Home remedies for an aching gallbladder

When your gallbladder goes on strike, it's a signal that your liver needs strengthening and the flow of bile must be restored. Try these remedies at home for relief.

• Chicory tea will help. Pour cold water over five millilitres (one teaspoon) of root and herb, boil for three minutes and strain. Drink 500 to 750 millilitres (two to three cups) daily.
• Artichoke juice can stimulate bile production. Mix 15 millilitres (one teaspoon) of artichoke juice (from a health food store) with a little water and take three times a day after meals.
• Take the dandelion cure. The Iroquois ate bowls of boiled dandelions with plates of fatty meat to aid digestion. You can buy dandelion extract or capsules at a health food store. Alternatively, drink several cups of dandelion tea daily. Add five millilitres (one teaspoon) of the leaves to 500 millilitres (one cup) of water, boil and strain.
• Chew several caraway seeds every day or use them to flavour foods and aid digestion.
• Heat can ease the pain of a gallbladder attack: apply a small, warm cherry-pit, flaxseed or hay flower bag to your liver area, cover with a cloth and top with a wool blanket.
• Turmeric (curcuma) tea can help your inflamed gallbladder heal. Pour 250 millilitres (one cup) of boiling water over two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) of powdered turmeric, let it steep for five minutes, strain and drink. Try to have at least 500 to 750 millilitres (two to three cups) per day.
• If it's packaged, don't eat it. Most of what your grandparents (or at least your great grandparents) ate was homemade and their gallbladders thanked them. Processed and fast foods generally contain plenty of the bad fats and oils that can lead to gallstones. The more food you prepare on your own, with whole, natural ingredients, the better your mind and body will feel.