Hi guys! It’s time to bring back a tried and true favorite on the blog… wtf are coffee enemas?! I wrote my original post about coffee enemas in 2019, and it has been one of the most searched topics on the blog ever since.
So let’s just get right into it — a lot of this is repurposed from the original, but with a 2023 edition of products that I recommend + new tips and tricks I have learned.
Yes, I STILL do coffee enemas almost every day. They really, really work for me. Since I have the MTFHR gene mutation and I do not detox very well on my own for that reason, coffee enemas help give my liver and colon a boost + help eliminate everything from toxins to excess waste to mold.
Also, be sure to refer to the TIPS section below. It is important to properly hydrate and also to do coffee enemas *correctly* if you are going to do them at all. So use this post as your how-to and your big sis guide to coffee enemas. Let’s DO IT.
My first enema experience…
My first ever coffee enema experience was at Surya Spa Ayurveda about 6 years ago, during my first ever Panchakarma experience. One of the fabulous women giving me my treatment handed me a tube attached to an enema bag full of green liquid. She didn’t know I had never done an enema before so I looked at her blankly like, “What am I supposed to do with this tube?”
She smiled and said, “Ooooh, I didn’t realize it was your first time. This is an enema. You’ll stick this inside of you to cleanse your colon and remove the toxins.”
“Inside of me, like… in my butt???!”
YES.
I was hesitant at first thinking oh god what have I gotten myself into… but after inserting the tube, letting the coffee (green coffee — we’ll get to this, not like your regular old cold brew) flow in, and holding it for what seemed like FOREVER but was no more than 10 minutes, & releasing it in the toilet, I FELT LIKE A NEW WOMAN!!!!
I was then ALL ABOUT THE COFFEE ENEMAS. It never even occurred to me that I could do an enema myself at home, so I began going to Surya Spa to do them every so often. Sometimes they’d give me a coffee enema, sometimes an oil enema (also great for binding to toxins/parasites and nourishing/rehydrating the colon, as coffee enemas are more harsh) and every single time I would feel like I was GLOWING from the inside out afterward, and felt so, so clean on the inside.
Fast forward to my getting diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2018, and learning about the MTFHR genetic mutation I have that compromises my detoxification pathways (30% of people have this). Compromised detoxification pathways means that basically my organs don’t eliminate toxins the same way as other people’s bodies without the gene mutation — so being exposed to toxins, mold, pollution, etc. of any kind stays in my body and is very hard for my liver/skin/kidneys/colon/blood to filter out.
During that time I picked the coffee enemas back up as well as started to get weekly colonics. I now only do colonics about four times a year (at least in this moment) but I do coffee enemas pretty much daily at home.
Also, for anyone who thinks they may have parasites (as I do), I would say that enemas are a MUST!!
Who Are Coffee Enemas For?!
I feel that coffee enemas can be for anyone, but most of all for those of us who are sick. Chronically ill patients need to find all of the ways to detox as possible, and enemas are an effective, easy, and affordable way to do that. Especially if you are chronically ill and on a lot of medication that causes you to “herx” (have detox reactions) and to feel sluggish/ill from all the detox…. you need to be getting these excess toxins out of your body.
I know plenty of perfectly healthy people who do them as well. But if you are on any type of cleanse or detox, or living the detox LIFE as us chronically ill patients currently are, it’s important to get those toxins that are being shaken up in the body up and OUT as quickly and effectively as possible!!
In the Gerson therapy (which you may remember I studied in 2019), coffee enemas are practiced multiple times a day along with a very nutrient-dense diet and lots of fresh, cold-pressed juices every day. If you are doing the Gerson therapy, its important to note that you should be having more juices daily than coffee enemas — not the other way around.
If you don’t feel comfortable starting coffee enemas at home having never tried them before, talk to your doctor or your holistic healer about whether they are right for you. I am by no means endorsing them & telling you to do them– but shedding light on how much they have helped me in my daily quest to feel better while struggling with Lyme disease, mold poisoning, MCAS, and parasites.
Sooo… Why COFFEE?!
When we talk about coffee enemas, we are not talking about your regular old cold brew coffee. That might be incredibly painful. We are talking about organic, light roasted, freshly ground coffee beans that will usually result in a “green coffee” type of color.
The caffeine stimulates the liver, a main organ of detoxification, to produce more bile. Bile is a bodily fluid that has a role in fat digestion and into which many toxins, both internally and externally generated, are dissolved for removal from the body out through the gall bladder, small intestine, and colon.
This causes the muscles of the bile duct to relax, opening it widely to produce a large flow of bile from the ball gladder into he small intestine. This allows the liver to rid itself of toxins quickly. Also, the theophylline and theobromine in the coffee dilate blood vessels which further increase blood flow to the liver.
The coffee also increases glutathione production in the body (very important for healing from Lyme!!) which is a key detox enzyme, by 600% to 700%!! That is via the action of the coffee’s palmitic acid. GST shuttles toxins for binding with glutathione, which neutralizes them and carries them out of the body in the bile.
For people who ask whether the caffeine will disrupt their system if they are too sensitive to drink caffeine (which I can relate to!!) I have learned that the answer to that is different for each person. I personally can’t do coffee enemas too late in the evening or they will keep me up at night. But they don’t make me super jittery when I do them in general, the way that drinking coffee does.
Technically if you have a strong gut lining (and you do not have leaky gut) then the coffee shouldn’t get into your bloodstream or go anywhere other than your colon/liver. But if you DO have leaky gut, as many of us do, then it’s likely you may feel the effects of caffeine a bit stronger.
How to do a Coffee Enema?!
Okay so I use this organic mold-free coffee which is 100% organic and has 87% more palmitic acid (important for the detox process) and I use these enema bags & if you want a reusable one, this is another great option. I prefer the non-reusable ones because I don’t have all the patience to clean it every time.
To roast the coffee, I use this French Press. Super affordable on Amazon, easy to keep clean, and has lasted me so long!! Don’t put this on the stovetop directly but rather heat up water in a pot, add the coffee, pour it into the French Press, and let it roast for about 30 mins (or even overnight) before using.
Here is a step by step process for doing the enema:
1. Boil 4+ cups of purified water on the stove. Once boiling, add in 3-4 tablespoons of organic enema coffee (I love the one I linked above) and let it steep for about 30 minutes.
2. Once boiled and steeped, pour it into the French Press (sometimes I even let mine steep in the French Press!) and allow it to cool so you don’t burn yourself. I often do this ahead of time by boiling and roasting overnight, and then adding a bit of hot water to the cooled coffee in the morning to make it a nice warm temperature.
3. Make yourself a comfy place in the bathroom to lay down. I like to lay down a towel with another towel as a little pillow, set my iPhone to some calming music or a meditation, and get the space nice and cozy. Have your enema bag ready & some lubricant, like coconut oil!
4. When you’re ready to do the enema, bring the French Press into the bathroom, press it down, and pour the coffee into your enema bag. Make sure the CLAMP is on tight so that the coffee doesn’t pour right out of the tube when you pour it in. Also make sure there are no little coffee bean granules in your bag because you don’t want to get those inside of you. The French Press mesh filter should take care of that. Lube up the end of the tube so it will go in nice and easily.
5. Lay down on your RIGHT SIDE (where the liver is!) insert the tube about 2-3 inches, with the clamp still shut. When you are nice and comfortable and ready to go, you can shift the clamp to open and let the coffee slowly flow in. The water should be Luke warm — not too hot, not too cold, this will be best for stimulating the flow of bile.
6. Hold the bag well above you (or hang it on your shower door or somewhere that works for you if you bought the kind that hangs) until the coffee has all flowed in. If you feel like the amount of liquid is too much for you, you can stop midway and do your enema in halves. (This will just take twice as long but if you have the time, that is fine!!).
7. It’s best to hold the coffee in for 10-12 minutes. If that feels totally impossible, know that you will work your way up to it!! I have had enemas that I have only been able to hold in for 30 seconds before going to the toilet to release, but other days I am fine to hold it for the full 12 minutes or more! It also depends on how much water you use and you’ll find your perfect formula for YOU.
8. Once you’re ready to release, go to the toilet & know that you may be sitting there for a while. First will come mostly liquid (usually) and then the second half of what comes out is usually denser and more bile-heavy/coming from deeper within the body/liver.
9. Once you are fully released, you should feel glowy, light, and energized!!!! Clean up your bag so that you can use it again, and if you’re like me… make more coffee immediately so you have more to use for later while you’re thinking about it!
Other important tips:
1. If you are doing enemas regularly (or at all), it’s important to take a binder of some sort. I take a charcoal binder, which binds to toxins from mold toxins to parasites and helps them eliminate easier in the process. This is the one I take, and it’s strong!! Take it the night before if you’re doing an enema in the morning, and take it act least 1 hour away from all other supplements and food.
2. If you’re doing enemas regularly it’s also important to nourish the colon so it doesn’t get dehydrated or irritated. I like to do this with oil enemas (sesame oil is great, or a personalized Ayurvedic oil if you have access to an Ayurvedic doctor), which you can hold for much longer than coffee- even overnight! The oil will also bind to toxins and rehydrate the colon.
3. Chlorophyll enemas are great to do a few hours after a coffee enema from time to time to bind to leftover toxins, cleanse the colon, and nourish/hydrate on a deep cellular level. To do this, you just use 4 cups of water with a dropper full of liquid chlorophyll, and do the enema as you would a coffee enema!
4. NOURISH your body frequently with fresh, organic, cold-pressed juices like celery, carrot, carrot-apple, and all sorts of green juices and fresh, plant based foods so that your body is replenishing the nourishment / electrolytes it is losing through the enemas. This process of nourishing & detoxing goes hand in hand — detoxing is not really safe without the important nourishment aspect.
5. I mentioned this above but be very careful of coffee bean granules getting into your enema bag!! Use a safe French Press or another method to make sure you are only getting the liquid of your coffee in your enema bag and in your body. 🙂
6. If there is air in your tube along with the coffee, it will make you gassy! Release the air by releasing the clamp and letting out a tiny bit of liquid into the sink/toilet before you begin your enema.
7. It is SAFE to do a coffee enema often while you are healing (as long as your doctor agrees), I you are properly hydrating and taking charcoal binders. Its important to supplement with healthy foods, binders, and hydration + even electrolytes (try Liquid IV, code BALANCED).
7. ENJOYYY! If you don’t like the way coffee enemas make you feel, don’t do them!! I am huge into the fact that healing is different for EVERYBODY, and while I believe deeply in coffee enemas & they have helped me tremendously, if they don’t feel healing to you… don’t do them! There are lots of ways to heal and detox and I want you to find the way that works best for YOU!
The benefits I have personally noticed are outrageous– clearer skin, MUCH clearer digestive system, less gas/bloating, less feelings of sluggishness/overall detox misery, more energy and lightness and awareness of my body. It also helps to give me a good indication of HOW I am doing internally– if my coffee enema is painful and explosive (sorry if TMI) then I know I need to be more gentle and have more rest. If it’s easy and smooth, I know I am in a good place.
Alright, there you have it!! We had to share this again because it is the most asked question that I get, and something that has helped my life and my digestion in the hugest ways.
Let’s NORMALIZE this talk of detoxing and healing even when it comes to talking about eliminating through our colons!!!! We are allllll on this path of healing together, and we’ve got this. Anything that will make us feel better and help with the healing process I am a *HUGE* fan of.
If you have any other coffee enema questions below, ask me!! I will also be having my colon hydrotherapist on the podcast in the near future I hope to answer more questions about how important it is to cleanse/detox our livers & colons. <3