When & why was soapsuds introduced for enemas?

I have seen many references to SSE's in medical literature, and it makes me wonder: who got the idea? Why? Why is soapsuds so popular? Was it just our forebears' belief that soap was a cleanser, therefore it should be used? Who was the poor soul that first got lye soap used in her? A few medical sites warn against its constant use (colon cancer risk). Who's used SSE's for a long time?

Although my mother used other solutions a few times when I was a kid (salt water, epsom salts, epsom salts and glycerin) most of the enemas she gave me were Ivory soapsuds ones. One enema was almost always very effective in clearing everything out of my bowels. Only a few times did she ever have to give me a second one because she wasn't satisfied with the results of the first one. Also there was never a rinse with plain water after the soapsuds enema.

Why is soapsuds so popular? Was it just our forebears' belief that soap was a cleanser, therefore it should be used?

That was my guess. Or maybe some degree of deodorization of the bowel contents coming out with the enema.

Eric

I have no idea when soap suds became the common addition to warm water for an enema. In the 50's it was in common use at my house and I remember my mom swirling a block of Ivory soap around in a bowl of warm water then pouring it into a syringe and adding more warm water for enemas for my younger brother and me. I was in college when I gave myself my first solo enema and just did what I watched my mother do. I used Ivory and warm water, but used a two quart bag. We never had a bag at home but we had visited friends of my parents at a New Hampshire lake house for a weekend and there was a bag, tube and nozzle hanging on the back of the bathroom door. It didn't take me long to figure out what it was for. I didn't feel I could use it there but I kept thinking about it and a a few years later bought my own and tried it. I think it was the mid 1970's before I tried any other solutions.

Soap acts as an irritant and increases the laxative effect of the enema. When I was little, all the enemas my mom gave me were Ivory soapsuds. Believe me, they were very effective. When she used the syringe on me the soapy water never failed to bring about the desired results.

I don't know who first started using soap in the water for an enema. But I suspect that homemade lye soap was used since it was around long before Ivory Soap was. I have used homemade lye soap to bathe with and wash my face with when I was a teenager. It did a great job of cleaning the skin oil off of my face. I have never measured the pH of lye soap, but according to a Google search, Castile soap registers at about 8.9 on the pH scale. Cold process soap (lye soap) is naturally alkaline with a pH of around 9-10. I can't imagine how a soap suds enema made with lye soap would feel as it worked in your bowels, but I suspect it would really clean you out good.

The only enema my mother ever gave me when I was about 5 years old was a soap suds enema made with Ivory Soap. No rinse enema was given after the soapy water enema.

The history of using soap in enemas is probably long gone, but I think its use was probably passed on from mother to daughter for at least a couple of hundred years. There may be several reasons:

The belief that a constipated kid needed "cleaning out" and a good cleaning, like washing behind the ears, involved soap and water.

Also, in the days when chamber pots or outhouses were in common use, something that worked promptly and completely was preferred.

Finally, a soapy enema often works, and the often works again, sometimes several times more, over the next few hours.

This would result in a more thorough clean out, with both hard and soft poo. If the mom can't check the results, extent of pooing is unknown.

If the results are not complete it'll be needed again within a day or two.

Plain water rinses are a relatively modern thing and are still uncommon. I've had several large volume enemas with soap, given by professional nurses on doctor's orders in hospitals, but have never been given a plain water rinse. Never. On two occasions, this has resulted in a very fast, very strong urge to poo several hours after the initial enema and evacuation. It is certain the nurses expected this, because the bedpan was left within easy reach. I sure needed it.

As was stated in the original post, many, if not most medical texts referred to soapsuds enemas. The acronym sse is found in many of these medical/nursing references going back a couple of centuries. Additives such as turpentine were also common.

I would suspect that it was deemed necessary to add something to provoke those peristaltic waves for elimination. Mild soaps were recommended and often used in hospitals and clinics. Enemas in labor and bowel preps for GI tests often included soapsuds enemas. They were discontinued when it was noted that an irritated bowel was counter productive.

While our moms and grandmas used soapy enemas, they likely learned that from some medical advice in the day. I certainly first learned of soapsuds enemas from mom and grandma.

I don't take them all that often, but a good soapy enema now and then works well for me. Because they can be a bit intense, I usually restrict myself to tap water so I can prolong a series without over doing things.

BTW...I occasionally buy disposable bags to have on hand. All of them have a soap packet with them. As an aside, a nice gal who has waited on me several times at the health food store, and doesn't mind talking about enemas, once told me that the soap packet was to clean the bag/bucket afterward. I tactfully explained to her that the soap was intended to be mixed with water to increase the effective output and could be quite intense. She said she had only ever taken water and/or coffee enemas and wasn't up on these other solutions.

I Google and found that Ivory soap was first sold to consumers in 1889 - so got to wonder how soon after someone began using it in there enema bag 😄 😄 😄 .... It certainly has stood the test of time as the most popular enema soap!

Yes Ivory and Castle is the most popular soaps used , I like the smell of good old Ivory soap , reminds me of the good old day of enemas as a child.

Wish I could find someone here in Ohio to do enemas with on a weekly session .

I had a conversation with a recent anesthesiology grad about soap in enemas. He said the soap wasn't absorbed but did change the water's surface tension and made it more alkaline. Some people can have a serious allergic reaction so the soap packet included with a disposable hospital kit isn't normally used.

My thinking is, because adding soap is so common in the enema enthusiast community, it's safe in moderation. The alkaline thing though it doesn't get absorbed could still be stressful to delicate tissue.

My guess would be, given the references to soap in enemas in medical books, that the practice started in hospitals a long time ago. When good results were obtained, it became standard practice in hospitals, then spread to households, and passed on generation to generation. Not sure where the rinse enema came from, seem to be unknown in hospitals. I like soap, although i use less now than i used to, 1 tsp. per 2 1/2 quarts, before 1 tbls per 2 1/2 quarts. What i don't do is low volume (1 quart or less) soapy enemas, they take a long time to clear, especially if you retain the initial enema for 10 minutes or so. 2 1/2 quart soapy enemas clear in 15-20 minutes for me.

I suppose if someone did a comprehensive search of 18th--19th century clinical/medical books from the U.S.and European regions--some insight or timeline when/where the soapy water enema solution began.

First:

Soap is lubricating. It's used to remove stuck rings and such. Makes poop slippery

Second:

Produces a mild irritation and helps with involuntary expulsion.

That was fairly widely known really from the invention of soap.

LisaK: You sum up everything there is to know just perfectly. This should finalize this thread.

My first enemas were given using soapsuds with enema bulb, nurse even lubed the nozzle by the same piece of soap, she used to make enema solution.

LisaK: You sum up everything there is to know just perfectly. This should finalize this thread.

That was fairly widely known really from the invention of soap

Ah, but then the question would come back to the invention of soap. And that is apparently not very straightforward and simple. The invention of soap depends on what your definition of soap is and that then spans several centuries at least. Not to mention that one soap is not the same as the next.

I never figured it out, nor had I asked why my parents why they used Ivory soap for my enemas. For whatever the reason the sight of that box meant I'd be getting an enema.

I don't know when soap was first used in enemas. What I do remember is lying in bed, watching Angie, a home health nurse, open a small packet of liquid soap and pouring it into a large disposable enema bag. Then she sealed the top of the bag and gently mixed the soap with the warm water.

I asked her what the soap was for. "It'll give a little kick to get you moving," Angie said. I always remembered that. Well, it was more than "a little kick." The cramps were pretty awful, but the soap did what it was supposed to. I'd been stupidly overdosing on pain meds post surgery and was never that constipated before. I was 22, lesson learned the hard way!

I have NO idea when soap was first added to enemas, but I'm sure its use continued because it greatly increased their effectiveness. Obviously, here on Zity, many if not most enema fetishists use soap for "unusual;" reasons. (But then, we're "unusual" people, LOL!) I've pondered other "firsts", also: 1st person to eat a lobster, 1st person to cook food, 1st person to eat blue cheese, etc. AND, for that matter, just the 1st person to take or give an enema.)

I did a Google search and found no real origin for the soap suds enema. It was likely a ways back when someone tried it maybe thinking a soap enema will "clean" the rectum and colon. From there it was passed on and caught on with people doing enemas. As time went on, the soap enema was recognized for being effective in relieving constipation and so that was what people mixed into their enemas.

So sometime back ions ago there was this nameless person who got this crazy idea of using using soap in an enema never to receive credit for this landmark enema recipe that would go on to be used by millions of people.

Ahhh, sometimes life isn't fair. It could have been known as a Smith enema or the Jones enema or the Finkelstein enema...Hmmmm, maybe the Soap Suds Enema is best after all.

I was thinking about this. My guess is that some one, a long time ago, had eaten soap and found out its effects on the digestive track. At this points they figured, if it works from the top down in clearing you out, it can't be any worst from the bottom up, and they were right.

We know that the enema was around long before the invention of soap

Who put them together, and when is long lost in pre-history.

We know that the enema was around long before the invention of soap

I wonder if plain water was used before the soapsuds or if other additional ingredients were more common?

@trw428

On rinse enemas, I think they likely started in hospitals too. Let me relate a personal experience. When in hospital some years ago, iI was confined to bed, with the bed alarm set, and was not allowed to use the toilet. After several tries on a bedpan, without meaningful results, the doctor ordered a soap suds enema to be given in the evening, after visiting hours. A middle aged nurse, who was a pretty experienced enema giver, filled me. A few minutes later the bedpan was very full. Soon afterwards, I went to sleep.

A few hours later, I awoke suddenly and promptly did a large, soft poo in the bed. What a stinky mess. Apparently, the remaining soap residue continues to work, resulting in the accident.

I'd bet experiences like that are the reason for rinse enemas, and, to be really effective the volume of the rinse probably should be larger than the SSE.

If no rinse enema is given, I think additional poos in the next few hours are to be expected, and this may well be purposeful. The SSE gets someone "started" and the residual soap "keeps them going".

We know that the enema was around long before the invention of soap

Who put them together, and when is long lost in pre-history.

Wiki has a history section in their enema page. Maya Indians used hallucination enemas. On my phone so I can’t (don’t know how) to post the link. Others did smoke enemas. Google ancient enema solutions. A little peyote up the ass makes for a good trip!

@gwhap

People do many damn silly things. Often they become Darwin Award winners.