The very popular coffee enema finds its usefulness by speeding up the detoxification process. Here is how this is accomplished.
After having most nutrients removed, the stool material makes its way to the lower part of the large intestine, called the sigmoid colon. The stool contains many products of putrefaction at this point. There exists a special circulatory system between the sigmoid colon / rectum and the liver. This direct communication of veins is called the enterohepatic circulation.
Have you ever felt sick just before having a bowel movement? This is usually because toxic stool material has just moved into the rectum for elimination. As soon as the material is evacuated, you no longer feel sick. You have probably experienced this many times. This is due of the toxic quality of the stool material and the enterohepatic circulation absorbing these toxic products. Because of this, it is important to evacuate when you have the urge. Otherwise, toxic material will have to be processed by the liver and some will also enter the general circulation, making you feel poorly. The rectum is normally empty, but fills just before having the urge to go to the bathroom.
While waiting for the next bowel movement, the veins running from the lower colon to the liver allow toxins to be sent directly there for detoxification. Otherwise they would be carried through the rest of the body and all of its vital organs including the brain. This system of veins carries rectal / sigmoid toxins directly to the liver for detoxification.
When a coffee enema is used, the caffeine from the coffee is preferentially absorbed into this system and goes directly to the liver where it causes the liver to produce more bile (which contains processed toxins) and moves the bile out toward the small intestine for elimination. This seems to free up the liver to process more incoming toxic material. The coffee does not go into the general circulation, unless the enema procedure is done improperly. This means that when you feel better after the coffee enema, it isn’t due to just getting a hit of caffeine – like you would on drinking the coffee.
The coffee also contains the alkaloids kahweol and cafestol palmitate that stimulate the production of glutathione-S-transferase, an enzyme used by the liver to process toxic substances. This enzyme is important in the formation of more glutathione. Glutathione is one of the main binding chemicals used by the body to capture toxins in the liver and then eliminate them via the bile.
Two other chemicals in coffee, theophylline and theobromine, dilate blood vessels and have an anti-inflammatory effect in the gut. The watery portion of the enema also stimulates the visceral nervous system to promote peristalsis (contraction waves within the intestines), which moves diluted toxic bile from the small intestine, through the large intestine and out of the body.
Dr. Max Gerson, in the early portion of the 20th century, used this clinically as part of a general detoxification regimen, first for tuberculosis, then cancer. Dr. Gerson noted some remarkable effects of using this procedure. Typically, patients could dispense with all pain-killers once on the enemas. Also, many have noted a calming effect with the use of coffee enemas, which is the opposite of what would be expected if taking coffee orally.
Many, many people experiencing toxicity have found the coffee enema to be a life saver in helping them to feel normal and continue functioning.
Here are directions on how to do a coffee enema.
You will need the following materials:
An enema bag or bucket, preferably one made of clear plastic that you can see through.
A large stainless steel cooking pot.
Organic coffee or Folgers (red can) fully caffeinated, drip grind coffee.
A source of uncontaminated water. Chlorinated water should be boiled for 10 minutes.
The “see through” enema bag/bucket is preferable, but an old-fashioned type that doubles as a hot water bottle can be used although it is hard to tell how much of the enema is used at each pass. Do not use any bag with a strong odor to it.
Put a little over 1 quart of clean water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add 2 flat tablespoons of coffee (or the coffee amount that has been prescribed for you). Let it continue to boil for five minutes, then turn the stove off, leaving the pan on the hot burner.
Allow it to cool down to a very comfortable, tepid temperature. Test with your finger. It is safer to have it too cold than too warm. CAUTION: never use it any hotter than what your immersed finger can easily tolerate.
Next, carry your pan or pot and lay an old towel on the floor (or your bed if you are careful and know you won’t spill. For safety, a piece of plastic can be placed under the towel). If you don’t use an old towel, you will soon have one since coffee stains seem permanent! Use another bunch of towels, if you want, as a pillow and bring along some appropriately relaxing literature. Pour the coffee from the pan into the enema bucket without getting the coffee grounds in the bucket. You may prefer to use an intermediate container with a pour spout when going from the pan to the enema bucket. Do not use a paper filter to strain the grounds. Put your enema bag in the sink with the catheter clamped closed.
Now, loosen the clamp to allow the coffee to run out to the end of the catheter tip and reclamp the bag when all the air has been removed from the enema tubing. Use a coat hanger to hang the enema bag at least two feet above the floor. You can use a door knob or towel rack. The bucket can rest on a chair, shelf or be held. Do not hang it high, as on a shower head, because it will be too forceful and the hose won’t reach. It should flow very gently into the rectum and distal sigmoid colon only; this is not a high enema or colonic. Allowing it to go well up into the colon may introduce caffeine into the general circulation as though you had taken it by mouth.
Lie down on the floor on your back or right side and gently insert the catheter. If you need lubrication, food grade vegetable oil such as olive oil, a vitamin E capsule, or KY jelly should be fine, unless you are chemically sensitive. It is generally a good idea to avoid petroleum products. Gently insert the tube into the rectum a few inches and then release the clamp and let the first 1/2 of the quart (1/2 liter; 2 cups) of coffee flow in. Clamp the tubing off as soon as there is the slightest amount of discomfort or fullness. Do not change position or use an incline board to cause the enema to enter further into the colon; this defeats the purpose of this type of enema. The catheter tip usually meets some resistance trying to get past your anal sphincter muscles. You do want to get past this point before releasing the clamp. Once past that point, the clamp can be released. If doing the procedure on a bed, some people just hold the enema bucket in the air above them until half of the solution is in.
Try to retain the enema for a minimum of 12 or more minutes. Sometimes there will be an immediate urgency to get rid of it and that is fine. It helps to clean the stool out of the colon so that next time around you can hold more of the enema longer. Never force yourself to retain it if you feel that you can’t. When you have clamped the tubing, remove the catheter tip and void when you have to. It is best to hold it for at least 12 minutes each time. After you have emptied the bowel, proceed with the remaining 1/2 quart and likewise hold that for at least 12 minutes, if able, then void.
The goal is to have two enemas, not exceeding 1/2 a quart (1/2 liter, 2 cups) each, that you are able to hold for 12 to 15 minutes each. Usually 2 or 3 times will use up all of the enema, but that is not your goal; being able to hold it in for 12 to 15 minutes is. When you have finished your session, rinse out the bag and hang it up to dry. Periodically run boiling water, peroxide, or other comparable antimicrobial agent through the empty bag and tube to discourage mold growth when not in use.
If you feel wired or hyper, or have palpitations or irregular heartbeats after a coffee enema, you should reduce the amount of coffee, usually by half for a few days or weeks, or consider that you really need organic coffee. Be sure that the water used is clean and free of chemicals.
Sometimes you will feel or hear a squirting sound coming from your abdomen. This can be your gall bladder contracting. This occurs under the right rib cage, or sometimes more closely to the mid line. If after a week of daily enemas you have never felt or heard the gall bladder release, you should consider making the coffee stronger, going up in 1/2 tablespoon increments per quart, not exceeding 2 tablespoons per cup. Alternatively, you may need a slightly larger volume, such as 3 cups at a time. Three enemas (2 cups or less each) rather than two at a session are more beneficial for some.
Always discontinue the enemas if there is any adverse reaction whatsoever, and discuss it with your Naturopath at your next appointment. If you find the enema helpful, do not use it more than once per day for any extended period without medical supervision. Use it as needed, perhaps several days in a row, but more commonly a few times per week. The coffee enema is also very useful when on a water fast.
