Activated charcoal: 22 benefits of activated charcoal

Did you know that... activated charcoal can be safely ingested orally to remedy many health problems?

In fact activated charcoal USP grade of Léo Désilets including Drug Identification Number (DIN) is the only activated charcoal authorized by Health Canada for oral ingestion into the human body. Price of $9.49 includes 30 capsules when added to cart!

But what are the factors that make activated charcoal therapeutic? And when should it be used?

Let's take a look at activated charcoala real health ally.

What is activated charcoal?

The activated carbon is a natural and pharmaceutical health product with therapeutic properties that have stood the test of time.

Used for medicinal purposes since Antiquity, the activated charcoal has been used throughout the ages to facilitate the filtration of liquids, remedy poisoning and relieve indigestion.

Today activated charcoal is the remedy of choice in hospital settings for the treatment of xenobiotic overdose, which encompasses any chemical molecule that is toxic to the body. Commonly encountered human xenobiotics include pesticides, drugs and pathogenic (harmful) bacteria.

Visit activated carbon is a fine, black, odorless powder derived from the degradation of carbon-rich plant matter. It can be made from the combustion and degradation of wood, coconut bark, sawdust, food pits or, more commonly, peat. When coal is heated to very high temperatures, its porosity is altered and the coal's contact surface is increased. The result is a highly porous coal with a high absorption capacity. It is said that one teaspoon of activated charcoal has an absorption surface as large as a soccer field. ^{1, 2}

Is using activated charcoal safe (even for children)?

Visit activated charcoal should not be confused with coal used as a fossil fuel.

Although they may be made from the same plant materials, charcoal sold as an energy resource has not been heated to high temperatures, which does not give it therapeutic properties. What's more, some of the materials present in charcoal intended for fuel use can be hazardous for human consumption, as can carbonized residues from burnt food.

Unlike these types of coal activated carbon (USP) with a Drug Identification Number (DIN) or a Drug Identification Number (DIN). natural product (NPN) is safe for oral ingestion. Manufactured to the highest industry standards, the activated carbon is safe to consume and can be used therapeutically.

When and why use activated charcoal?

Visit activated carbon is shaped to increase its surface absorption and porosity. This process enables the activated carbon to cling to the molecules, ions and atoms it encounters. Since the activated carbon is not absorbed by the body, any substance to which it clings is held captive and cannot pass through the intestinal wall. In this way, it carries captured substances along the digestive tract to natural elimination routes. ⁶

1. Activated charcoal to reduce flatulence

Absorbs up to 100 times its volume in gas, activated charcoal is a preferred remedy for flatulence and intestinal gas. Although little understood, this phenomenon has been confirmed by numerous clinical trials and medical imaging.

So effective is this remedy that it is now recognized by the European Food Safety Authority, which recommends taking activated charcoal 30 minutes before meals for maximum benefits. Regular intake of activated charcoal can improve the quality of life of thousands of people suffering from intestinal pain and discomfort due to excess gas. ^{1, 2}

2. Activated charcoal for gastroenteritis and diarrhoea

Whether it's to relieve gastroenteritis or traveler's diarrhea, or to counter the effects of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), medication or bowel cancer, activated charcoal soothes diarrhea. The high porosity of activated charcoal and its high absorption surface give it anti-diarrheal properties. With few or no side effects, activated charcoal can be taken safely for all types of acute diarrhea. ³

3. Activated charcoal to counter food poisoning

Food poisoning, also known as food poisoning or foodborne illness, is an infection or irritation of the gastrointestinal tract caused by food contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites. Signs usually appear soon after ingestion, and can include sudden symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and chills.

Activated charcoal can limit the symptoms of food poisoning by absorbing the organisms responsible and driving them straight out of the body.

4. Activated charcoal as a detoxifying agent

Activated charcoal's ability to bind to various substances makes it a preferred remedy for eliminating toxins and poisoning agents. For example, activated charcoal is administered in hospitals to limit the absorption of drugs or pharmaceutical agents into the body. The faster the charcoal is administered, the greater its effectiveness. Activated charcoal has its limitations, however, and cannot bind to all substances. Medical assistance is required when overdose is suspected. 

5. Activated charcoal for kidney health

Healthy kidneys are able to filter blood and metabolic waste (metabolites) efficiently. However, if a person is affected by kidney disease, the kidneys need additional support to adequately filter metabolites, particularly urea. Activated charcoal can promote renal health and optimize the functions of these organs by reducing the detoxification burden. Indeed, charcoal has the ability to bind urea to other toxins to facilitate its elimination. This process enables urea to be eliminated efficiently through the stool, without imposing additional stress on the kidneys. In this way, activated charcoal reduces the detoxification load on the kidneys, improving overall renal function. ^{4, 5}

6. Activated charcoal for oral health

The mouth is home to a highly complex microbial flora that can be altered by lifestyle and dietary habits. An imbalance in the oral flora encourages the proliferation of micro-organisms that predispose to numerous oral health disorders, including gingivitis, tooth decay and plaque formation. ⁶

Given its antimicrobial action, activated charcoal promotes better oral health by maintaining the balance of good bacteria. That's why activated charcoal is featured in a number of oral health products, including toothpaste toothpaste and whitening powder. Activated charcoal is also used as a whitening agent, making it an important ingredient in many oral hygiene products.

7. Activated charcoal to eliminate body odor

Many air filters owe their effectiveness to the properties of charcoal. Thanks to its absorbent and antibacterial action, usp activated charcoal is not only an excellent filter, but also an excellent body odor regulator.

 In fact, body perspiration contains very little odor. Instead, it's the action of bacteria that thrive in moist environments that is identified as the cause of unpleasant odors. As a result, many natural deodorants feature the properties of activated charcoal.

8. Activated charcoal for skin care

The properties of activated charcoal are interesting for skin care. From facials and acne treatment to wound cleansing, activated charcoal helps maintain skin health.

Thanks to its high absorbency, activated charcoal powder removes sebum, fluid and toxins from the skin's surface, especially from wounds, making skin care and healing easier. What's more, activated charcoal's antibacterial action helps control microbial activity on the skin surface and in wounds, reducing the proliferation of bacteria and the risk of infections harmful to the healing process. ⁷

9. Activated charcoal to reduce bad cholesterol

As a number of clinical studies have demonstrated, activated charcoal can help reduce cardiovascular-damaging bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, while increasing the good cholesterol (HDL) that contributes to good health. In these studies, taking high doses of activated charcoalup to 30 grams a day, helped reduce bad cholesterol levels by up to 41%. Thanks to the porosity of activated charcoal, a scientific principle, cholesterol binds to charcoal, preventing it from being absorbed by the body. ^{8, 9, 10}

10. Activated charcoal for water filtration

Although drinking water is a commodity of the modern age, it's not beyond reproach. Many municipalities allow the addition of chlorine and fluoride to their water, while allowing for the presence of environmental contaminants such as heavy metals. Contaminants in water can be detrimental to maintaining optimal health. Carbon filters are highly efficient in the filtration process and result in purer, pollutant-free water.

This is the case with Clean Sip straw straw, which purifies water by filtering out many pollutants, including lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chlorine, fluoride, e-coli, algae, yeast and giardia.

11. What exactly is activated charcoal?

This is a medicinal-grade charcoal produced by carbonizing wood (beech, birch, bamboo, etc., or coconut shells) at high temperature (600-900°C) and without air. The same charcoal undergoes a second calcination, this time in the presence of steam, air or oxidizing gases. And it's thanks to this second process that charcoal becomes "activated", enabling it to absorb various molecules.^{1, 3}

Back to health: Naturopathic care with activated charcoal is useful

We live in a world where the human body is subject to the presence of waste products or foreign substances that penetrate it on a chronic basis. Examples include food chemicals such as colorings, additives, artificial flavors, preservatives, etc., as well as contaminants such as pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, etc.

All these foreign substances, which invade our bodies and overload the work of our emunctories (kidneys, liver), can be absorbed with activated vegetable charcoal and excreted from the body via natural intestinal elimination routes..^{2, 3}

13. Bad breath

Bad breath can be caused by a lack of hydration or inadequate oral health (dental hygiene), but more often its origin lies in an intestine overloaded with toxic substances that the body seeks to eliminate. At work, this can be a real nuisance! Vegetable charcoal is part of the natural pharmacopoeia to help eliminate the effects of intestinal fermentation and restore good breath..^{3, 4}

14. Charcoal relieves aerophagia by capturing gases

Visit charcoal has proven to be the most effective remedy against intestinal gases responsible for the flatulence that often causes bloated tummies. It absorbs gases produced during digestion, while also capturing all undesirable substances such as bacteria and environmental pollutants.

15. Is it good for relieving nausea?

It's important to understand the origin of a symptom in order to alleviate it. If nausea is linked to flatulence or bloating, then activated vegetable charcoal will be of invaluable help..^{1, 2, 3, 6}

16. Diarrhea/Tourista

The high porosity of activated charcoal and its large absorption surface give it anti-diarrheal properties. Commercial activated charcoal can be used for all types of acute diarrhea, including those of viral, bacterial or parasitic origin..³

17. Food poisoning

Food poisoning or food intoxication is a set of signs and symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc.) that a person experiences following ingestion of food contaminated by a bacterium, virus or parasite.

Activated vegetable charcoal will be of invaluable help in eliminating the toxins responsible for the disorders associated with food poisoning..^{3, 4, 5, 6}

18. Oestrogens and activated charcoal

Excess estrogen (for women and some men) disrupts physical and emotional health. Women feel this as their periods approach (tension, anxiety, cramps, water retention, obsession with sugar, aches and pains, etc.). Activated charcoal has the ability to trap excess estrogen, which interferes with hormonal balance..^{3, 6}

19. Allergies

Pollens, grasses and even poison ivy come to mind. Vegetable charcoal can trap molecules such as histamine released during the antigen-antibody conflict, thus reducing the amplitude of the allergy.

20. Cholesterol

Vegetable charcoal lowers cholesterol (LDL or bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels. Thanks to charcoal's porosity, cholesterol binds to the charcoal, preventing it from being reabsorbed into the body.

21. Cigarette smoking

Vegetable charcoal can trap toxic molecules that must be eliminated through inhalation and second-hand smoke.

22. Weight loss

If you're looking to lose weight, losing fat releases highly toxic waste products that the charcoal charcoal will trap and eliminate.

Other signs of toxicity

If you have a dull complexion, a sore tongue or acne pimples, you can use vegetable charcoal to help drain toxins and cleanse your system..⁶

How to use activated charcoal on a daily basis

Vegetable charcoal is taken orally. It is available in powder or capsule form. The powder is black and colored when taken. It is therefore more convenient to swallow capsules, like those offered by Quebec-based Léo Désilets. If you prefer to drink carbonated water, a straw will be useful. Dosage may vary from case to case.

• In general, we recommend 1 gram per day for adults, equivalent to 2 capsules 2 times a day. Take capsules with a full glass of water after meals.
• Vegetal charcoal can also be applied to the skin, for example by preparing a face mask with clay..^{3, 6}

You can take vegetable charcoal before bedtime, it will work all night long. This is the time of day when the body cleans itself. Over several months, it will have a beneficial effect on the digestive and intestinal systems, on the skin, on weight loss and even on energy..³

Activated charcoal: a few precautions 

• It's important not to take activated charcoal at the same time as certain medications, such as oral contraceptives. Poisoning could occur.
• Whatever the medication, it's a good idea to leave a two-hour gap before or after taking it. Ask your doctor's advice if you're unsure.
• Prolonged use may lead to constipation. Always start with a low dosage and gradually increase. Monitoring is recommended. Especially for children suffering from gastroenteritis, for example.
• If you are taking activated charcoal and unpleasant symptoms arise, you should consult a health professional. With charcoal, it's important to read the recommendations, as with any other product!
• Any supplement, charcoal or otherwise, must be taken with caution. Depending on the product activated, contraindications may apply to you!

Delivery available

Store in our online health food store to have this product delivered to your door! Read more customer reviews to find out more.

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La Boite à Grains is proud to offer you USP grade activated charcoal from Léo Désilets. This is a healthy and safe natural health product, but should not be consumed within 2 hours of taking medication, as the desired effect of the medication may be reduced. Other products may be on special offer!

We wish you good health!
Meet the La Boite à Grains (profiles)
_______________________

About the author

Marie Couture, N.D., graduate

Sources

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