Bile or
gall is a dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the
liver of most
vertebrates, that aids the
digestion of
lipids in the
small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile), and stored and concentrated in the
gallbladder (gallbladder bile). After eating, this stored bile is discharged into the
duodenum. The composition of gallbladder bile is 97% water, 0.7%
bile salts, 0.2%
bilirubin, 0.51 ats (cholesterol, fatty acids and
lecithin), and 200 meq/l inorganic salts.