Apple juice, combined with olive oil, is used as a home remedy as a "gallbladder cleanse," intended to dissolve gallstones. Typical medical treatment for gallstones includes surgery, drugs and shock wave therapy. Before you try an alternative remedy, such as an apple juice cleanse, to treat gallbladder problems, talk to your doctor. Gallstones do not always require treatment of any kind, but sometimes they prove life-threatening.
Home Remedy
According to Internet lore, gallbladder cleanses date back to the 1950s and originally involved taking 16 hourly doses of olive oil and lemon juice. Michael F. Picco, M.D. a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, says no reliable evidence exists that a fruit juice and oil cleanse will do anything more than act as a laxative. You may see round objects in your stool following a cleanse, but they will be balls of oil, juice and other fecal materials, not gallstones.
Apple Juice and Gallstones
In December 1999 "Lancet" medical journal published a comment about the possible ability of apple juice to soften gallstones and make them pass through stool. But the article, oft-quoted on commercial sites that provide recipes for gallbladder cleanses, was a letter to the editor, not a study. Peter Duran, author of "The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver 'Flushes,'" says the letter described one person's experience and that the "fatty stones" passed after drinking apple juice and olive oil were not likely gallstones. Duran says apple juice will never reach your gallstones because a sphincter muscle prevents anything in your intestines from leaking back into your gallbladder.
Side Effects
If you try an apple juice cleanse, you may experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Some cleanses instruct you to add herbs to the fruit juice and olive oil, and these herbs could cause additional side effects. Some recipes include magnesium sulfate, commonly known as Epsom salts. The salts, like the olive oil, produce a laxative effect. Ingesting products that contain magnesium may produce side effects that include diarrhea, a drop in blood pressure, muscle weakness and painful urination and bowel movements. If you overdose on magnesium, it may be fatal.
Surgery
A doctor may treat gallstones with prescription drugs, which are not always effective. Shock wave therapy is another option, but surgery remains the usual treatment for gallstones. Surgery may prove the only life-saving option if your gallstones block one of more ducts leading from you gallbladder to your intestines and liver. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, no particular disadvantages exist in living without a gallbladder. If you gallstones cause extreme pain, fever or jaundice, seek immediate medical help.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Gallbladder Cleanse: A 'Natural' Remedy for Gallstones?; Michael F. Picco; February 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallbladder Disease
- QuackWatch; The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver "Flushes"; Peter Moran; March 2007
- "Lancet"; Apple Juice and the Chemical-Contact Softening of Gallstones; R. Dekkers; December 1999
- MedlinePlus: Laxative Overdose
- Cleveland Clinic: Gallstones -- Digestive Disease Institute Overview
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