Herbalists have recommended olive oil and lemon juice cleanses for more than 50 years, but no reliable evidence exists that drinking the concoction will dissolve gallstones. This alternative gallstone remedy, also known as a gallbladder cleanse or liver flush, sometimes includes herbs and magnesium sulphate -- Epsom salts. Talk to your doctor before trying an olive oil and lemon juice cleanse.
Alternative Gallbladder Cleanse
The theory behind a gallbladder cleanse is that lemon juice and olive oil are supposed to dissolve your gallstones and exit your body during your next day's bowel movement. If you try a gallbladder cleanse, which includes drinking up to 3/4 cup each of lemon juice and olive oil, you may find round globs in your stool. These globs are not gallstones, but balls of oil and remnants of lemon juice, according to Dr. Michael Picco, an internist and gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic. Peter Moran, author of "The Truth Behind Gallbladder and Liver 'Flushes,'" says gallstones will sink to the bottom of your toilet bowl. Balls of oil will float.
Side Effects
Side effects of drinking olive oil and lemon juice alone are fairly minor -- expect diarrhea, nausea and, possibly, vomiting and stomach pain. Adding ingredients such as herbs and magnesium sulfate may increase the laxative effect of the cleanse but will not help dissolve gallstones, according to Dr. Picco. They may increase your risk for more serious side effects. Overdoses of magnesium sulphate can prove fatal. Research possible side effects before adding any herbs to your cleanse ingredients.
Drugs
While olive oil and lemon juice alone will unlikely dissolve gallstones, even medications with proven abilities to dissolve gallstones may not work. Ursodeoxycholic acid, given to patients with small gallstones, proves effective in dissolving gallstones in about 40 percent of cases, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The drugs monooctanoin and tert-butyl, formulated to be injected directly into your gallbladder, could take up to two years to fully dissolve your gallstones.
Considerations
If your gallstones are not causing any symptoms, you do not need to try a cleanse or treatment of any kind. Safe home remedies to relieve symptoms of gallstones include following a low-fat, high-fiber diet and eating more antioxidant-rich fruit. If gallstones are causing serious distress -- extreme pain, fever or jaundice -- seek immediate medical attention. Gallstones may be blocking a gallbladder duct and, without surgery to remove your gallbladder, could prove fatal.
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