How Safe Are Coffee Enemas?
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Medically reviewed by Robert Burakoff, MD
A coffee enema is a type of colon cleanse. It involves adding room-temperature brewed coffee to your rectum. It is the same process as a standard enema but coffee is used instead of other liquids.
While a standard enema clears your bowels to counter impacted stool or to empty the bowels before a procedure, a coffee enema is promoted as a way to detoxify your body. There are also claims that it can stimulate your liver. However, no quality scientific research has proven that it achieves these results.
Like other enemas, a coffee enema can lead to health problems if not used the right way. An infection or tissue damage can occur with misuse. A coffee enema carries the added risks of rectal burns and excess caffeine use.
This article describes why coffee enemas are used, their safety, and who should not get them. It also explains the methods and tools used to give a coffee enema.
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Coffee Enema: What Benefits Are People Looking For?
The coffee enema was popularized in the 1920s and 1930s by Max Gerson, M.D., a German-born U.S. physician, as a component of what became known as Gerson therapy, although there is evidence of coffee enemas being used as long ago as ancient Egypt. The coffee enema as part of the complex Gerson therapy is promoted as a treatment for degenerative diseases like diabetes, skin tuberculosis, and cancer.
According to Gerson therapy, coffee enemas stimulate the liver and help detoxify blood and tissues by doing the following:
Eliminating waste
Regenerating the liver
Reactivating the immune system
Restoring your body's essential defenses, including the enzyme, mineral, and hormonal systems
Regarded as a treatment of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), laypeople have adopted the use of a coffee enema cleanse for detoxification therapy, often hoping to achieve relief from the following:
Pain relief
Research indicates that drinking coffee promotes bowel movement with a laxative effect in about 30% of people (mostly women). However, there is no well-regarded scientific evidence that suggests that coffee enemas do much more than that. Research indicates they provide no more than the average laxative results from standard enemas containing saline and water.
How Safe Is a Coffee Enema?
Enemas work by adding fluid into your rectum and large intestine through your anus. The liquid softens your stool and helps it pass.
Any type of self-administered enema can lead to side effects. When using coffee enemas, some of these problems can be severe or potentially harmful because they remove too much potassium, which can lead to the following complications:
Infections, including sepsis (a serious reaction to a blood infection)
Fits (uncontrollable shaking and jerking)
Salt and other mineral imbalances in your body
Heart and lung problems, possibly causing death
Constipation and colitis (bowel inflammation) due to frequent and long-term use of coffee enemas, which can weaken your bowel muscles
Other potential side effects of coffee enemas include the following:
In a 2020 systematic review of nine case reports, researchers reviewed the safety and efficacy of home coffee enemas. All nine case reports warned against using coffee enemas. Of those cases, seven involved colitis, and two had more serious complications.
Another review reported that coffee enemas were linked with adverse effects that included sepsis, electrolyte balance, and proctocolitis, an inflammation of the rectum leading to three deaths in separate cases.
Read Next: Enema Side Effects
Who Should Not Use Coffee Enemas?
Evidence from a systematic review found that the effectiveness of coffee enemas is unclear. Based on their potential adverse effects, researchers reported that coffee enemas can't be advised without further studies on their safety and effectiveness.
Most healthcare providers warn against the use of coffee enemas. This aligns with guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has not approved Gerson therapy or coffee enemas in general for the treatment of cancer or any other disease.
While coffee enemas are a key component of Gerson therapy, the Gerson Institute warns that the use of coffee enemas is not advised for people with the following characteristics:
Current chemotherapy treatment
Renal (kidney), cardiac, or respiratory failure
Bleeding and/or ulceration in the colon tract
Ileostomy (no colon)
Hypertension (high blood pressure) and/or tachycardia (fast heart rate)
Pregnancy
Acute or ongoing chronic diarrhea undiagnosed by a physician
First six to eight weeks post-surgery
Talk to a Healthcare Provider
If you are considering a coffee enema, consult a healthcare provider for advice on how it can affect your health.
Learn More: Is Coffee Bad for You?
Coffee Enema Kit: What's Inside?
The contents of a coffee enema kit can vary by manufacturer. Most kits include latex-free materials. A typical coffee enema kit includes the following components:
One-half pound to 1 pound of organic enema coffee
Bisphenol A (BPA)–free and latex-free enema bag or stainless steel bucket
6 feet of clear silicone enema tubing
Tapered 30-inch silicone colon tube
Enema tubing ratchet clamp
Salve or lubricant
Practitioners who promote the use of coffee enemas advise using organic light- or medium-roast coffee that is blended to include high amounts of caffeine for the greatest benefits. Instant or decaffeinated coffees are not recommended because they are processed and contain chemicals.
Alternatives to a Coffee Enema
While there is little evidence to support the use of enemas for detoxification, they can be used to relieve impacted stool or clear your colon for a procedure. While there is little evidence to support the safety of coffee enemas, the following liquids are more commonly used and accepted when an enema is needed:
Saline solution: A saline or sodium phosphate enema is used to relieve constipation.
Mineral oil: A mineral oil enema can relieve constipation and lubricate a sore anus in the case of problems like hemorrhoids.
Bisacodyl: A bisacodyl enema is used to prepare for a procedure like a colonoscopy.
How to Do a Coffee Enema on Yourself
To do a coffee enema on yourself, carefully read the instructions that accompany your coffee enema kit. Every kit and its components can vary, affecting the results you achieve.
Common instructions for doing a coffee enema on yourself typically align with the following instructions:
To prepare for a coffee enema, do the following:
Add 3 rounded tablespoons of slightly roasted drip ground coffee into approximately 1 liter (a little over 1 quart) of boiling distilled or filtered water.
Continue boiling for three minutes and then simmer for 15 minutes.
After cooling, filter and add water to replace the evaporated liquid to achieve a solution of about 900 milliliters (almost 1 quart)
Wait until the solution is close to body temperature before using it.
Set up a space on your bathroom floor lined with old towels to do the enema. The place you do your enema should be a spot where the enema bag can be hung overhead, like near a door.
Position a timer or stopwatch nearby so you can track the timing of the procedure, which should take about 15 minutes.
To administer a coffee enema, do the following:
Hang the enema bag so the top is about waist-high. Close the clamp on the hose to avoid leakage when it is filled.
Pour the enema coffee into the enema bucket or bag.
Use a salve or lubricant to moisten your anus and the end of the hose or nozzle.
Hold the end of the hose slightly higher than the coffee in the enema bag. Open the clamp just enough to purge air from the hose and allow coffee to fill the hose almost to its end.
Pulsed squeezing of the hose will force trapped air pockets out. Then, close the hose clamp.
Lie on your left side, pull your knees up, and gently insert the nozzle of the enema hose or colon tube 4 to 6 inches into your colon.
Allow the coffee to flow in slowly, using the clamp or squeezing the hose with your fingers to regulate it.
Hold the coffee in your colon for about 15 minutes, then proceed to the toilet to release the enema.
Learn More: How to Use an Enema Safely
Where to Find a Coffee Enema Kit
You can get a coffee enema kit from major online and brick-and-mortar retailers such as Amazon and Walmart. They are also available from online websites that specialize in organic and natural health treatments.
You do not need a prescription to purchase a coffee enema in the United States. These kits are sold over the counter with instructions and supplies intended for home use.
You may also be able to book a coffee enema treatment at a local holistic health or colonic hydrotherapy center, depending on your location.
Summary
Current research does not support the use of coffee enemas to cleanse your colon and detoxify your body. Case reports show that using these products can lead to adverse effects that can be severe.
Without studies that show coffee enemas are safe and can achieve promised results, researchers advise against them. Many healthcare providers support this view.
While coffee enemas are touted as a treatment for many health problems like cancer, proof of these claims is lacking. To help reduce your risk of adverse effects, consult your healthcare provider before using these products at home.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
