The Benefits of Coffee Enemas

Yes, coffee enemas. You read that correctly. Doing an enema, using brewed coffee.

That might not seem like your ideal Saturday morning activity, and if you’re generally healthy, you might not ever do one. However, for people with chronic health issues, the benefits of coffee enemas can be profound. I have a number of very sick patients whose health has been greatly improved by the introduction of coffee enemas.

More and more of my patients are using coffee enemas as a detox tool and find that it provides great relief. They are especially good during times of high toxicity or high inflammation, as they do help to clear toxins from the body, but many use them on a regular basis, as frequently as every day.

Fans of coffee enemas report better sleep, more energy, better mood and certainly a clearer head. I have more than a few patients who use them as a pain-relief tool and find that they help stave off headaches and migraines. It might be a stretch to see how doing a coffee enema can help headaches, body pain and cognitive symptoms. However, when you understand how it works, it does make sense.

Coffee enemas work in a couple of different ways. Coffee contains palmitic acids (kaweol and cafestol palmitate) that enhance glutathione-S-transferase in the liver, part of the enzyme system that functions in detoxification. The water in the enema enhances peristalsis, allowing for the movement of waste through the intestines and out through the anus.

Central to the process is that the fluid is absorbed through the intestinal wall and through the portal vein to the liver. It causes a stimulating effect on the liver and gall bladder, stimulating bile flow and allowing for a rapid dump and subsequent elimination of toxins. This is why people feel radically different immediately after a coffee enema. Very few things will provoke that much detox that rapidly without causing horrible detox side effects. Constituents in the coffee enhance bile flow and help it to move out of the bowel without being reabsorbed through the gut wall.

Further, coffee enemas enhance the production of glutathione itself. We know how important glutathione is for the liver and the brain and how to supplement it most effectively using liposomal forms. Coffee enemas are another way to increase endogenous glutathione production.

Coffee enemas may also help clear parasites and Candida from the bowel. I have had some patients give graphic accounts of what landed in their toilet after an enema! If one has an overgrowth of such pathogens, coffee enemas can literally help sweep them out of the bowel.

While coffee enemas may seem a bit out there, they have a long history of use in both traditional and allopathic medical systems. They were even listed in the Merck Manual, a physician’s handbook, until the mid-80s. Perhaps Dr. Gerson is one of the key proponents of coffee enemas in his unique cancer protocol. He uses them alongside juicing, nutritional supplements and a special diet. In his protocol, however, people do several enemas per day, which is pretty extreme!

I personally do not recommend that people do more than one coffee enema per day. Some do every other day or twice weekly. Others save it for when they feel that they need more detox support. I think daily coffee enemas are ok people who are really unwell, and for those who have the time and wherewithal to do them, and if that’s not practical, one or two per week is better than nothing.

How are coffee enemas different from drinking coffee? They really do have different effects. Most people will experience drinking coffee as a sympathetic nervous system stimulant, making them jittery and anxious. Coffee enemas seem to act in the opposite way, enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system and acting as a relaxant (I’ve had a few patients for whom this was not the case, but it is in the majority of cases). Also, introducing the coffee into the intestines puts it directly in the portal circulatory system, meaning it goes directly to the liver rather than being circulated through the entire blood stream.

Coffee enemas may not be everyone’s favorite activity! However, I have repeatedly seen the benefits when my patients get brave and give it a try. The ability of coffee to cause the dilation of bile ducts and an increase in bile flow coupled with the enhancement of detox-related enzyme systems, the increase in endogenous glutathione production and the accelerated transit time out of the bowel all make for a pretty radical detoxification effect. This, in turn, helps clearer thinking, improves mood and enhances sleep, all things that most of us appreciate!

There is an article online written by a doctor named Dr Wilson that not only explains the mechanism of coffee enemas well, but also has a detailed guide of how to do them. You can find that article here. If you’re interested in more information this is a great read.