Coffee Enemas -GAPS

Historically enemas have been used to clean out the intestinal tract since early Biblical times. Enemas were used by ancient Egyptians and documented in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The true effects of coffee enemas was brought to light in World War I when pain killers were in short supply. Nurses administered coffee enemas to patients because it greatly reduced their pain. The MERK Manual published the protocol of coffee enemas of medical doctors to use but it was removed from the manual in the 1970s.

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Since then the medical community has been back and forth on use as well as safety of the procedure. Holistic use of coffee enemas is common, due to the remarkable results.

Some Medical Doctors warn against coffee enemas saying they are dangerous. One case of concern occurred where a 60-year-old woman in Korea was admitted to the hospital with bloody stool, urgency to move her bowels and pain in the anus. A coffee enema was used for constipation with one liter of water and 2 tablespoons of coffee with no additives was cooled and administered four days prior to her hospital visit. A colonoscopy showed geographic ulcers, caused by the herpes virus and mucosal layer damage. The patient recovered with antibiotics.

Coffee enemas are reported responsible for two deaths and one case of septicemia in an advanced breast cancer patient. No cases of inflammation from coffee enemas have been reported. 

Even when reporting the two deaths the JAMA reported, “Although these therapies may be of questionable therapeutic value, they are usually considered harmless.”

When considering the question are coffee enemas safe? pharmacist Scott Gavura wrote for Science Based Medicine, “No. Coffee enemas are considered unsafe and should be avoided.”

In the Gerson Method coffee enemas are used because of the cafestol palmitate in coffee which promotes activity of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione S-transferase. This detoxifies the products of tumor cell metabolism. Secondly, the caffeine in coffee is believed to cause dilation of the bile ducts which then facilitate the elimination of toxic products from the liver. Caffeine is also believed to stimulate the passage of toxic products from the blood into the colon. Finally, the enema fluid stimulates peristalsis and drainage of all these toxins from the gut.

The Gerson Protocol uses four coffee enemas daily for months, even years. Cancer patients following the protocol often say they are addicted to coffee enemas because, with coffee enemas, they finally feel good. 

Coffee contains a high amount of antioxidants which pull free radicals from the body. Both kahweol and cafestol are potent enhancers of glutathione S-transferase which is a major antioxidant enzyme. It is considered to prevent cancer as well as be therapeutic against cancer. Average coffee consumption increases the amount of glutathione S-transferase in the blood by 16 percent. Another antioxidant in coffee is melanoidins, which are formed during the roasting process. It contains a high number of antioxidants but is also shown to inhibit oxidation of fats. Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, phenolic compounds, which are antioxidant phenols. Caffeine, and its metabolites theobromine and other xanthines, are antioxidants which are believed protect damage to DNA.

The overall acidity of coffee is believed to induce healing properties when used in an enema.

The Merck Manual, Tenth Edition says, “The Merck Manual has long been considered the Bible for Physicians. Few are aware that from 1899-1977 coffee enemas were included in the Merck Manual, a compendium of orthodox research techniques. Coffee enemas were not removed from the Manual because of their ineffectiveness, but rather to make room for newer material.” Merck is considered one of the world’s largest, as well as oldest multinational pharmaceutical companies

Coffee enemas are recommended and used regularly with great results by Dr. Patrick Vickers who runs a Gerson Protocol center in Mexico, Chris from chrisbeatcancer.com, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride of the GAPS Protocol, as well as many other natural practitioners.

The caffeine is not what makes the coffee enema effective. As a whole the coffee enema nutrients travel to the liver through the portal vein. In a way, this makes the liver hiccup, stimulating the liver, causing to the spit out toxins, parasites and gallstones. This release from the liver is thought to allow backed up toxins to flow to the liver creating an outlet for toxicity. 

Dr. William Donald Kelley, D.D.S., M.S., used coffee enemas to cure himself of stage 4 pancreatic cancer when he was in his 60s. He lived to be 80 when he died in 2005 of other causes. Enemas were a regular part of his protocol. Click here to read more. 

To further study coffee enemas and their effectiveness click here, click here and here. 

Coffee enemas, according to the GAPS Protocol, are done by first doing a cleansing enema where an enema bag using a liter of filtered or spring water with one teaspoon mineral salt (like this one, this one or this one) and one teaspoon of baking soda (this one is best but this one is fine, also) is heated to a boil. It is then cooled down to body temperature and administered. If you can stick your finger in the water and swirl it around for ten seconds without it being too hot or too cold, the temperature is perfect. The coffee enema follows the cleansing enema by heating up one liter of water and adding three heaping tablespoons of fresh ground organic coffee (like this one, this one, this one or even this one) to a coffee filter and tying it up with a string. Enema coffee is roasted less leaving leaving more nutrients for the enema effect. If those coffees are not available, using organic coffee is used by many people with great success. Most folks find it easiest to put the coffee tied up in a coffee filter, others like to strain it using something like this. Boil the coffee for three to five minutes then turn it down to low and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes. Cool the liquid and administer. Cooling the contents is fastest by putting the pot in a cold water bath in the sink. 

To read more on coffee enemas, click here and here.