History

• Enemas have been used for hundreds of years, from the Babylonians to the Greeks. Coffee began its history in the 1500s and has been around ever since. The exact year when the coffee enema was first used is not certain. Coffee enemas were first heard of around 1917. The Merck Manual boasted the coffee enema until the year 1972. The man who made the coffee enema famous, however, was Dr. Max Gerson who pioneered the method, a detox process that used coffee enemas for a liver detox.
  
  

Procedure

• An enema is a process in which fluid (in this case, lukewarm coffee) is injected into the rectum and flushed in to remove waste and improve constipation and other digestion problems. A coffee enema is a detox process to many people. Those who believe in the benefits of a coffee enema claim that the caffeine found in the coffee stimulates the bile ducts and blood vessels to dilate, stimulating the body's ability to rid itself of waste and harmful toxins.
  
  

Dangers

• The most commonly seen mishap and danger of the coffee enema is that of the rectum. When anything is inserted into the rectum, the risk of tearing or puncturing the area is good. These happenings could cause internal bleeding that can sometimes be hard to stop and heal. Another danger is that of a caffeine overdose. Coffee enemas are sometimes used in excess, or several times in a span of a few hours, causing excess amounts of caffeine to enter the blood stream. This can cause the normal signs of a caffeine overdose: fever, breathing trouble, confusion, hallucinations, increased thirst, sleeping trouble, increased urination, vomiting, dizziness, irregular heartbeat and muscle twitching.
  
  

Recommendations

• The general recommendation for coffee enemas is this: if you are not an expert, do not attempt to detox your body with a coffee enema. The dangers outweigh the possible benefits. The benefits of a coffee enema are not conclusively proven anywhere, and therefore attempting to detox with excessive coffee enemas is dangerous and should not be considered as an at-home remedy for digestion troubles. Doctors generally recommend a saline enema, if one has to be done at home. Anything besides saline in an enema increases the risks.
  
  

Expert Insight

• As with any medical or alternative medical treatments, a licensed professional should be contacted when considering such a procedure. A doctor will be able to help you identify the risks and benefits of a coffee enema, as well as recommend something that may work better and more safely to help problems with the digestive tract. No detox procedure should be undertaken without the advice of a professional.