Baking Soda

I’ve seen many posts advocating baking soda in an enema. I in fact add it to most of my enemas along with salt. I understand the salt because of electrolytes, but I’m not real sure about the sodium bicarbonate. What it that doing for me? Forgive my ignorance please. Not a big soap fan. Thanks!

I’ve seen many posts advocating baking soda in an enema. I in fact add it to most of my enemas along with salt. I understand the salt because of electrolytes, but I’m not real sure about the sodium carbonate. What it that doing for me? Forgive my ignorance please. Not a big soap fan. Thanks!

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. (Sodium carbonate aka washing soda is a different salt which is quite strongly alkaline and shouldn’t be used in an enema.)

The point of using either table salt (sodium chloride) or sodium bicarbonate in an enema is to balance the sodium concentration in your tissues, which will result in less of the water in your enema being absorbed into your bloodstream. If the salt concentration is high enough it will actually draw additional water into the colon.

There’s no real benefit in using both table salt and baking soda, since both do the same thing.

BI-carbonate. Of course. My mistake.

When doing a coffee enema. the baking soda does help to raise the pH of the coffee, reducing the acidity and intestinal mucosa irritation.

I use baking soda to calm the symptoms - cramping and spasms - of IBS. Even my gastro guy does not know why it works for me, but it does.

I use baking soda to calm the symptoms - cramping and spasms - of IBS. Even my gastro guy does not know why it works for me, but it does.

The colon is naturally slightly acidic, while the bicarbonate is mildly alkaline, so it could have to do with the pH adjustment.

I like to use prepackaged nasal rinse packets for my neti pot for enemas especially when I’m on the road. I generally use 3 or 4 packets for a 2 quart bag. They are easy to travel with and easy to use. I will open the packets into a cup of hot water to dissolve then pour the mix into the bag and fill with the right temperature water, and enjoy. I’m not a big fan of cramps and salt and soda seems to be the right ticket for me.

I’ve had enemas with salt and baking soda long before I was ten years old from mom or my RN grandmother. The summer I turned twelve, my RN grandmother taught my brother an I how to administer enemas to ourselves. We were taught to use Ivory Soap for our soapy enema and salt and baking soda for rinse enemas. She said, we could use plain tap water, if salt and baking soda weren’t available. However, mom and grandma kept a good supply of salt and baking soda in their linen closets, so it was never an issue with us. It wasn’t until my girlfriend an I were giving each other enemas at her house one afternoon, when she skipped using salt and baking soda in my rinse enema. I found out relatively quick, once the water started to flow, why my grandmother taught me to use salt and baking soda in rinse enemas. I was first that day, and she had done my soapy enema and was in the process of giving me a plain water rinse enema. (Just to note: This was my first ever plain tap water enema.) Not long after the flow started, I noticed how much more uncomfortable the rinse enema was going in. It felt like something really hard and heavy was trying to flow into my colon, and it was taking a lot longer than normal. I finally was able to finished the 2 ½ quart bag, but it sure was tough.

Once I was done with my two enemas, it was her turn. She took the soapy enema without issue and I fixed her rinse enema, as she had done mine, with only plain tap water. Not long after I started the flow on her rinse enema, she started to complain. I ask her what the issue was and she said, “it’s really uncomfortable and feels heavy. I don’t think I’ll be able to take the full bag.” I slowed the flow down really slow, and that helped. She did finally get the 2 ½ quart bag in, but it took a lot long than it usually did.

The next time we did enemas at her house, we made sure we used salt and baking soda in our rinse enemas, and didn’t have the same issues we had the previously time.

I have taken some enemas with baking soda with mixed results. The positive is that it allows me a greater volume, less cramping and a longer retention time. The negat is that about three hours after expelling I have the urge to expelling very quickly

I am not a big fan of soap, it is just too crampy for me. I use baking soda and find that it give me a relatively cramp free enema that is easy to take. Like Rick6981 I find plain water enemas a little bit uncomfortable. Your mileage might vary. Enjoy!

I use baking soda in all my enemas, even a little in soapy enemas when I do soap on occasion. I have never added it to coffee though.

I use baking soda in all my enemas, even a little in soapy enemas when I do soap on occasion. I have never added it to coffee though.

@edwasss

Be prepared for the reaction between coffee and the baking soda to release carbon dioxide as the acid in the coffee reacts to the bicarbonate. It's a fairly vigorous reaction, much like the reaction between vinegar and baking soda.

I use baking soda to calm the symptoms - cramping and spasms - of IBS. Even my gastro guy does not know why it works for me, but it does.

@jekyll_doctor,

I had severe abdominal cramps with no diarrhea or constipation from age 12 to 30, diagnosed as Spastic Colon (1964) and later changed to IBS. No further attacks after age 30, but I’m curious about your post. What concentration of baking soda are you using in your enemas to quell your IBS symptoms? Any other additives or just NaHCO3 in water? Thank you,

Eric

I use one heaping tablespoon of baking soda to 2quarts of warm water.

As a youngster I was also diagnosed with spastic colon which resulted in many enemas while growing up. As an adult diagnosed with IBS I eventually turned to my childhood cure when belladonna and other opiates made me loopy and sleepless.

I add a tablespoon of baking soda to my coffee enema. I think it reduces the initial urgency to expel and allows me to retain the coffee easily compared to plain coffee. I have never seen bubbles from a reaction of the soda and acid in the coffee as someone said, although reducing the acidity of the coffee is probably what makes it easier to retain. I don’t add soda to a rinse enema because I find it difficult to get it all out quickly compared to plain tap water.

As a preteen in 1957 my RN grandmother taught my brother an I to use 1 TSP (5 ml) of baking soda and 1 TSP (5 ml) of non-iodine salt per quart of warm water for a rinse enema. However now, I only use salt and baking soda if I’m going to take and hold the rinse enema for any length of time. If I’m not going to hold the rinse enema, I only use baking soda in the amount listed above.

I use one heaping tablespoon of baking soda to 2quarts of warm water.

As a youngster I was also diagnosed with spastic colon which resulted in many enemas while growing up. As an adult diagnosed with IBS I eventually turned to my childhood cure when belladonna and other opiates made me loopy and sleepless.

@jekyll_doctor,

Thanks. How long do you hold your 2 qts NaHCO3 enema to decrease your IBS symptoms?

Eric

I am no longer able to hold a full bag of solution for very long. By 10 minutes I am urgent and have to go. At one time, 15 minutes was no problem.

jd

@ericmacson

It seems that one of the most pallitive treatments for IBS is a wheatgrass juice enema. A good friend of mine has chronic IBS, and she tried just about everything she could think of, with no effect. A helth food store worker suggested the wheatgrass juice enema, she tried it and got almost immediate relief. Now, besides becoming an enema enthusiast, she uses the wheatgrass juice regularly, and seems to have gone into complete IBS remission.

Baking soda lowers the PH of the water. Makes the water less hard.

Baking soda lowers the PH of the water. Makes the water less hard.

Baking soda increases the pH of the water. It is alkaline. Acids lower pH.

@coronet54 Plain water enemas make me pee a lot.

@ericmacson

It seems that one of the most pallitive treatments for IBS is a wheatgrass juice enema. A good friend of mine has chronic IBS, and she tried just about everything she could think of, with no effect. A helth food store worker suggested the wheatgrass juice enema, she tried it and got almost immediate relief. Now, besides becoming an enema enthusiast, she uses the wheatgrass juice regularly, and seems to have gone into complete IBS remission.

@waterbottom,

My old IBS that lasted from 1964-1982, was severe incapacitating abdominal cramping, but absolutely no other symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, bleeding, urgency, or anything else. From what I read these days, everyone seems to have IBS-D or IBS-C. Mine was pain only. What symptoms was your friend treating with her wheatgrass enemas? Also, I have heard of but never even seen wheatgrass juice. Is it sold as a liquid or some other form like a powder to be dissolved? How does your friend prepare her enema solutions?

Eric

Baking soda lowers the PH of the water. Makes the water less hard.

Hardness of water is related to the amount of Ca++ and Mg++ ions in the water. Adding baking soda won't change that. A water softener has an exchange resin that substitutes sodium for the Ca and Mg, but that doesn't happen if you just dump in soda.

What it does do is buffer the pH and increase the alkalinity, which can make things more gentle. The smoothest solution you can get is a mixed sodium bicarbonate/table salt mix.

@ericmacson

The wheatgrass juice can be had at most health food stores, and it comes in pints, quarts and gallons. She uses the juice as it comes out of the bottle, in a two quart enema, retained for between five minutes and an hour (depends on how playful we get). This seems to have put the IBS completely under control, and she does the juice enema every two or three days, depending on how she feels. She has also become an aficionado of the salt/soda enema, but has a bit of trepidation about the coffee enema. We may try a small coffee/salt/soda enema and see how she reacts. She has become somewhat envious of me with the gallon coffee, followed by a gallon of salt/soda held for an hour or so.

Hardness of water is related to the amount of Ca++ and Mg++ ions in the water. Adding baking soda won't change that. A water softener has an exchange resin that substitutes sodium for the Ca and Mg, but that doesn't happen if you just dump in soda.

What it does do is buffer the pH and increase the alkalinity, which can make things more gentle. The smoothest solution you can get is a mixed sodium bicarbonate/table salt mix.

@moliere,

Your notes on Na+, Ca++ and Mg++ make good sense, but would you clarify your terms gentle and smooth re enemas? Do smooth and gentle refer to lack of cramping or irritation, or skin “slipperiness” or other things?

Eric

@ericmacson

For me, the salt/soda mix really helps dimish the cramps, urge to release and the need to urinate during a long term (at least an hour) retention. With coffee, raising the pH of the coffee seems to have completely eliminated any intestinal irritation, thus enabiling me to also retain for an hour or so.

@moliere,

Your notes on Na+, Ca++ and Mg++ make good sense, but would you clarify your terms gentle and smooth re enemas? Do smooth and gentle refer to lack of cramping or irritation, or skin “slipperiness” or other things?

Eric

Sorry, yes that was extremely unclear. I find that the buffered bicarb/chloride mix is minimal cramping and irritation. That is also the solution I use for sinus irrigation and eyewash if needed because it seems to match up with the body well. The downside is that it takes much longer to expel when used as an enema (for me).

@moliere

The salt/soda solution does take a bit longer to expel, but because I'm into long term retention, that is exactly why I use it.

Now know why I hated chemistry in school. Glad the salt, soda and soap do their job and make me feel wonderful.