fruit??  Apples are high in it, as are purple grapes. It's probably found in most all fruit.  I've also seen malic acid supplements in stores. If you eat fruit you'll be dissolving stones naturally.

Here are a few things I know about flushing and purging stones.

The liver flush that has been popular throughout the years, "grapefruit and oil combo",  is a bugger of an experience.  It's like having a massive hangover the next day....but if your lucky you'll only feel mildly out of sorts. But....it works...it's just very unpleasant most times, so now you know.  If you're gonna try it, then I would highly suggest having your GI tract as empty as possible.  The cleaner your GI tract, the better you'll feel afterwards.  Apple juice works quite well to help cleanse the GI tract, plus it has malic acid.

This is something very similar in concept to the grapefruit oil liver flush, but from what I recall it's very gentle and barely even noticeable.  You simply avoid eating certain things for a few days and then eat something fatty to create bile that pushes out the softened stones.  Fasting on apples or apple juice for a few days, and then eating avocado/guacamole to break the fast can purge stones.  Or quite simply refrain from eating fats for a few days, it's best to eat simple and clean, then eat avocados/guacamole.  This can help soften and purge stones.  The days of clean eating, lots of fruits and juices, will help soften the stones, then after a few days or so, eat avocados push the soft stones out.

Epsom salts are worth knowing about if you've ever experienced gallbladder or liver pain from gallstones.  Just dissolve some in water to drink. It's very nasty, but it dilates the bile ducts, allowing the stuck stone to be expelled.

I think the Gerson institute has found that coffee enema's can relax the bile ducts and cause the liver to produce bile which has been found to purge stones.

I seem to be recalling that castor oil packs are often used for liver and gallstones.

The subject of gallstones has been ticking around in my head.

Lots of people have gallstones, they're only a problem if they block ducts.  If they do this reports are you will know-just like a kidney stone.  

Being obese might increase your likelihood of gallstone problems but a sudden weight loss also will, so you might benefit from being moderate.  In fact fasting, including intermittently, seems to be linked to gallstone issues.

Wikipedia suggests a diet high in fiber, low in sugar, and with adequate intake of folate, vitamin c, calcium and magnesium.  Most people could benefit from that anyways, why not try it?

Being sedentary can increase your risk -and everyone can benefit from an active lifestyle. Why not jump on this idea?... literally. (sorry for pun)

The gallbladder is essentially a storage depot for what your liver is going to excrete into your digestive system.  So maybe keep your liver happy.  That probably means don't ingest alcohol, medications or calories in innapropriate amounts or combinations.  

The image below is of the ampulla of vater (main duct for secreting into the duodenum) being blocked by a stone.  The other image is of a stent placed in the duct to keep it open - an alternative to surgery sometimes.

I am not a doctor, so please take this with a pinch of salt.  What works for me is reducing fat and dairy products and increasing bitter food and herbs in my diet like chicory, dandelion, radicchio, Belgian endive, artichoke, centaury, chamomile, etc.  Bitterness stimulate the flow of bile.  Black radish is also very good for the gallbladder.  Following in the footsteps of my grandmother I take a tablespoonful of lemon juice followed by one of olive oil first thing in the morning for 2/3 weeks at a time.  She also swore by the water in which artichoke had been cooked, if you can stomach it!  Herb tinctures that work for me: milk thistle (Silybum marianum), berberis vulgaris and golden seal.

 That is very interesting. Last week I passed at least 4 largish stones, which I believe, came from the gallbladder. The reason I believe they are from there is that they were made from besswax like texture. I searched online "waxy stones intestines" and found out, that they are cholesterol stones, and majority stones from gallbladder are those. Calcium ones are much less common, although they are much harder and visible on x-rays. Cholesterol ones are not, but how much I understand are visible in MRI imaging.
 I didn't do any cleanse, but I upped herbs to prevent tooth infection (another story), so possibly those herbs and other thins I take (Vit C, lemon, black cumin oil, herbal teas, eating greens such as chayote leaves, etc.) softened them enough to allow the passage. The only reason I even noticed was, because I went number two twice within 15 minutes or so and decided to take a shower. As luck would have it, one stone fell into the bathtub. I looked up the window to see, if somebody is throwing rocks into my bathtub, but it is screened. As I picked the rock up, it was slippery and waxy, so I knew it had to come from me. Then after I searched, I looked into my next stool and sure enough, few more -stones were different color and texture than the rest of it.
 On one hand I am pleased, however since I do not know, what exactly helped, not sure I can do it again, and who knows, if I have more. They were relatively large - more than an inch long. I do have chanca piedra (and I love it, that it self seeds, John . I might try to drink it often.

The flush I was taught used olive oil, fresh fruit juice, ginger, garlic,   and is a five day affair--amounts of each (on an empty stomach) increase  to the third day, then decrease again.

Do it each morning as the first meal, fasting is not required, but lots of fruits and vegetables would be a good follow up protocol--no fried foods

There are many different tonic liver herbs, and these can work over months and years, but the flush works right now, using the fresh fruit acids and clean olive oil to dissolve the stones and help them flow out of the body. Garlic of course as one of the best liver herbs and most powerful antibiotics, ginger to help keep it all down,   Grapefruit juice will certainly work, but fresh pressed apple juice might be an easier choice.

Applecider vinegar would be great for calcium stones, but as has been mentioned, that is mostly for the kidneys--same with gravel root. Of course there's no reason not to do these during the flush.

I forget exact amounts off hand, but will look up my course notes when I get back home.  something like one, two, three, two, one tablespoons of oil, same for cloves of garlic, teaspoons of fresh ginger, mixed with 16 ozs of fresh juice--but like I said, I need to verify those amounts later on.

Herbal healers don't generally use epsom salts because even though they may work for the flush, they may also throw off other systems.

Also of course, make sure before starting any sort of liver/gallbladder cleanse that the bowels are working very well, no sense liberating "stored" toxins only to have them stall in the bowels.

And yes, all of the bitter herbs can help stimulate the liver gallbladder, so in light cases this may be enough to expel the stones, and in extreme cases the five day flush may need to be repeated.

And while many may feel queasy  from so much oil and some may even throw up,  as we were always told, that's just a cleaner stomach for the next cup  Increase the ginger if it's a severe problem and go lighter on the oil to start.

Hey Now,

Oh I how I wished I'd seen this post some months ago.
I haven't had any medical issues until this same situation came up about four months ago.
My problem was that the "stones" did not show up in two ultrasounds, but it was thought they were there due to the CT scan.
So there was uncertainty, and I wasn't quite sure what action to take, outside of surgery.

My symptoms were pretty standard, so I and a couple of doctors assume this is/was my issue. A couple others were not.

I echo what mostly is being said here.
DIET.
I immediately changed my diet overnight, from not so healthy food and daily alcohol to a mostly non fat, no sugar, no booze, no red meats, to mostly veggies and fruits, legumes and nuts.
The last month or so I've incorporated the daily lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, and some other supplements, and following the Protocol, did the parasite cleanse and doing the colon cleanse in order to do the Liver Gallbladder flush.

The last couple of months my energy came back, as I was extremely fatigued the first month, with the constant dull under rib cage pain, along with other stomach issues.

Now, most pain is very minimal, sometimes I don't feel it, although I still feel like someone hit me in the ribs.

SO my two cents for anyone else going through this.
Most of my Info came from Facebook groups, lots of information and testimonials there.

No fat can actually increase chance of stone formation. Go to cure.com, and look up their gallstone files. Lots of info there.

@joy,

It seems that conventional wisdom does suggest that fatty foods are an issue, and if I eat fatty foods, I definitely feel it.
By the way, cure.com is auto insurance.

Just came across this thread now that I am 2 days post-op and minus one gall bladder. I see this is posted under medicinal herbs, but I thought I would post my experience with surgery.
Same day laparoscopic/keyhole surgery went well at Kaiser HMO - 4 small incisions near breastbone, belly button, and two more on the right side of my belly.
I am overweight and live a sedentary lifestyle and while I generally try to eat mostly vegetables I had had several cases of "bad indigestion" over the years, but then a streak of several over a two-week span brought on I think by an ice cream binge on vacation.
Ultrasound showed sludge and maybe stones in the gall bladder and my doctor never really gave me an alternative to removal.
Pain meds are working well and I just feel a bit sore/sensitive here and there. Just cost a $50 copay which is a very pleasant way of getting care.
A previous 2011 lung surgery on a different PPO plan, admittedly a more complex job with 8 days in the hospital was a $200k two-inch thick file of paperwork and I paid for about 1/3 of an inch of it.
Since the ice cream binge I have been eating more carefully and that helps, but I will have to see how things turn out over the long haul.
So far so good.

Dave

I started a new thread talking about gout, gallstones, blood type and diet:

https://permies.com/t/72810/kitchen/Gout-blood-type-relationship-gallstone

Jared Gardener wrote:Does anyone have any recommendations for dissolving and passing gallstones?

Chichorium intyybus/Chickory root~ 1 teaspoon
Taraxacum officinale/Dandelion root~2 teaspoon
Combine and steep in one cup boiling water. Drink half cup twice a day.

Preventative:
Eat lots of Artichoke, and parsley. Drink Hyssop tea once a day.

Sorry may I ask and additional question to gallstones?
I have two bags of dandeliot root powder. I am at loss how it smells. I opened it today. on the pack it says "good untill 07-2018".  Im new to this herb. anyone knowing if smell is aweful usually?
BEsides. Instead of tea you could drink just powder with mineral water or make your own capsules.

Beata Morkyte wrote:Sorry may I ask and additional question to gallstones?
I have two bags of dandeliot root powder. I am at loss how it smells. I opened it today. on the pack it says "good untill 07-2018".  Im new to this herb. anyone knowing if smell is aweful usually?
BEsides. Instead of tea you could drink just powder with mineral water or make your own capsules.

It shouldn't smell awful, unless herby smell is awful to you. I make herbal "pudding" with powders I want to take. I usually mix powders with plain yogurt and apple sauce. Capsules work, but I would need to swallow so many. One teaspoon is between 3 and 4 "00" size capsules. I just stuff really hot or nasty things in them like cayenne or magnesium malate.

I got a stone stuck in my duct recently, but was able to calm it down, and in process added a lot to my gallstones herbal file. In case someone will need it also, here it is:

Gallstones
Acute pancreatitis may be the first sign of gallstones. Gallstones can block the pancreatic duct, which can cause acute pancreatitis. Person with it feels pain under the left ribcage instead of the right, and can have fever. Usual gallbladder attack symptoms can be present as well - yellow or clay color stools (especially, if ducts are blocked by the stones), diarrhea, belching and burping, gas, nausea, vomiting. If it gets severe, medical help might be needed as it can damage other organs as well. Pancreatic enzymes might be useful in healing.
Gallbladder stones form usually from cholesterol (not the dietary one), when there is not enough bile to break up the fats. Low bile amount or low flow can have many causes such as high insulin, high estrogen, high cortisol, prolonged low fat diet, fasting, pregnancy (especially multiple pregnancies), some infections, lack of sleep, constipation (however low bile can cause constipation itself, so it becomes a loop). Fats, especially saturated fats stimulate bile flow. Bile salts might be big help until your gallbladder starts making enough again.
Basically, there are several actions, that help tp expel the stones - something to soften them -usually acid such as malic acid in ACV and apple juice, something to relax the ducts such as high quality magnesium or cramp bark tincture, and some fat to stimulate the gallbladder contractions such as olive oil, butter, etc. Possibly also something to lubricate the ducts such as fax tea, chia seeds, slippery elm bark, or marshmallow root. Last one is interesting one since we are not sure, that herbs from digestive tract can move into ducts, but it works somehow as many people said their pain relaxed very soon after taking flaxseed tea.
Chanca Piedra (Phylanthus niruri) is a very powerful herb, just keep in mind, that in large doses it can produce heat, so you might be warm. Take as capsule (powder), tea, or tincture. Tincture seem to be the most powerful form for gallbladder stones, tea-for kidneystones. Drink minimum 3 cups a day or take minimum 3 capsules, or 3 droperfuls of tincture in 3 times. However if you are in an active attack, you might want to take more often -every hour or two for a while until pain/other symptoms subside, then reduce to 3 times a day. Keep at 2-3 times  for months, because liver can keep dumping stones into gallbladder. Also, if reason you made them in the first place is still there, your body will be making more. I feel it is best to change herbs every few months, if you use them for a long time.
Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)- whole plant is used. Also great for migraines and dissolves stones.
Gentian root tincture helps to resolve gallbladder infection. Very bitter. Put 8-10 drops in small amount of water and drink it before each meal.
"Mix cinnamon-cloves-ginger powders in an apple juice glass. The mix was pretty nasty tasting, afterward I only felt minor "gurgling" on right flank.... Nothing painful or extraordinary. The next day I had a pretty serious case of diarrhea and released about 100 m&m sized green pellets. I couldn't believe it.
One person said, that in middle eastern countires they eat 50 grams of dried figs a day for 2 months to eliminate gallstones.
Drink at least 2 litres of juice daily, combination of unpasteurized fresh apple juice, lemon juice, tamarind juice, and carrot juice. mix in a tablspoon of ACV for stronger effect.
Serrapeptase enzyme helped some.
Hydrangea root capsules. People have taken different amounts -some 2 capsules 3 times a day, some 4 times a day. For prevention usually 2 capsules a day. Also works for kidney stones very well, even large ones. One person had 10mm kidney stone and after taking hydrangea, he passed it into two pieces 4 and 6 mm, which fit together. Scan confirmed it was gone. There are many types of Hydrangea although only two, Hydrangea arborescens ( Native to the Eastern U.S) & Hydrangea strigosa ( Native to China) are commonly used medicinally. Leaves are toxic, so use just roots.
Gravel root tea
Taking a teaspoon of granulated lecithin at mealtimes is also highly beneficial for the liver and for gallstone removal and prevention.
Parsley tea-take 1 pint a day. Pour a quart of boiling water over a cup of firmly packed fresh parsley (roots and leaves can be used) and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain and then refrigerate.  Dr. Chirstopher said, that taken daily it will disolve stones anywhere in the body.  
Other herbs he used for gallstones are dandelion, golden seal, mistletoe, yellow dock, oak, parsley, and wild yam. Dr. Christopher's liver/gallblader formula 1/3 Cup of tea or 2 capsules, 15 to 20 minutes before a meal- Barberry, Wild yam, Cramp bark, Fennel seed, Ginger, Catnip, Peppermint. Person who needed a liver transplant, took 6 capsules 3 times a day and half gallon of fresh carrot juice and soon was removed from transplant waiting list as his markers improved a lot.
Take 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1-2 times a day.
Frankincense essential oil is used topically for gallbladder pain. One or two drops can be massaged into the skin over the gallbladder area several times a day
***************************************************************************

During attack drink 1/4 cup of ACV, diluted in several cups of water or apple juice. Do not gulp it down in one sitting - take time. Many people report pain retreating from this. Drink 1 teaspoon of ACV and 1 teaspoon kemon juice in a glass of water every morning to prevent other attacks.
Take half teaspoon or two capsules of alfalfa. For some it stops pain in 10 minutes. You might want to take it with every meal later too for prevention.
Some take 2 capsules of activated charcoal every 2 hours until pain is gone. Also drink some peppermint tea to relax the ducts.
The homeopathic remedy Carduus Marianus can stop pain within minutes.
Take 1/4 cup of straight lemon juice, diluted works slower.
Dilute 1 drop of quality lavender essential oil in a bit of edible oil, and then in a large glass of water. Shake well, sip slowly. Helps within minutes for some. Great at night because it helps to relax as well and sleep better. Tastes bitter. Or make infusion with dried or fresh lavender areal parts.
Flaxseed tea - put a tablespoon of flaxseeds in two or three  cups of water, bring it to the simmer for 10 minutes, take off the heat,  then close and let it stand for 15 minutes or so. Strain and drink. You can add some cinnamon, molasses, stevia, or honey for the taste. Some say it takes the pain away within 10-15 minutes. But some said it took them 4 cups drank over 45 minutes to take away the pain. Maybe it depends on the size of the stone that has to pass through. People also report attacks stopping when drinking this tea daily or almost daily. When it becomes cold, it will be slimy, so drink warm to avoid that unless you like it that way. Some hide the texture by using half a cup with about half a cup of apple juice and two tablespoons of ACV - and these additions help melting stones anyway.
A castor oil pack is a soothing remedy for a gallbladder attack. Pour castor oil onto a clean 4 x 4 inch cloth. Cut up old flannel sheets work great for this.Place the cloth on the skin under the right rib cage. Cover the cloth with plastic wrap. Cover the plastic wrap with a towel and a heating pad. Keep for an hour or more. Usually relief is felt within half an hour.
People also have used 1/4 cup of the ACV in a glass of apple juice (fresh is best, but unfiltered bottled works also). This is strong so you might want to dilute that with a glass of water as well. Woman with gallbladder stone attack said it took her pain within an hour, and she felt relief already after a few sips. Apple juice and ACV probably can be replaces with malic acid supplement, which would prevent strong acid touching teeth.
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"You need to eat a minimum of 8 big apples in a 24 hour period (green are the best as they are the most acidic ) Day two repeat as per day one. On day two before you go to bed drink 2/3 cup of virgin olive oil, follow this with a 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Then go to sleep on your right side for the night. Freshly squeezed apple juice and herbal teas are ok for these 2 days but don't skimp on the apples, the more the better.
The acid in the apples will break down the gallstones naturally and the olive oil will help with the elimination of the broken down stones. This is amazing and worked for me so well that my awful symptoms immediately passed and I could lie down in my bed again to sleep that 2nd night. I went to my pre-op appointment and when the nurse asked how I am I said I'm fine now, the stones are gone. She didn't believe me until another ultrasound showed I was all clear!"
Nicole from earthclinic.com
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The herbal combination of Milk Thistle Seed/Turmeric root/Artichoke leaf is best,  Artichoke alone is the best of the three, if you can get just one. Tea, capsules(or powder), or tinctures.
Herbalist Philip Fritchie lists Butcher's Broom and Cascara Sagrada as being lithotriptic (stone dissolving) specifically for gallstones. Cascara Sagrada can have quite the laxative effect, though. Taken it with ginger and and fennel to help soften that effect.
Gold Coin Grass (Lysimachia christiniae, Herba Lysimachiae, Jin Qian Cao) can be found in almost all Chinese ancient liver gallbladder cleanse recipes, thanks to its amazing ability on dissolving stones and other health benefits. Besides of the compound prescriptions, clinically it is also often being used alone for gallstone removal. Lysimachia is a perennial creeping herb. Stems are delicate, prostrate, and 20 to 60cm long; surface is gray-green or reddish purple; the entire plant is glabrous or sparsely hairy. Opposite leaves are glabrous and with 1 to 3cm petiole; blade is oval, nearly round to kidney shape, 1.5 to 8cm long, and 1 to 6cm wide. Suggested gold coin grass dosage is from 15 to 60 grams in dried herb or 30 to 120 in fresh herb, in decoction or juice.
Michael Moore writes " Silk Tassel is a strong and reliable smooth-muscle relaxant, one of those generally classed as parasympathetic inhibitors or anticholinergics. In proper doses it has little effect on the central nervous system but slows down the impulses of the vagus nerve, myenteric plexus nerves, and the sacral ganglia of the parasympathetics. This makes it useful pain reliever and antispasmodic for diarrhea, dysentery, gallbladder attacks, and menstrual cramps." The part of the plant used as a medicine is the leaf and twigs, preferably dried, and extracted as a 1:5 plant extract, using about 50 to 60% alcohol. Dosage range can vary depending on use, but 10 to 20 drops, up to 5 times a day is usually used. I also, sometimes make a fresh plant extract with the leaves, a 1:2 ratio, 50% alcohol.
Ground Ivy , creeping charlie ( Glechoma hederacea) is also used to melt kidney and liver/gallbladder stones.
Bile salts and lecithin supplements miht help to disolve stones as well. Take a tablspoon of lecithin several times a day.
Homeopathic remedy Cholesterinum potency 7 DH or a 3C can eliminate stones in as little as one week
A blend of 3/4 Gravel Root (also called Queen of the Meadow and Joe Pye Weed), and 1/4 Marsh Mallow Root (either the Althea or the Malva genus will work). Drink in a tea or you can use in a tincture form too if that is more available.  It gently dissolves the stones and releases them.
Fresh radish juice - start with 2-3 ounces by weight, and increase slowly to 12-14 ounces per day, before breakfast. Continue for 2-3 weeks at that dose, then reduce to 2-3 ounces again and continue until problems resolve. Maria Treben suggested beginning with about an ounce of radish juice on an empty stomach each day gradually increasing it to about a 1/2 cup of juice midway, and then decreasing it back to 1 ounce by the end of the 6 week period.

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)- tincture -a droper 3 times a day. Also great for viral conditions (including shingles), regulating hormones. Can make strong infusion (1 oz of herb to a pint of water), take 4 tabslp.  several times a day. Keep in the fridge.
Burdock
Eat pears as they have softening effect on the stones as well.
Chamomile tea
Milk thistle seeds and dandelion root
Recipe-1/4 teas. nutmeg
1/4 teas. cream of tartar
2 Tbls fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup warm water.
Drink 1/4 cup of pickle juice - liquid from pickle jar. Helps within 15 minutes.
If you prefer ready formulas, Planetary Herbals Stone Free and Dr. Christopher's Original Formulas Liver and Gall Bladder Formula Capsules have great reviews with many people healing stones and preventing them for years with continual use.
Important things to do (from liverdoctor.com)
Do raw juicing using cabbage, carrot, ginger root, mint and apple.
Include fresh green leafy herbs in your salads and raw juices – the best liver cleansing herbs are mint, parsley, garlic, chives, shallots, basil, coriander and small amounts of thyme and oregano
Increase the amount of raw vegetables in your diet
Taking digestive enzymes at the beginning of your meals may reduce symptoms
Take a good liver tonic twice daily; ensure it contains Saint Mary’s Thistle, B group vitamins, vitamin C, and sulphur bearing amino acids such as glycine and taurine
Supplement with the amino acids taurine and glutamine and the mineral selenium to support good bile quality and healthy bile ducts in the liver.
Increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids – Suitable sources are oily fish, good quality fish oil, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds and hemp seeds. Keep oils in the fridge.
Sip one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar mixed in a small glass of water during your meals
Drink plenty of pure water
Drink dandelion tea and coffee
Be careful not to overindulge on dairy products – the best ones are natural cheeses and plain yogurt.
Hot spices are good for the liver and bile ducts and good choices are wasabi, horseradish sauce, mustard, garlic, curry, turmeric and chilli. If you have a sensitive stomach or gastritis only use small amounts of these spices or avoid them.
Painless twitching in gallbladder area seems to be magnesium deficiency and stress related, rarely -hernia related.

I personally used my own made chanca piedra tincture several times a day 2-3 dropers each time. Drank queen myrtle leaf, chamomile, chayote leaf, and peppermint teas -few cups a day. Ate cucumbers, parsley, and red beets (either cooked or raw in juice) daily. now I am juicing again, and juice black radish. I juice it separately as it ruins other juice taste, LOL. I dilute it with lots of water. Then I eat a teaspoon of alfalfa powder a day, and a teaspoon or so of Dr. Christopher formula for gallbladder -I made mixture myself to save money. And flaxseed tea. I also try to eat a few chayote leaves from my garden daily. I decided to do it full force as in my case pancreatic duct was blocked (pain mostly in the leftt, and my stool was colorless. Now it is back to normal color. Severe pain was gone pretty soon, but I still had cramping for a few days, and saw stones leaving. However, it is safe to assume, that I have plenty of them left in my liver if not in gallbladder, which means I have to continue at least with some of it. Today is a week since the attack.

I have now gone two years without a gallstone attack.  

The diet seems to break down into two important components:

  - food choices that reduce the need for bile - thus leading to a gallstone attack

  - food choices that will reduce the size of the stones, so they can pass unnoticed

I have done extremely well following the first part.  And I think I have done pretty good following the second part.  

The book says that in two years of following the second part, I should be able to eat anything I want again.  But ... I am just too nervous.  I cannot be certain that I followed that close enough.

I have now gone three years and three months since my last gallstone attack.  

I had a sonogram a year ago and it showed that I still had stones ready to to make me sad (or dead).  

I was fortunate to have Jocelyn here to spoil me with creative cooking for the first two years, but since I've been on my own for the last year or so, I thought it would be helpful to share what sort of things I eat and keep the stones away.  Keeping in mind that I am not a cook - so these might be helpful to people that are as lazy as me.


Quick summary:  no beef, pork, wheat, corn or any grain (except small amounts of rice and oats), potatoes (except sweet potatoes), sugar, legumes (except black beans), dairy (except yogurt, mozzarella cheese and ghee - and I'm now sick of ghee) or bananas.  So about 90% of all food is out.


What I do manage to eat:


When I get up I have a bit of coffee with the stuff called "nutpods" that is coconut milk and almond milk and a few squirts of this stevia stuff.

Every tuesday evening, we all have "taco tuesday".  I grab some salsa with veggies, rice and maybe black beans and add some guac or yogurt and then dig it out with something like a tortilla chip, but it is made with greens and rice:  https://amzn.to/3nQ5Djb

Once in a while, the boots happen to make a veggie stir fry with rice and I get some.  Or bake some sweet potatoes and I get one or two.

When I go into missoula, I go to "The Good Food Store" and pick up:

   pre-cooked chicken sausage
   kite hill chive pseudo cream cheese food-like-stuff (eat w chips)
   pickled herring
   from their cold case
         yam wedges (i put this on it - can't get enough of it)
         cold salmon w lemon slices

It's hard to order organic peanuts.  I've been getting mine from thrive market.  And then I put some in a pint size mason jar, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, mix it up, then add a different flavor of this sort of thing.

Kale snacks.  

I've recently tried these crunchy dried carrot snacks - really good!

I get some of these oysters from time to time.

The boots get cases of canned salmon from thrive market.  I grab one and mix in some mayo (organic - also from thrive market), mustard and raisins.  The kittens love the salmon juice from the can, and they love to help me clean the bowl when I'm done.

Doodles made from casava flour - I probably eat too much of this.

And apples.  Apples are supposed to be really good for fighting gallstones.  And I do really enjoy apples.   And as an experiment, I recently bought apple powder and apple syrup.



Since the covids, I try to avoid going into town.  But once in a while i get powerful cravings to eat restaurant food.

Restaurants are really hard.  Most of them have nothing I can eat.  I usually look at their online menus and eliminated about 90% of all restaurants.  

Yesterday we went to a place in Missoula that was excellent!  It was my first time there - I didn't even know this place existed!  Amey shared a couple of appetizers:  a pile of roasted chiles (they were quite mild and delicious) and oyster mushrooms (what on earth is that sauce?!).  I had a cucumber salad and chicken pho with rice noodles and chicken broth.

I can have pizza with a gluten free crust, no meat other than chicken, no cheese other than mozzarella.   And there are at least three places in missoula that can do that!  Pizza!

Chipotle bowl with chicken, veggies and guac.

We have a brazillian restaurant in missoula where you can get a bowl of rice and greens with chicken and heaps of flavorful stuff.  

Sushi restaurants have heaps of things I can eat.  

At a thai restaurant I can get fried rice with shrimp or chicken.

At one restaurant I can get a chicken dinner with a side of sweet potato fries.  

At another restaurant I can get salmon and rice.


So it is pretty limiting, but I feel like I am doing really good.  Only about once every couple weeks do i get a strong urge for something i can't eat - or maybe the boots are cooking something that smells great and I can't eat it.   I just have to remember the pain of the gallstone and the urge goes away quickly.