Enema

An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.^[1] The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected,^[2][3] as well as to a device for administering such an injection.^[4]

In standard medicine, the most frequent uses of enemas are to relieve constipation and for bowel cleansing before a medical examination or procedure;^[5] also, they are employed as a lower gastrointestinal series (also called a barium enema),^[6] to treat traveler's diarrhea,^[7] as a vehicle for the administration of food, water or medicine, as a stimulant to the general system, as a local application and, more rarely, as a means of reducing body temperature,^[1] as treatment for encopresis, and as a form of rehydration therapy (proctoclysis) in patients for whom intravenous therapy is not applicable.^[8]