Home Remedies For Gallbladder Attacks

A gallbladder attack, also called cholecystitis, is a chronic or acute inflammation of the gallbladder. It's usually due to an infection, injury, tumor or gallstones blocking the bile ducts. According to MayoClinic.com, a gallbladder attack may require hospitalization and should be treated before it becomes a life-threatening condition. Herbal home remedies may relieve the symptoms of an attack, but are not substitutes for conventional medical care. Consult a health care professional before starting any herbal treatments for cholecystitis.

Felapelana

Felapelana, or Tachiadenus longiflorus, is bitter plant native to Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa. Folk healers use the aerial parts to treat indigestion and abdominal pain, the stem to reduce fevers and fatigue, and the leaves as a purgative and to relieve gallbladder attacks. The plant is a member of the Gentian family, which has many species of bitter-tasting plants used medicinally to stimulate the digestive processes. A study published in the May 2006 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" tested the stem and bark and found the active ingredients in felapelana to be oleanolic acid, scoparone and scopoletin. The researchers state that oleanolic acid may reduce spasms and relieve stomach pain; scoparone relaxes smooth muscle and has anti-inflammatory properties; and scopoletin is an anti-inflammatory. These constituents and their actions support the folk use of felapelana for gallbladder attacks, but more studies are needed to test the efficacy and safety on human subjects.

Olive Oil

The olive tree, or Oleo europaea, is a small evergreen with silvery leaves native to the Mediterranean. Folk remedies used the fruit oil to eliminate gallstones, a primary cause of gallbladder attacks when the stones block bile flow and cause it to build up in the ducts and gallbladder. Taken internally, the oil acts as a cholagogue, a stimulant to the gallbladder to release bile. In his 2008 book, "Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary," C.P. Khare states that olive oil is a demulcent used medicinally for cholangiitis, or the inflammation of the bile ducts, cholelithiasis, or gallstones, and cholecystitis. He states that olive oil stimulates the contraction of the gallbladder and the relaxation of the muscle that controls bile flow, allowing the secretion of bile into the small intestines. Studies are needed to verify the folk use of olive oil for gallbladder inflammation.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is a biennial herb with spiny stems and purple flowers native to southern Europe. The seeds have a long history of use against liver and gallbladder disease, and as an antidote for certain poisonous mushrooms. The active ingredients are silybin, silydianin and silychristin, known collectively as silymarin, and the seeds have demulcent, antioxidant, cholagogue and liver-protection actions. The seeds are also powerfully anti-inflammatory, which may account in part for their effect on inflammatory diseases like hepatitis and cholecystitis. Herbalist David Hoffmann states that milk thistle increases bile flow from the gallbladder and is an effective remedy against a range of gallbladder conditions. In her 2009 book, "The Holistic Herbal Directory," herbalist Penelope Ody states that milk thistle seed soothes gallbladder inflammation. Studies are needed to test the effects of milk thistle on cholecystitis.