Activated charcoal could be the latest addition to your medicine cabinet. When I first introduced charcoal to my husband, he immediately thought I was referring to the coals used in a charcoal grill. While charred foods pose a cancer risk, charcoal does not. In this article, I am addressing medicinal charcoal, also known as activated charcoal. It is an entirely different than the charcoal than what is found in the barbeque grill, and its medicinal effects are astounding and life-saving. You may have seen this trending across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. It has been used in foods, desserts, baths, and for other beauty purposes. Is it just a fad, or is it truly an antidote?
One of my favorite authors, who is the most widely translated female author of non-fiction, wrote about this amazing antidote in the 1800-1900s! Interestingly, activated charcoal was first developed in the 1800s.
“The charcoal possesses a wonderful power of drawing poison from the system.” (E. G. White Letter 326, 1906)
What is Charcoal?
Charcoal is nearly pure carbon. (1) It is produced by carbonization, which is a slow heating process and is either chemically activated or steam activated. What you have next is called activated charcoal. It is then treated to remove impurities. It is primarily made from coconut shells, but it can also be either wood-based or bamboo-based. Charcoal has many crevices and corners, or pores, that hold onto toxic and poisonous substances. It can and should be used immediately in any case of poisoning. It is used in emergency rooms for drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning.
Charcoal is odorless and tasteless. It can be used both internally and externally. It is available in the form of tablets, liquid form, and as sticks. I recommend choosing the powder form for at-home use. The tablets and liquid are equally as useful; however, the tablets are very convenient when traveling, and the liquid form is perfect for ease of use. The tablets can be swallowed with water, or dissolved into water first. When using the powder form, take extra care when mixing it in water, as charcoal is a very fine powder, and can easily spill everywhere. The sticks act as a water purifier when placed in water. It can be placed in your water bottle.
Charcoal and Food Poisoning
Four days before our wedding date, my husband got food poisoning. As you can imagine, there is nothing pleasant about that. He was projectile vomiting, felt very weak, and developed a light grade fever. I applied a few natural remedies and treatments to help him, which you can read about (here) but a charcoal drink is one of the first remedies I turned to. As mentioned above, charcoal should be used immediately in any case of poisoning—and it’s so true! About five hours later, he woke up, his fever was gone, and he felt refreshed. Fevers typically last a couple days for him, but this one was gone in a matter of hours. What is it exactly in charcoal that makes it highly effective? Read on about…
Why It Works
Charcoal works by adsorption. This is different than absorption. Adsorption is the attachment of a substance to the surface of another. It is essentially binding itself, thus preventing the toxin from releasing itself. Charcoal has no negative side effects, even in large doses. However, it is recommended to drink plenty of water when consuming charcoal. It should not be taken regularly as it may absorb some nutrients, however, it is beneficial to use intermittently.
What do you think; is this something you would try? Would you like to read stories about the healing effects of activated charcoal? You can read about it here: Amazing Charcoal Stories.
(1) Uchee Pines.org – Charcoal uses