Gallstones

Your gallbladder acts as kind of storage tank for bile, a substance your body needs to break down fatty food into digestible bits, but sometimes the bile can gum up the works by forming a gallstone made of cholesterol or other substances that have become crystallized, which result in pain in the upper-right-hand part of your abdomen or between your shoulder blades.

Natural remedies to treat gallstones

• Chicory tea

Pour cold water over 1 teaspoon of root and herb, boil for 3 minutes, and strain. Drink 2-3 cups daily.

• Artichoke juice

Artichoke juice stimulates bile production, mix 1 Tablespoon with a little water and take 3 times day after every meal.

• Turmeric (curcuma) tea

Turmeric tea can help your inflamed gallbladder heal. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over ½ teaspoon of powdered turmeric, let it steep for 5 minutes, strain and drink at least 2-3 cups per day.

• Caraway seeds

Chew several caraway seeds every day or use them to flavor foods and aid digestion.

• Herbal wine

Mix together: 20 mL lemon balm, 20 mL dyer’s green-weed, 20 mL hops, 20 mL agrimony, 20 mL peppermint, 20 mL wormwood and pour ¼ liter of apple juice over the herbs and let sleep for 12 hours. Take one Tablespoon every hour 8 times a day.

• Diet slowly

Since being overweight puts you at risk for forming gallstones, it stands to reason that a good way to give your beleaguered gallbladder a break is to lose weight. People who shed pounds are much less likely to be attacked by their gallbladders, but if you do choose to lose weight, be patient. A crash diet can actually increase your chances of getting gallstones.

From: Home Remedies from a country Doctor from Jay Heinrichs, Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs, and the editors of Yankee Magazine, 2013.
From: Natural Remedies for Healthy Living , The Readers Digest Association,2011