My husband begged me not to describe how to do a coffee enema. "But... but...," I sputtered, "how can I not write about something so faaaantastic, so rejuvenating, so good for your liver, so simple to do?" One of the few times I've left him speechless.
I'm fairly confident he will NEVER do one, short of developing a dread disease. Even though one of our personal heroes, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, did them often for preventative and overall health measures. In fact, every cancer healer I've ever heard or read -- including everyone on all the cancer summits since 2012 -- DO coffee enemas and recommend them during treatment, at least one daily. Gerson recommends FOUR to FIVE a day!
WHY would you do a coffee enema?
Coffee enemas are used to detox the liver. Liver health is critical to overall health. You can live without an arm, a gallbladder, a kidney, a lung, part of your brain, a voice, your eyes, your hearing, but not a liver. The liver goes, you go.
Here's Dr. Gonzalez talking about coffee enemas:
Listen to Charlotte Gerson on the topic.
If 95% of disease is caused by environmental toxins, you want a clean lifestyle and working organs. According to Dr. Vickers (he’s amazing), a coffee enema is the #1 detox protocol for your hard-working liver:
HOW a Coffee Enema WORKS
The purpose of a coffee enema is NOT to clean your colon (although it does that). The purpose is to stimulate the liver to a) help clear out toxins and b) to stimulate glutathione production.
Your blood moves through your entire body every 7 minutes: through every organ, capillary, cell.
The caffeinated coffee enters your rectum and colon.
As your blood makes its way around your body, it picks up the coffee and washes it through the liver. "The veins from the rectum and anus drain mostly into the portal vein, which leads to the liver, and then into the general circulation." -- Merck Manual
The goal is to hold the enema for 12-15 minutes so you get at least two complete cycles through the liver.
The caffeine stimulates the liver to push out bile which carries the toxins from your liver to your colon and out of the body with your feces.
Boom, detox.
Remember, your liver is collecting all the toxins. And, if you are sick, it's believed to be because your detox pathways are not at full operating capacity... or perhaps you wouldn't be sick, right?
INGREDIENTS for a coffee enema
1 qt of filtered water (distilled is best because it's cleanest)
3 Tbsp organic, light or medium roast, ground caffeinated coffee. Dr. Vickers recommends Cafe Mam coffee, prepared specifically for coffee enemas. Decaf won't work -- the caffeine is what helps stimulate the liver.
Hydrogen Peroxide (h2o2) (to clean equipment)
Lube -- coconut oil works great, it's antibacterial and slippery :-) I make my own lube with 1/2 C. organic coconut oil, 1/2 C. aloe vera gel*, 2 full droppers of CBD oil.
*My fav aloe vera is Lily of the Desert aloe vera gel. It's sold in lots of health food stores. If you can't find it locally, buy it here.
EQUIPMENT for a coffee enema
Qt Mason jar
Saucepan
Funnel (might not need with the right filter)
Coffee Filter -- Stainless so no plastic. Don’t use paper or cloth because you want to include the "sludge" in the enema liquid.
Enema equipment -- I use this stainless steel bucket. I like a bucket because I can set it down without it spilling. Stainless steel so you aren’t pushing microplastics into your body.
Music, book on tape or podcast -- Music is great because every song is 3-4 minutes so after 3-4 songs, I've done my 15 minutes. Silence is also good: I just hold the coffee till I can't any more or the bath water gets cold, whichever comes first.
Bath Pillow 👈🏻 Bath pillows are way bigger and comfy now! Or DIY it: I cut a noodle into 3 pieces and cable tied them together on both ends so it’s a triangle shape. Surprisingly comfy!
PREPARE the Coffee
The following is the Gerson way. If you have cancer, I’d do it exactly this way. Since I don’t (right now), I use whatever is left in the pot from my organic morning coffee:
Pour 1/2 of the water into the saucepan, add the coffee and bring to a boil.
Once it's boiling (watch because it will have a tendency to boil over), turn off the stove and leave there for 15 minutes so it kind of percolates in the hot water.
Pour the coffee AND ALL THE GROUNDS through the filter into the quart jar, mixing it with the other 1/2 quart of water. (The grounds are filtered out, but you will get the sludge from the brew.)
Because you added the 1/2 Q cooler water to your coffee, it is probably still warm but usually not too hot to use right away. (If it's too cold or too warm, play with the water formula till it's just right for you.)
PREPARE the Bucket
Take coffee to bathroom. I do all the following in the tub sans clothing.
Rinse your bucket and tubing with h2o2 and water. (I keep my h2o2 in the shower holder, out of reach of little inquiring hands.) The exact formula is 3 parts water to 1 part h2o2... but I usually just squirt in a long squirt of h2o2, then fill with water, swish and let it run out the tubing.
Then I rinse well with plain water.
Before pouring the coffee into the bucket, CLOSE THE CLIP on the tubing (you will only forget to do this once, trust me).
Then pour the coffee into the bucket. Pour MOST of the coffee into the bucket. Swirl the leftover coffee in the jar so that the sludge is mixed into the liquid, then pour that into the bucket.
Next, open the clip and let the tubing completely fill with coffee. You do this to release all the air bubbles in the tubing. As soon as coffee comes out the tip (and I let it flow into the tub... it's still just coffee) and there are no more air bubbles in the line, close the clip. Otherwise, after you insert the tubing into your body and open the clip, coffee won't flow out of the tubing. Your anal sphincter is a pretty tight muscle so no air is getting in around the tubing which would allow the coffee to flow. You gotta get the air bubbles out. (Those tight muscles are why you don't "leak" during an enema!)
Hang your bucket at a level that works best for you. I like the bucket about 6" over the bathtub. Since I'm doing a coffee enema every day right now for a special detox (although LOTS of alternative health care practitioners do one every day regardless), I installed a hook on the back wall of my tub in the middle at the very top and use a 3' bungee cord so the bucket hangs where I want. Afterwards, I can wrap everything up and store it all there, too. (Um, don't look at my ancient mobile home bathroom. Bathroom renovation is underway, lol.)
NOTE: the higher the bucket, the faster the flow. At first, a fast flow was too much, made me cramp. So I'd hold the bucket in my hand laying on my side and raise/lower the bucket as needed to prevent cramping. That worked great.
CRAMPING? If you cramp and have to go, GO. Don't sweat it. At first, I couldn't get more than maybe a 1/2 cup in me then I had to go after 2 seconds. I was a coffee enema failure, haha. After a few enemas, I finally relaxed about the whole thing and became a champ. Sometimes still, I can only get 1/2 the bucket in me, then I go, then I can hold the other half for the 15 minutes. Some coffee enema sites actually recommend that: do 2 cups, empty without holding, then do the last 2 cups and hold.
HOW to do the Coffee Enema
FYI, this does not have to be done perfectly by any stretch! Like anything else, it takes practice to feel comfortable. You want to keep the stress as low as possible and this can be stressful the first few times. If you are not used to sticking something up your bum, the idea is totally freaky. Once you get comfortable with the process, this becomes a relaxing bath with a healthy detox added!
First, turn on your music or book. You have done the top part of preparing the coffee and filling/hanging the enema bucket. I lay in the bathtub -- you can do this "dry" by laying on a towel or you can take a nice warm Epsom salt bath. I take a bath.
Remember, unless you have a problem with your sphincter, those muscles are strong, you don't leak!
I have filled the tub and done the enema with my bum under water. Most of the time, though, the tub is half full. If you are taking a bath, go head and fill the tub to where you want.
Have your lube handy.
To start, kneel in the tub with the tube in between your legs, coming from the front.
Lube the tip of the catheter and the outside of your anus and gently insert the tube. If you are nervous, you are likely squeezing your anal sphincter shut. Try and relax it. Use as much lube as you like. You want it to go in at least 3" (the Gerson method puts it in WAY farther). Do what's most comfortable and least confrontational to you.
Most instructions say to lay on your side, then insert... are you kidding me? A) I can hardly reach my bum that way -- I'm not a contortionist. B) your body is crooked by the time you are inserting the tube -- SO not comfortable. And c) you are laying on one arm. I need 2 hands. Sheesh.
Once the tube is in, lay on your side facing the bucket. Open the clip so the coffee starts to flow and immediately grab the tubing so you can squeeze it closed. I don't use the clip to control the flow -- it's very difficult to operate with one hand and you might need to slow the flow quickly. I hold the tube in my free hand, with it loosely "folded" so the coffee still flows but I can squeeze it off when I need to.
If/when I feel cramping and/or a slight urge to go, I'll slow or stop the flow and breathe till it passes. If it doesn't pass, I clip the tube, hop out of the tub (ok, I don't actually hop) and evacuate. Then back in the tub to finish up... or not depending on time and how I'm feeling.
Finishing UP
Once the bucket is empty and you've held as long as possible, the goal being 12-15 minutes, remove the tube -- I just let it lay in the bathwater or you can fold it up and put it in the bucket -- and head to the toilet.
It takes a while to fully empty the coffee. You might feel like you've emptied, then you stand and realize there's more to go. In fact, when I think I'm done, I stand there for a minute just to make sure.
I always follow with a quick shower to give myself more time, too. I do rinse the bucket and tubing with h2o2 in the shower and hang to dry.
That's it!
Please ask questions so I'll know what I need to add and/or clarify. I remember how nervous I was to start doing this and I appreciate very clear instructions when I'm doing something the rest of the world (or my husband) might think is freaky!!!
Other RESOURCES
There is absolutely NO WAY I will EVER do a coffee enema again. I hate enema to begin with. I did it twice. Worst thing I ever did. Not only was the experience more than extremely unpleasant, but I developed a craving for coffee. Since I hate the taste of coffee, I started eating a half pint of coffee ice cream a day. I put on fat. Lots of it. When I saw what was happening, I stopped eating the ice cream, but the damage had been done. I cannot get rid of the weight. That was decades ago. There are other ways to detox the liver. Enemas are NOT NATURAL. God gave us NATURAL ways to manage our health. Stick with God's remedies.
Bravo, Sally!