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Cholecystitis

Cholecystitis

Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, most commonly caused by obstruction of the cystic duct. This blockage prevents bile from draining, leading to gallbladder distension, inflammation, and potentially serious complications. This condition may present acutely or chronically and can happen with or without gallstones.EtiologyAbout 95% of cholecystitis cases are calculous, caused by gallstones blocking the cystic duct, leading to bile accumulation and inflammation of the gallbladder...

Gallbladder

Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that plays a crucial role in our digestive system. Measuring about 10 cm in length, it is comparable in size to a kiwi fruit and is located in a hollow area on the lower surface of the liver. The gallbladder's primary function is to store and concentrate bile, a fluid produced by the liver that aids in digestion.
The gallbladder's anatomy consists of three regions: the fundus, body, and neck. Extending from the neck, the cystic duct joins the common...

Bile

Bile

Bile is a crucial bodily fluid, characterized by its yellow-green color and alkaline nature. Produced in the liver, it is transported through the common hepatic duct into either the cystic duct, leading to the gallbladder, or directly into the common bile duct. The flow of bile is regulated by the sphincter of Oddi located at the entrance of the duodenum. When this sphincter is closed, bile is redirected to the gallbladder for storage and concentration.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Published on: May 16, 2025

Chinese medicinal herbs for cholelithiasis.

Tao Gan¹, Jun Chen, Shuli J Jin

¹Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. gantao123@yahoo.com.cn.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|July 2, 2013

Summary

This review found no strong evidence that Chinese medicinal herbs benefit gallstones (cholelithiasis). More high-quality randomized trials are needed to assess their effectiveness and safety.

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Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Chinese Herbal Retention Enema for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Published on: May 16, 2025

Area of Science:

Integrative Medicine
Gastroenterology
Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

Cholelithiasis (gallstones) is a prevalent biliary tract condition.
Chinese medicinal herbs are frequently used as alternative treatments for gallstones.
Systematic assessment of their efficacy and safety is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

To systematically evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of Chinese medicinal herbs for treating cholelithiasis.

Main Methods:

Searched multiple databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) and handsearched journals up to January 2013.
Included randomized clinical trials on Chinese medicinal herbs for cholelithiasis.
Extracted data and calculated risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals.

Main Results:

Eleven randomized trials with 1205 participants were included.
No trials compared Chinese herbs to Western medicine or surgery; no placebo controls were identified.
One trial showed no significant difference between two Chinese herbal medicines for pain relief; other trials lacked sufficient data for assessment. No serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusions:

Current evidence does not strongly support the beneficial effects of the studied Chinese medicinal herbs for cholelithiasis.
Further high-quality randomized trials are essential to reduce bias and enable thorough clinical outcome assessment.