Ruth
Recently, someone in my church fellowship group was rushed to the ER with severe abdominal pain. The diagnosis confirmed gallbladder stones. He had surgery, and his pain lifted almost immediately afterward. Watching his quick turnaround brought back an experience from years ago that reshaped how I think about gallstones, home remedies, and when to trust modern medicine.
Back then, a close friend had been told she had gallstones. Her symptoms were mild—an occasional ache after a heavy meal—and she hesitated to commit to surgery. Around that time, we came across a popular “gallbladder flush” that used everyday ingredients: apple juice, lemon juice, and olive oil. It sounded simple and natural. We decided to try it together.
Day 1 to Day 5: drink 8 ounces of apple juice four times a day (morning, noon, dinner and before bed).
Day 6: Stop apple juice. Eat only breakfast and lunch. No dinner. Instead, drink a mixture of one teaspoon Epsom salt in 8 ounces of warm water.
Day 6 before bedtime: Drink a mixture of 4 ounces fresh lemon juice with 4 ounces olive oil (mix well until milky).
Day 7: My friend reported passing a bunch of small, green, rice-sized pellets. I had mild diarrhea but didn’t see any green particles.
She did feel better afterward. Had she cleared her gallbladder without stepping foot in an operating room, or was it a placebo effect?
I went online and learned more about gallstones.
What gallstones are and why they hurt:
Gallstones are hardened deposits that form in the gallbladder, a small organ tucked under the liver that stores bile to help digest fats. Most stones in Western countries are made of cholesterol; others are pigment stones formed from bilirubin. Many people have gallstones and never know it—if they’re silent, they don’t require treatment. Problems begin when stones block the flow of bile, causing cramping pain in the upper right abdomen (biliary colic), often after a fatty meal. If a blockage persists, the gallbladder can become inflamed or infected (cholecystitis). Stones can also slip into the common bile duct, leading to jaundice or even pancreatitis, which can be life-threatening.
Does a “flush” work?
The idea behind a gallbladder flush is that an emulsion of juice, oil, and salts can pull out stones. The green pellets people often see afterward seem to support this. However, studies show that those pellets are soft, soap-like blobs formed when oil mixes with digestive fluids and Epsom salts. The question remains: In our experiment, why did only my friend, and not I, pass those green particles?
One possibility is that her condition might not be related to gallstones.
