Diamond, Jared M. (1992). The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (P.S.). New York, N.Y.: Harper Perennial. p. 432. ISBN 978-0-06-084550-6. ; pp. 201 Scarborough, John (1975). "The Drug Lore of ASCLEPIADES of Bithynia". Pharmacy in History. 17 (2): 43–57. JSTOR 41108902. PMID 11609880. As bowel stimulants, enemas are employed for the same purposes as orally administered laxatives: to relieve constipation; to treat fecal impaction; to empty the colon prior to a medical procedure such as a colonoscopy. When oral laxatives are not indicated or are not sufficiently effective, enemas may be a sensible and necessary measure. [9] In Shakespeare's play Othello (Act II, Scene I) Iago says, "Yet again your fingers to your lips? would they were clyster-pipes for your sake!" [159] Magner, Lois (1992). A History of Medicine. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8247-8673-1.

Arachis oil (peanut oil) enema is useful for softening stools which are impacted higher than the rectum. [28]

Mineral oil is used as a lubricant because most of the ingested material is excreted in the stool rather than being absorbed by the body. [36] Engelhorn, Robert; Seeger, Ernst; Zwaving, Jan H. (2000). "Laxatives". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi: 10.1002/14356007.a15_183. ISBN 3527306730. Water Power is a film loosely based on the real-life exploits of Michael H. Kenyon, an American criminal who pleaded guilty to a decade-long series of armed robberies of female victims, some of which involved sexual assaults in which he would give them enemas. [172] In Cervantes' Don Quixote, a narrative to Sancho includes “The Knight of the Sun ... bound hand and foot ... was administered a clyster of snow water and sand that almost disracted him" [160] Lisa Bartley (29 October 2016). "Group of SoCal parents secretly try to cure kids with autism using bleach". ABC 7 News. American Broadcasting Company . Retrieved 24 March 2019.

ATC code A06 Drugs for constipation is a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System, a system of alphanumeric codes developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the classification of drugs and other medical products. [23] [24] [25] Subgroup A06 is part of the anatomical group A Alimentary tract and metabolism. [26] There are arguments both for and against colonic irrigation in people with diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, severe or internal hemorrhoids or tumors in the rectum or colon, and its usage is not recommended soon after bowel surgery (unless directed by one's health care provider). Regular treatments should be avoided by people with heart disease or kidney failure. Colonics are inappropriate for people with bowel, rectal or anal pathologies where the pathology contributes to the risk of bowel perforation. [66] Enemas are sometimes used in sadomasochistic activities [139] [140] for erotic humiliation [141] or for physical discomfort. [142] Rectal douching Ingelfinger, Franz J. (1954). "Treatment of Chronic Constipation". Clinical and Patient Services > Tutorials for Patients & Families. 58 (4): 503–512. Bibcode: 1954NYASA..58..503I. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1954.tb45865.x. PMC 5251364. PMID 29831395 . Retrieved 12 September 2018. a b Shils ME, Hermann MG (April 1982). "Unproved dietary claims in the treatment of patients with cancer". Bull N Y Acad Med. 58 (3): 323–40. PMC 1805327. PMID 7052177.Glycerol has a hyperosmotic effect and can be used as a small-volume (2–10 ml) enema (or suppository). [16] Report on Carcinogens, Fourteenth Edition". Report on Carcinogens. National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). November 2016 . Retrieved 3 March 2019. Klismaphiles may perceive pleasure from a large, water distended belly or the feeling of internal pressure. An enema fetish may include the sexual attraction to the equipment, processes, environments, situations, or scenarios, [136] Klismaphiles can gain satisfaction of enemas through fantasies, by actually receiving or giving one, or through the process of eliminating steps to being administered one (e.g., under the pretence of being constipated). [135] Make sure the person receiving the enema is relaxed and calm. It is much harder to insert the enema and its contents if the muscles are too tight. There might be some liquid leaking out, therefore the towels will make cleanup much easier. Modern Western Portable enema self-administration apparatus by Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla (18th century; Medical History Museum, University of Zurich) A normal clyster syringe (front) and the nozzle for a syringe designed for self-administration (rear). The latter avoided the need for a second party to attend an embarrassing procedure.