I know what you’re thinking. “Um no thank you-that’s freaking weird!” I thought the same exact thing when I first heard people talking about all the alleged benefits of coffee enemas. But let me tell you, if you’ve never tried a coffee enema, you’re missing out!

Like most, I first gave them a try out of necessity. I felt miserable and tired all the time, so I thought, what do I have to lose. I might as well try one. That was years ago, and today, I absolutely love them. Yes, that’s right. I said it. I love coffee enemas.

There are very few things that can make you feel better almost instantly. Plus, they are one of the easiest and most practical things you can do to for your health. They can be done right from the comfort of your home without the need for a doctor, expensive equipment, or medicines.

In This Article

I will attempt to convince you that it’s not as crazy it seems. I’ll cover many of the coffee enema benefits, and perhaps, get you to try them out for yourself. (maybe, just maybe-keep an open mind)

As with any so-called alternative therapy, coffee enemas come with a fair share of naysayers. They warn that coffee enemas have no scientific basis, they do not work, & they’re dangerous. I’ll also share their concerns, so you can make an informed decision on whether or not to give coffee enemas a try.

 

In this article, I will discuss:

• Origin Of Coffee Enemas
• Coffee Enema Benefits
• Basic At Home Procedure
• The Argument Against Coffee Enemas

Disclaimer

There’s not a ton of money to be made researching coffee enemas, so there isn’t much hard science on this topic. Much of the coffee enema benefits come from anecdotal sources. That doesn’t mean they’re not effective, but it is something you should know upfront.

Remember, this article should not be perceived as medical advice. Informational purposes only.

The Origin of Coffee Enemas

Who decided it was a good idea to drink coffee in reverse?

While enemas seem like extreme measures, and they are to an extent, but they’ve actually been around since biblical times. There was a pretty graphic description of an enema found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Obviously, I’ve never read the scrolls myself, but I did find this passage on various websites:

“…seek, therefore, a large trailing gourd, having a stalk the length of a man; take out its inwards and fill it with water from the river which the sun has warmed. Hang it upon the branch of a tree, and kneel upon the ground before the angel of water, and suffer the end of the stalk of the trailing gourd to enter your hinder parts, that the water may flow through all your bowels. Afterwards rest kneeling on the ground before the angel of water and pray to the living God that he will forgive you all your past sins, and pray the angel of water that he will free your body from every uncleanness and disease. Then let the water run out from your body, that it may carry away from within it all the unclean and evil-smelling things of Satan.”

According to Dr Lawrence Wilson (sort of a pioneer in this area):

“The coffee enema was known in the 1800s as a potent liver remedy. In fact, until about 1984, the coffee enema procedure was listed in the famous Merck Manual, a handbook for physicians that is used throughout the planet.”

Still others point to World War 1 as the origin of coffee enemas.

Patients would get constipated from the pain meds, and water enemas were performed to provide relief. When no water was available, a nurse used the coffee that was meant for tired doctors to drink instead. Apparently, using coffee instead of water helped to reduce the soldier’s pain.

Bottom Line:

No one really knows the true origin of coffee enemas, but one thing is clear. Coffee enemas have stood the test of time. We’re still talking about them today, so that should tell you something.

Coffee Enema Benefits #1 Mechanical Cleansing

Probably the most obvious benefit of coffee enemas is their ability to clean us out, especially, when we are constipated. Water enemas can help “mechanically cleanse” the colon too, but the coffee helps cleanse the colon in other ways too.

Think of a coffee enema as an exfoliator for your large intestine. Just like exfoliating the top layer of skin can help get rid of old cells, the coffee can help clear the top mucous layer, which can be loaded with toxins.

Coffee enemas can remove potential pathogens and impacted fecal matter. Coffee also dilates the colon and stimulates peristalsis which causes the colon to empty out.

Coffee Enema Benefits #2 Liver/Gallbladder Support

Coffee enemas are one of the best things you can to help cleanse and support the liver and gallbladder. You hold the coffee for at least 15 minutes. This allows the caffeine and choleretic compounds in the coffee to travel directly to the liver via the portal vein.

The compounds dilate the blood vessels in the liver, gallbladder, and bile duct allowing them to get rid of their waste products. It also results in the release of old bile and the stimulation of new bile.

Those without a gallbladder may benefit from coffee enemas because it helps the liver produce more bile.

What’s the deal with Bile?

I’m learning that bile is like the holy grale for health and wellness. If you want to heal from chronic health symptoms or just maintain a healthy body, you must have healthy bile flow.

Bile is the best binder on the planet. It’s how our body takes toxins from the liver and out of the body via the large intestine. When we release old bile, we are also releasing toxins.

If we don’t eliminate the bile right away, it gets recycled and some of the toxins it was holding also get reabsorbed. Coffee enemas help us get rid of that bile while simultaneously telling the body to make fresh bile.

Bile also acts like a detergent helping to cleanse the gut of pathogenic microbes, unwanted organisms, and cellular waste. That’s just the role of bile and detoxification. There’s so much more to bile, but that’s for a different article.

Coffee Enema Benefits #3 Increase Glutathione (The Master Antioxidant & Detoxifier)

Most proponents, myself included, will tell you that coffee enemas increase glutathione production and some say as much as 700%. But, I have to be honest & transparent here. There appears to be little hard evidence for this reported coffee enema benefit.

There is evidence showing certain compounds in coffee (kahweol and cafestol palmitate) do indeed stimulate glutathione production in the liver, but this is from drinking coffee. However, we CAN assume that coffee enemas would provide the same effect.

Furthermore, when taken in reverse, coffee travels up the portal vein straight to the liver, so the impact on glutathione production may even be more powerful since the coffee compounds are not diluted or digested in the gut.

Coffee Enema Benefits #4 Supports Detox

The vast majority of the reported benefits revolve around detoxification. Coffee enemas support detox by doing everything I just mentioned above. The combination of clearing constipation and old bile plus the increase in glutathione makes coffee enemas an effective tool that supports detoxification.

They can also help to reduce negative detox symptoms known as a healing crisis or a herxheimer reaction.

Coffee also contains healthy doses of selenium and zinc, which may be another reason it helps support the liver detox pathway.

Coffee Enema Benefits # 5 It’s Uplifting

This is the reason I love coffee enemas so much. It just makes you feel good and it can boost your mood. No one really knows why, but many people report having an uplifting feeling following their enema.

I recently interviewed detox expert Wendy Myers on my show: The Happy Healthy Family Podcast. During the interview, both Wendy & I admitted that we do coffee enemas just because we’re feeling cranky.

According to Wendy, “sometimes I’m feeling a little down or a little depressed and I just need to change my state.” Some people turn to food, marijuana, alcohol, or all three, but we turn to coffee enemas to change our moods. It’s a much more effective and healthier option.

During your coffee enema is also a great time to meditate, read, or incorporate other self care and stress management strategies. If you allow it, coffee enemas can be very relaxing.

Other Reported Coffee Enema Benefits

GI Symptoms Improve

Many people talk about their digestive or GI symptoms improve. I suspect this happens because of the clearing of constipation and sluggish bile.

Clearer Skin

Other people report seeing their skin cleared up, which is likely due to the detox effect and the release of toxins. When the liver, bile, and colon are blocked, the body looks for another way to release toxins. The skin serves that purpose, and things like acne & eczema can be signs that your body is trying to get rid of toxins. When you reestablish the liver, bile, & colon pathways, the skin often clears up.

Less Pain

I’ve heard many people say their pain is reduced or eliminated after doing a coffee enema. Wendy Myers told me that they take away headaches and many of her clients report having less joint or back pain.

Remember The Soldiers

If you recall from earlier, one of the origin stories of coffee enemas is from WWI. Soldiers reported having less post surgical pain if they had coffee instead of water enema. Unfortunately, I personally have not experienced this benefit, but maybe you’ll have better luck.

Basic At Home Process

If you’re looking to give a coffee enema a try, I’ll outline the basic process here, but I won’t get into the nitty gritty details. If you need more instruction or have additional questions, see the links/videos at the end of this article, or feel free to email me [email protected]

Equipment Needed

• Enema Bag or Bucket. (I prefer this bag as it’s easier)
• 2 Cups of Prepared Organic Coffee (decaf will not work)
• Coconut oil

Instructions

1. Simply make your coffee as you normally would, and then allow it to cool. Obviously, you don’t want to burn, but you want the coffee warm. Cold coffee is uncomfortable and can make it harder to hold.
2. Put coffee in bag or bucket and place it a few feet above the floor (or wherever you’re planning to lay). You want it higher because gravity is what’s going to allow the coffee to flow. I like to hang it on the door knob and lay on a mat on the bathroom floor.
3. Allow the coffee to flow through the tube for a few seconds to get all the air out. (skipping this step won’t hurt you, but will give you gas making it uncomfortable)
4. Use the coconut oil for lubrication purposes
5. Lay down on your right side and allow the coffee to flow through you.
6. Hold at least 15 minutes (30 most) and then release.
7. Make sure you clean your equipment thoroughly as you don’t want unwanted microbes growing in your coffee enema kit. Boiling water or hydrogen peroxide works great.

Notes:

You’ll likely have struggles the first few minutes as you’re not used to things going in that direction. Just breath through it, maybe have an iPad or laptop playing Netflix to distract you. Try to remain still. The more you move the harder it is to hold.

If you can’t hold it for 15 minutes, that’s okay. Just fill up again and do another until you get to 15 minutes total. I hold mine for 25-30 minutes. That time often flies by because I am meditating or just so relaxed I lose track of time. Sometimes, I will do two back to back for an even bigger impact.

That’s it- Coffee enemas are quite simple to perform right there in your bathroom.

The Arguments Against Coffee Enemas

Despite their effectiveness & limited risks, most doctors advise against doing coffee enemas. They’ll tell you it’s dangerous, you’ll become dependent on them, and may even tell you it can kill you.

Will It Kill You

Yes, there have been 3 deaths linked to coffee enemas recorded in the medical literature. One was from a bacterial infection, which I suspect is from poorly cleaned equipment. The other two are believed to be from severe electrolyte imbalance. However, I believe these people were often doing multiple enemas a day for a sustained period of time.

Bacterial Infections

The equipment you use isn’t going into the cleanest of places (if you know what I mean), so make sure you clean it. This is really easy to do. I simply pour boiling water down my enema bag and then allow it to flow into a bucket. (an electric tea kettle makes this super easy) I let the tip and lower half of the tube sit in the water for about 10 minutes. This should ensure that everything is sterilized. You could also you hydrogen peroxide.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Coffee enemas can deplete the body of certain minerals and electrolytes, but this is easily remedied by adding more high quality salt to your food, drinking electrolyte water or coconut water, or taking an electrolyte supplement.

It’s interesting to me that because coffee enemas can deplete electrolytes doctors are quick to label them dangerous. How many pharmaceuticals have this same side effect or more accurately far worse side effects, yet these same doctors are prescribing them daily.

Burns

If you put hot coffee up your butt, guess what it’s going to burn your insides. This is such an avoidable risk, and once again I don’t understand why doctors use this as a reason to avoid them. How about just telling the patient, stick your finger in the coffee, if it’s still hot, put a piece of ice in there???

Do You Become Dependent

This is the argument I hear most. If you do too many enemas, then you won’t be able to go on your own. This is just something people say, and it does seem like a logical conclusion. There is no basis for this assumption, nor is there anyone out there studying such a thing.

From my personal experience, I’ve been doing 4-5 enemas a week for years, and I still have bowel movements.

When I don’t go or start feeling constipated, I almost always trace it back to stress in my life. I have heard the same from many other regular coffee enema users. If anything, your bowels actually get better from the increase in peristalsis and improved bile flow.

Coffee enemas are not without risk, nothing is. There are plenty of things you can do to make sure you mitigate your risk and make this a safe intervention.

Coffee Enema Benefits: Conclusion

Coffee enemas seem like a scary or maybe downright crazy thing to try. Hopefully, after reading through this article, you understand how they can help your improve your health and why they are becoming more and more popular.

Coffee enemas are a great tool to help support your detox efforts and find the health & healing your looking for.

What do you think?

Am I still crazy, or are you ready to take the plunge and join the club???

 

References & Further Reading

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15468054
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603218/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12067578
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28139128
• https://system.na1.netsuite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=32439&c=3628325&h=23193f306fc26b858eec&_xt=.pdf
• https://www.drlwilson.com/articles/COFFEE%20ENEMA.HTM