50-year-old woman eats raw fish gallbladder to relieve migraine, suffers liver failure

A 50-year-old woman from eastern China was rushed to intensive care after swallowing a raw fish gallbladder, believing it would ease her long-standing headache.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the woman, surnamed Liu, is from Jiangsu province. She followed a traditional belief that eating a raw fish gallbladder could “clear heat, detoxify the body and relieve migraines”.

On the morning of December 14, Liu bought a 2.5kg grass carp from a local market. After returning home, she removed the fish’s gallbladder and swallowed it raw, hoping for relief from her headache.

Her condition worsened rapidly. Within two hours, she developed severe vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Her family immediately took her to hospital as her health declined.

Doctors diagnosed Liu with fish gallbladder poisoning and acute liver failure. Due to the seriousness of her condition, she was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University.

She was given emergency treatment, including plasma exchange and continuous renal replacement therapy, a slow blood purification process used in critical cases to support failing organs.

After five days in intensive care, Liu’s condition improved and she was later discharged. The hospital officially reported the case on January 7, the SCMP said.

Doctor Hu Zhenkui, who treated her, warned that fish gallbladder is “even more toxic than arsenic”. He said that even a small amount can cause poisoning, while gallbladders from fish weighing five kilograms or more can be fatal.

Hu added that the toxins can seriously damage the liver and kidneys, leading to sudden organ failure. In severe cases, patients may suffer shock, brain haemorrhage or even death.

He also cautioned that fish gallbladders remain poisonous even after being cooked or soaked in alcohol, despite claims that such methods increase their medicinal value.

The report said Liu’s case is not unusual. Hospitals across China have treated many patients who fell ill after consuming raw fish gallbladders, believing they could improve eyesight, cleanse the liver or reduce internal heat.

Some patients have claimed the bitterness proves its healing power. Doctors, however, strongly warn against such beliefs and urge people to seek proper medical treatment instead.