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Cleansing enema with chamomile for child and adult: recipes
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Among various medical procedures, an enema is considered one of the most disrespected by the people. Perhaps this is due to the not entirely pleasant sensations during intestinal lavage. Or maybe the reason is that this procedure needs to be carried out in one delicate place, and it is good if this happens without the participation of strangers in the person of medical personnel. After all, each of us has a varying degree of shyness. But in some situations we simply have no time for shyness, especially if you know that an enema with chamomile or other compounds can significantly alleviate your condition. Let's try to figure out whether it is worth avoiding a not entirely pleasant procedure, which, it turns out, can bring great benefit to the body.
Benefits of the procedure
What is an enema? It is a fairly easy and painless way to cleanse the colon of all unnecessary things that have accumulated there: feces, slags, toxins. It is clear that bowel cleansing can be done in other ways, for example, with the help of laxatives or enterosorbents. But will they be able to completely remove feces and simultaneously flush the intestines with clean liquid, as is possible with an enema.
In principle, an enema implies such a cleansing when it is not necessary to introduce drugs into the body, but it is enough to fill the intestines through the anus with liquid. The liquid will help soften the feces and quickly remove them, washing the intestinal walls along the way. What could be simpler and safer than such treatment?
But why do we need such a bowel cleanse at all? Firstly, it helps to remove waste from the body, which, if retained for a long time, causes intoxication (poisoning) and deterioration of health. Toxins, in turn, are carried throughout the body with the blood and negatively affect various organs and systems, thereby disrupting their normal functioning.
Metabolic disorders caused by the same intoxication do not allow you to maintain your weight within the norm, so fasting and diets without cleansing procedures can work very weakly. So is this fact not enough to quickly help the body with the removal of feces if it has difficulty with this? In addition, an enema can reduce the load on the intestines if a person is about to undergo therapeutic fasting or at the very beginning of any diet.
Secondly, thorough bowel cleansing is considered a necessary procedure before abdominal surgeries, childbirth and some diagnostic manipulations. In this case, even doctors themselves insist on an enema, considering it the safest method of bowel cleansing.
Cleansing procedures with an enema can be carried out using both clean boiled water and medicinal compounds. The enema with chamomile has become especially popular in this regard, which not only cleanses the intestines, but also relieves inflammation of the colon walls caused by congestion or infection.
And this is not surprising, considering the beneficial effects of a decoction or infusion of this valuable medicinal plant, known for its properties since ancient times. Chamomile flowers are a good antiseptic with a pronounced anti-inflammatory and some analgesic effect, the use of which is beneficial for many diseases, including problems with the intestines and the digestive system in general.
And the safest way to introduce an anti-inflammatory agent to the affected area in intestinal diseases is an enema, which, depending on the volume of liquid, will have a corresponding effect. To relieve inflammation of the tissues of the large intestine, a small amount of water is enough, and to cleanse from feces, relieve spasms and dyspeptic phenomena, you will need to take at least 1 liter of decoction.
The benefit of a chamomile enema is that it can be safely given to newborns. And such delicate creatures require a careful approach. The medicine should not cause allergic reactions or irritation of the intestinal mucosa, which is typical of chamomile, which is considered one of the hypoallergenic and safe herbs for young children.
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Indications for the procedure
Yes, an enema is a regular cleansing procedure designed to cleanse the intestines. It can be therapeutic or preventive, but not routine, which can be done every day without consequences. Such a procedure has its own indications for implementation, when it can have a positive effect on the diseased organ and the body as a whole.
For example, an enema is considered one of the effective means of removing excessively compacted fecal matter. An enema with chamomile for constipation not only helps to soften fecal lumps and facilitate their removal, but also has a beneficial effect on the intestinal walls that have been irritated and stretched. Chamomile prevents the development of inflammatory processes in the intestines during chronic constipation, prevents intoxication of the body, normalizes digestion, appetite and sleep.
Oddly enough, a chamomile enema has a therapeutic effect not only on constipation, but also on diarrhea. The fact is that the plant contains essential oils and tannins, which have an astringent effect, plus a pronounced antiseptic effect helps fight the infection that caused diarrhea and remove it from the intestines. All this helps to normalize stool in case of stomach upset and food poisoning.
An enema with chamomile for diarrhea not only normalizes the consistency and composition of feces, it also helps relieve intestinal spasms and reduce its increased peristalsis during diarrhea. Thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of the popular medicinal plant, the procedure helps restore the intestinal mucosa, which has been irritated and somewhat inflamed due to the disease. Chamomile accelerates the regeneration of organ tissue.
Large volumes of liquid are not required, since, unlike constipation, an enema is used not so much as a cleansing procedure, but as a therapeutic procedure, for which a liquid volume of 50-200 ml is sufficient. It is also useful to take chamomile infusion internally, so that the effect is complex.
A chamomile enema is also useful for hemorrhoids, which are inflammation and dilation of the veins that supply blood to the walls of the rectum, with the formation of painful nodules (bumps). For hemorrhoids, sitz baths with chamomile and microclysters with a decoction of the plant also have a good effect. We are talking about enemas that use a small amount of water.
Enemas with chamomile decoction for hemorrhoids will have an astringent and disinfectant effect. When the disease occurs, cracks may form in the rectum, which may become inflamed and not heal for a long time if an infection from feces gets on them. Chamomile reduces the likelihood of the formation of inflamed nodules and helps prevent constipation, which is very undesirable and extremely painful for hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids are a disease more common in men, but the stronger sex has its own disease, which women have nothing to do with, but it can significantly affect family relationships. We are talking about prostatitis, which is an inflammation of such a male organ as the prostate (prostate gland), caused by circulatory disorders in the pelvic area.
Since the prostate is considered an internal organ, access to it from the outside is limited. The easiest way to get closer to the prostate is through the urethra or rectum, which passes nearby. That is why chamomile enemas for prostatitis can be included in the treatment regimen for this painful disease.
We are talking again about microclysters with a liquid amount of no more than 2 glasses, which makes it possible to retain it in the intestines for the time necessary for the absorption of useful components. But enemas with herbal decoctions alone do not solve the problem, so you need to immediately target complex treatment.
As for women's problems, chamomile has long been widely used in the treatment of the genital area in the weaker sex. In gynecology, chamomile enemas can be prescribed for cervicitis, endometritis, colpitis, adnexitis, leucorrhoea secreted from the female genital tract, cervical erosion, and menstrual irregularities. In this case, a decoction of the plant can be used as microclysters, introducing it into the rectum (which is the only possible procedure for virgins) and using it for vaginal douching. This treatment will also help relieve pain during urination in cystitis, especially if it is carried out in parallel with sitz baths.
But inflammation of the walls of the colon, or colitis, is considered a disease that affects both men and women. Chamomile enemas for colitis have 2 goals: facilitating bowel movements and preventing constipation, which is undesirable for any inflammatory diseases in the pelvic area, and cleansing the intestines of the infectious factor that stimulates the inflammatory process in it.
Again, a decoction or infusion of chamomile, used for medicinal microclysters, penetrates the tissues of the affected organ and reduces the severity of the inflammatory process. They help to abandon the use of chemical laxatives, which only aggravate the inflammation, and enhance the effect of other drugs effective in colitis.
A chamomile enema is also used for weight loss. But in this case, we are talking about a real cleansing procedure, which is best done using Esmarch's mug, and take at least 1 liter of liquid (up to 1.5-2 liters), so that it is possible to cleanse the entire intestine, and not just the rectum. The procedure itself does not greatly affect weight (it becomes less by grams, corresponding to the mass of excreted feces), but it helps to normalize the process of bowel movement and tunes the body to optimal work in preparation for various diets practiced in order to lose weight.
A couple of times a year, cleansing enemas are recommended for everyone who monitors their health. If you add chamomile decoction to the composition of such an enema, it will not cause harm, but will become a good prevention of infectious and inflammatory diseases, and perhaps even remove the beginning inflammation in the intestines, which we did not even suspect.
Preparation
Perhaps, a chamomile enema is not considered a primary treatment procedure that requires serious and thorough preparation. In most cases, an enema acts as an effective auxiliary means in the treatment plan, improving the effect of other treatment methods. But since there is an effect from such a procedure, which is confirmed even by doctors, it makes sense to think about how to carry out the procedure correctly, and preparation will help to avoid some mistakes.
For example, how many people know when to do an enema? If we are talking about a cleansing procedure, then it is recommended to do it in the morning after the intestines have been emptied naturally. But with diarrhea, you do not have to worry about emptying the intestines, everything happens by itself and even more than necessary. Here, the time of the enema does not matter, but the procedure should be done after consulting a doctor if the painful symptoms do not leave a person for more than 3 days.
Constipation is a bit more complicated. After all, with such a symptom, natural bowel movement does not occur, and the enema has both a cleansing and therapeutic effect, since it is designed to facilitate the release of feces that poison the body. It is usually prescribed after other methods have been tried to facilitate defecation: laxative tablets, suppositories, a special diet. The time of administration of such an enema also does not matter.
But if we are talking about therapeutic microclysters for inflammatory diseases of the intestines, prostate, female genital organs, then it is better to carry out the procedure in the evening, so that the patient has the opportunity to lie down first with liquid in the intestines (for several minutes), and then without it.
A chamomile enema involves using a decoction or infusion of the herb's flowers. This means that you need to prepare the raw materials in advance or buy them at a pharmacy and prepare a liquid medicine that will be used in the procedure.
To prepare a chamomile decoction, usually take 1-2 tablespoons of dried flowers per 1 glass of water and boil it for 3-5 minutes, then leave it to brew for another quarter of an hour. You can do it differently, keeping the composition in a water bath for half an hour.
For the infusion, you can take 2-4 spoons of dry grass per 1 glass of boiling water, keep it warm for 10-15 minutes, and then leave it to cool naturally.
In case of inflammation of the intestinal walls caused by pathogenic bacteria, the effect of chamomile alone is often insufficient, therefore it is recommended to add other components to the herbal composition for enemas: calendula, yarrow, celandine, plantain, etc. But among the herbs, calendula shows a particularly good effect as a safe antibacterial agent. Therefore, in case of inflammation, doctors recommend doing enemas with chamomile and calendula, alternating herbs or using both plants in one decoction, taking them in equal quantities (1 spoon of chamomile and calendula flowers per glass of water).
For cleansing enemas, a high concentration of herbal composition is not required. 2-3 spoons of herbs per 1 liter of water are enough.
After the infusion or decoction has cooled down a bit, it is necessary to strain it through 2-3 layers of gauze. Use only the strained liquid. In medicinal enemas, take the decoction in its pure form; for cleansing enemas, it can be diluted with boiled water to the required amount.
The volume of liquid should be prepared taking into account the person's height, because the length of the intestine depends on it. For short people and those who are doing a cleansing enema for the first time, 1.5 liters of water is enough. Those whose height is above average may need up to 2 liters of liquid. Therapeutic microclysters are made with a composition, the volume of which is from 30 to 200 ml, depending on the age and diagnosis of the patient.
Now, regarding the temperature of the composition for washing the intestines. If we are talking about a simple cleansing procedure in the absence of inflammatory processes in the organ area, water can be taken at room temperature. If there is inflammation, it is better to use a liquid whose temperature will be close to the body temperature measured in the rectum (37-38 degrees), which will be more pleasant for inflamed tissues.
It is strictly forbidden to use cold water for enemas, as this can cause intestinal spasms and prevent effective cleansing and treatment.
But it is not enough to prepare the solution, you also need to have a special tool that will help introduce the liquid herbal composition into the rectum or vagina (douching is the same micro enema). Depending on the goals pursued, you will need to prepare:
- a combination heating pad or Esmarch's mug (for cleansing procedures with a large volume of water),
- a syringe of the required size (for medicinal microclysters).
Before the procedure, the tips of the disinfected rubber instrument must be lubricated with Vaseline, which will facilitate their insertion into the rectum.
After the solution is injected into the rectum, it may leak out, which means that an oilcloth will need to be placed on the surface where the patient will be during the procedure to prevent the liquid from leaking out.
Technique chamomile enemas
Immediately before the enema, it is advisable to carry out some hygienic procedures (clean the place of the enema with water and soap). This will prevent pathogenic microorganisms from entering the intestines from the outside, and they really like to live in such places.
How to do a chamomile enema at home?
Colon cleansing with an enema is a procedure that can be performed both in a hospital and at home. But if in a hospital the junior medical staff will take care of everything, explaining what and how to do, then at home there is no one to expect tips and qualified help from. You need to take care of obtaining the necessary information in advance.
Let's start with the fact that it is most convenient to carry out the cleansing procedure in 2 positions: leaning on your elbows and knees or taking the "lying on your side" position. In the lying position, you can facilitate the introduction of the solution by bending your legs at the knees (in the fetal position). The "kneeling" position implies the help of another person.
Next, the tip of the Esmarch mug or combined heating pad, previously lubricated with Vaseline, is inserted into the anus. The immersion depth should be within 4-5 cm. The reservoir of the instrument used should be filled with liquid approximately two-thirds (1.5-2 l) and suspended at a height (or an assistant will hold it at the top), after inserting the tip, the tap is opened and the liquid is allowed to flow freely into the intestine.
The procedure can be completed after 7-10 minutes, after which the person will need to go to the toilet so that the intestines can empty.
If the intestines have not been previously cleared of accumulated fecal matter, then first you need to introduce a small amount of liquid (micro enema), and after emptying the intestines, introduce the remaining 1.5 liters of liquid.
If the enema is performed for medicinal purposes, it is better to do it in a lying position on the side (preferably the left). First, the intestines should be carefully cleaned with plain boiled water, and then the medicinal composition should be slowly introduced into it using a regular syringe.
How long should you keep a chamomile enema? Doctors usually recommend letting the solution be absorbed into the intestinal tissues so that it can have its healing effect. Usually 15-20 minutes is enough to remove the remains of the medicinal composition. During this time, the person is recommended to remain in a lying position (lie on your side or stomach).
If an enema is given for constipation or diarrhea, the body itself will tell you when to go to the toilet with an active urge to defecate.
Chamomile enema for a child
We, adults and independent people, cannot always take care of ourselves. And what can we say about children, who definitely need our help to carry out medical procedures. A child cannot give himself an enema, which means it is the responsibility of the parents.
It is clear that babies rarely have the serious problems we wrote about above. Usually it ends with banal constipation or prolonged diarrhea. And a chamomile enema helps solve the problem quickly and safely.
But it is important to understand that, like any medical procedure, an enema should be used as prescribed by a doctor, especially when it comes to a child's health. Such a procedure can be prescribed by a doctor in the case of proven prolonged (3 or more days) constipation, in case of poisoning, as a preparation for the administration of drugs or diagnostic procedures.
Particular caution should be exercised with newborns, because constipation in such children is usually associated with the baby's improper diet or excesses on the nursing mother's table. Before resorting to setting an enema, you need to make sure that it is constipation caused by intestinal peristalsis disorders, and not the consequences of overheating or a feature of the child's body. No matter how useful and safe the procedure is, it should not be abused.
In newborns, who have bowel movements several times a day, constipation can be suspected if there has been no bowel movement for more than a day, and the baby's behavior indicates that he has pain and discomfort in the tummy (the child may cry, be capricious, kick his legs or pull them up, etc.).
When starting the procedure, you need to take care of the appropriate syringe with a soft rubber tip. A large syringe and especially an Esmarch mug will not be useful to us. Before use, the syringe must be boiled for 5 minutes.
A chamomile enema is used for a newborn in the same way as for an adult. A decoction or infusion of chamomile with a temperature of 35-37 degrees is drawn into a syringe, after squeezing the rubber bulb with your hand. The tip, lubricated with Vaseline, is inserted into the anus and the liquid is slowly released into the intestines, making sure that there is no air in the bulb at the time of inserting the enema.
The bulb is taken out in a compressed state, and the baby's bottom is gently squeezed with a hand for half a minute so that the liquid does not flow out, and there is time for the stool to soften. Then the hand can be removed and the baby's intestines can be given the opportunity to push out everything unnecessary.
During the procedure, the baby should lie on its side or back, and the mother will help bring the bent legs closer to the tummy with her hand to make it easier to insert the syringe. Treatment of a small child does not tolerate haste and sudden movements that can injure the delicate intestinal mucosa.
As for the amount of solution used for the enema, it depends on the age of the baby. Newborns in the first month of life can be given 30-35 ml of liquid. For babies up to 3 months, the dose can be increased by another 10 ml. Treatment of children up to six months is carried out using 60-95 ml of decoction or infusion. From 6 months and older, 100 to 200 ml of liquid is taken for medicinal purposes.
A cleansing enema for older children up to 10 years old involves the introduction of 300-500 ml of liquid. But in any case, such issues must be discussed with a pediatrician.
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Contraindications to the procedure
No matter how safe the enema procedure may seem, it still has its limitations in use. Even inflammatory processes in the intestines, which are treated with an enema, as funny as it may sound, can become an obstacle to the procedure.
For example, colitis and hemorrhoids are treated with enemas with chamomile or other compositions. But we are talking about therapeutic microclysters. Cleansing procedures using a large volume of water are unacceptable in this case.
If the disease is acute, and with hemorrhoids there is a prolapse of nodes outward, even therapeutic cleansing procedures are not carried out until the patient's condition is normalized with the help of stronger medications.
A cleansing enema is not performed in case of gastrointestinal bleeding or any severe gastrointestinal pathologies.
Various neoplasms in the intestine, pathologies accompanied by prolapse of the rectum, acute pain, suspicion of surgical pathology, dysbacteriosis, allergic reaction to chamomile can become an obstacle. Pregnant women should also be careful.
In children, contraindications include any congenital tumors and growths in the gastrointestinal tract, cracks and inflammations in the anus, rectal prolapse, dysbacteriosis, surgical pathologies, bleeding from the anus, allergic reactions (rash, itching, runny nose). The procedure is also not performed in cases of regularly recurring constipation.
In any case, before practicing medical or cleansing procedures, you should first consult a therapist or pediatrician on this issue. And there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Consequences after the procedure
No one can deny the benefits of a chamomile enema. This is an effective therapeutic and cleansing procedure, indicated for both adults and children. But you can only benefit from it if it is carried out correctly.
All movements during the insertion of the tip into the rectum must be done very carefully. The intestinal walls, of course, can withstand a large load, but the delicate mucous membrane can be damaged very easily, especially if it is already inflamed. This will lead to pain, the appearance of erosions and the development of the same inflammatory process (but of a non-infectious nature), which is not so easy to stop, given the location of the tissues and the lack of air access.
No matter how useful an enema may be, doctors do not recommend doing it often because of the risk of intestinal dysbacteriosis. After all, water will wash away beneficial microflora, and we will cleanse the intestines not only of harmful substances, but also of beneficial substances and microorganisms. The cleansing procedure can be carried out 1-2 times a year or before going on a diet. And the doctor can prescribe therapeutic manipulations no more often than once every 2 days.
Moreover, the intestines may like to remain idle, because all the work will be done by the enema and chamomile decoction. Violation of intestinal peristalsis will lead to the fact that the person will suffer from chronic constipation.
It is even worse if the procedure is carried out without taking into account contraindications. This will lead to complications after the procedure of pathologies existing in the body. This can manifest itself in the form of exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal diseases with the appearance of nausea, vomiting, pain in the epigastrium, weakness, bleeding. Dizziness and headaches may also be noted.
If such symptoms occur during the procedure, it may be due to the body's characteristics and a negative reaction to the intervention. In this case, you need to look for other methods to solve the problem.
Care after the procedure
As for care after the colon lavage procedure, it is the most common. The anal area after the enema should be cleaned with a damp cloth or washed with soap and water. You can use chamomile infusion. After the procedure, the patient is advised to lie down for a while and rest. Active activities, games, sports and fitness will have to be postponed for half an hour.
Opinion of patients and doctors
As reviews of the procedure say, its effectiveness in treating inflammatory bowel diseases allows to put the enema in the category of useful methods of home and hospital treatment, the use of which is allowed from the earliest age, when other methods are not available. Chamomile rarely causes allergic reactions, but it fights inflammation very well, quickly relieving unpleasant symptoms even at the site of cracks.
In the absence of medicines in the old days, chamomile infusion and decoction were used to treat wounds, and this helped wounded soldiers avoid complications and blood poisoning. It is clear that these same compositions will have a healing effect if they are used for sitz baths and enemas. This is confirmed by numerous reviews of people who have been helped by these effective procedures to fight the painful symptoms of inflammatory diseases. The disease retreated much faster if chamomile and its compatriot calendula entered the fight against inflammation and microbes.
As for cleansing enemas for weight loss, many women also note that after a thorough cleansing of the intestines, they no longer experienced an increased appetite, digestion returned to normal, sleep and skin appearance improved, and weight loss was much more effective than for those who did without enemas.
An enema with chamomile is a procedure recommended by doctors themselves, and if it is carried out in accordance with the requirements and prescription of the doctor, the benefit from it will be extremely great. Chamomile helps to make an essentially unpleasant procedure very useful and once again proves the rightness of our ancestors, who treated this plant with great respect, noting its high healing properties and were not ashamed to cleanse the body of all "filth" with its help.