Your gallbladder is a small organ next to your liver which serves as a reservoir for bile. Your body needs bile to break up fat globules that arise from eating fatty foods; breaking up these globules allows your intestines to absorb the fat. Gallbladder flushes or cleanses are home remedies that typically use olive oil and lemon juice to help clean the gallbladder, but the effectiveness and safety of these flushes is not known.
Gallstones
Gallstones are small masses that can naturally occur in the gallbladder. Gallstones get formed when the concentrations of some constituents of bile, such as cholesterol, gets so high that the chemicals do not stay dissolved and instead form crystals or stones, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders explains. These stones can become lodged in the bile duct and cause intense in the abdomen or back, particularly after fatty meals. Gallstones also cause nausea and vomiting and may cause a fever.
Gallstone Flushes
Most gallstone flushes instruct patients to consume olive oil and lemon juice, as well as other herbs or substances. For example, the gallbladder flush from LiverDoctor.com calls for patients to consume 3 tbsp. of olive oil and 3 tbsp. of lemon or some other citrus juice every 15 minutes until 300 mL of olive oil has been consumed. After this, you will have a bowel movement that will have small "stones" or deposits.
"Stone" Identification
There is some debate as to whether the deposits seen in the bowel movement after a gallbladder flush are actual gallstones. According to QuackWatch.com, the mixture of the olive oil, lemon juice and digestive enzymes results in saponification, a process which generate masses of a soap-like material. These deposits are often softer than "true" gallstones and have a different color and shape. These flushes also typically cause the excretion of far more "stones" than are ever actually found in the gallbladder.
Risks
Gallbladder cleanses can have significant side effects. Olive oil functions as a laxative, so any cleanse or flush that involves olive oil will result in a significant amount of diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting are also common. The combination of vomiting and diarrhea can deplete the body of water and electrolytes. If you do a cleanse that requires some herbal preparation in addition to the olive oil and lemon juice, the compounds in the herbs may also have an affect on your body, MayoClinic.com notes.
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