Activated Charcoal

 

There has been a lot of talk that charcoal is carcinogenic.

This is not true! Burnt foods can be considered carcinogenic as the  black crust is not carbon. It is composed of the very compounds that are normally consumed during the charcoal-making process. These include chemically changed super-heated proteins, fats and carbohydrates that may in fact contribute to cancer. I cannot prove or disprove that charred toast may be an effective home remedy, but it and other scorched foods are not charcoal and are not healthful. Since charcoal briquettes used for barbecuing are infused with poisonous petroleum distillates to help them ignite, they should never be used for medicinal applications.

Charcoal is not a cure-all,  however, its effectiveness in the treatment of different ailments has been documented in numerous medical journals, including the journal of the American Medical Association, the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, and Clinical Toxicology. Today doctors, paramedics and medical centres use activated charcoal in a number of different ways: to eliminate toxic by-products that cause anaemia in cancer patients; to disinfect and deodorize wounds; to filter toxins from the blood in liver and kidney diseases; to purify blood in transfusions; to cut down on odours for ileostomy and colostomy patients; to treat poisonings and overdoses of aspirin, Tylenol and other drugs; to treat some forms of dysentery, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, and colic; to treat poisonous snake, spider and insect bites. More recently its ability to adsorb cholesterol has been reviewed.

TOXINS

  • We recommended to do an Activated Charcoal detox for up to a month. It will greatly help your liver, kidney, bowel, intestine, colon and general all over health of your body. Once you have completed the detox we recommend you take Activated Charcoal once a week to help maintain an optimum level of health and rid your body of anything toxic you may have come in contact with.

Remember Activated charcoal is not a supplement and is not something you need to take daily. It is not putting anything in but taking the bad out.   Charcoal was given internally to help detoxify individuals for a variety of toxic conditions, and it was also used externally in poultices.  As a general detoxifier, charcoal is without equal. It purifies the six to eight liters of digestive fluids that are secreted daily. This in turn helps to remove foreign substances from the blood. Charcoal adsorbs the intoxicant substance and its metabolites that are excreted into the small intestine by way of the bile duct, thus preventing their re-absorption. As we have noted, charcoal adsorbs drugs that diffuse back into the stomach and intestines. By neutralizing all these toxins, charcoal decreases the workload of the liver as well as the kidneys. While charcoal lightens the load on the body, it could also lighten our national budget.

HEAVY METAL

  • Activated Charcoal  is now recommended as the sole therapy, and should be given for ingestion of any toxic material, except iron, hydrocarbons  and caustic agents.”

A half mile away, a refinery employee had accidentally turned the wrong valve and exposed us to one of the most carcinogenic substances in the United States. Benzene affects the eyesight, nervous system, kidneys, and liver.  “When we arrived at the hospital we were all given blood tests. These tests revealed that all eighteen of us had dangerous levels of benzene in our blood systems. The doctors at the hospital explained that it would take up to a year for the benzene to leave our systems, and the damage it would do would vary from blindness to liver cancer to kidney failure, and highly possible to death.  There was no known treatment to remove the benzene from the blood.  “That morning there were eighteen very scared men, who had come from all over the United Stated to earn a living for their families. Their lives were now being given an expiration date of five to seven years.  A friend suggested I take activated charcoal three times a day and not to miss a dose.  “After taking the charcoal , I made an appointment with my family doctor. I told him about the benzene and asked for another blood test. When the test came back a week later, it showed that I had no benzene in my system.  The doctor said that my case had caused him to spend a lot of time reading about benzene and, according to all he had read, there was no way the body could rid itself of benzene in less than twelve months. He said that the lab knew this also, and they would give me another test for free. Those results also came back, NO BENZENE in my body!!!  “About six months later, the contractor refused to pay for any testing done to me. This led to a court action because federal law, workman’s compensation, and O.C.C.A. regulations said the contractor was fully responsible.  Approximately three years later I went to court.  “Upon arriving, I met a man who was scheduled to appear in court at the same time as I was. After introductions, it turned out that he was with a law firm representing seventeen men who had filed a class action suit due to benzene poisoning in Lima, Ohio in 1994. The court did not know that I was not part of that lawsuit, and had scheduled me at the same time in the same courtroom. The attorney explained to me that two of his clients suffered from blindness, four were on kidney dialysis, and all were being treated by a neurological psychiatrist. The lawyer was amazed that my benzene level had been more than twice that of any of his clients, yet I had no health problems whatsoever. He said that it was nothing short of a miracle for me. It wasn’t a miracle it was charcoal.

MERCURY

  • Many holistic dentists recommend that you take activated charcoal before, during and after amalgams filling extraction as the charcoal will help eliminate the mercury from your system.

For those of you who still have amalgam (silver fillings) I would recommend that you take Activated Charcoal once a week to eliminate any mercury from your system as mercury is released by chewing and temperature (hot and cold drinks and food).   Activated Charcoal will also help remove Lead Acetate and other metals from your system.

PESTICIDES, POISONS AND DRUGS

  • Pumping the stomach in a hospital will help to quickly remove large amounts of poisons. However, it does not reach beyond the stomach as charcoal does. As charcoal continues down through the bowels it picks up poisons that were not pumped out. Charcoal and the poisons are then eliminated together when there is a bowel movement.

Activated charcoal does not irritate the mucous membranes of the GI system. It may be given orally to someone who is awake and alert. It is generally given as a black liquid drink. Multiple doses of activated charcoal can often be given if someone has swallowed large doses of long-acting, sustained release medication.15 Charcoal has the ability to adsorb drugs in the enter hepatic circulation cycle (intestinal-liver circulation loop), significantly clearing them from the blood stream. Normally, the liver filters poisons from the bloodstream. These poisons are then added to the liver bile, and together they pass back into the intestinal tract for elimination. But it is possible for some drugs to be reabsorbed by the intestines and then back into the blood system before they are voided in the stool. Therefore, several days of repeated doses of charcoal is still a good treatment for poisons that may otherwise remain in the blood for a long time.

NICOTINE/ALCOHOL

  • Activated Charcoal effectively neutralizes alkaloids like strychnine, morphine, nicotine, caffeine, and the bromine.

To avoid a hangover take a tablespoon of charcoal in a large glass of water,  followed by another glass of water before bed and upon rising. Keep well hydrated.

PARASITES

  • For those of you planning to travel, especially to developing countries, I would suggest including charcoal in your first aid kit, and not just for yourselves.

Remember there are many travelers who know nothing about the benefits of charcoal who may need what you have.  Activated Charcoal can be used as a natural worming treatment for humans and pets but please remember that it will not do Heart Worm so you must treat your animals separately for this.

CHLORINE

  • Activated charcoal will help adsorb chlorine internally and externally.

In some states there is more chlorine in the drinking water than the local swimming pool. So I would personally be taking charcoal at least once a week to help eliminate the chlorine from you systems. Chlorine is toxic.

LOWERS CHLOESTEROL

  • Activated Charcoal lowers the concentration of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood serum, liver, heart and brain.

In one study on patients with high cholesterol, reported in 1986 in the British journal, The Lancet, two tablespoons  of activated charcoal taken three times a day for four weeks, lowered total cholesterol 25%, lowered LDL cholesterol 41%, and doubled their HDL/LDL (high-density  lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol ratio. Microscopic tissue examination shows that a daily dose of activated charcoal may prevent many cellular changes associated with aging—including decreased protein synthesis, lower RNA activity, organ fibrosis as well as sclerotic changes in the heart and coronary blood vessels. We can safely say, as an anti-aging adjunct to a total health program, the above cumulative effects of charcoal upon one’s blood chemistry, may add up to a longer life and improved overall health.

HANGOVER CURE

  • To avoid a hangover take a tablespoon of Activated Charcoal in a large glass of water, followed by another glass of water, before bed and upon rising and then again one hour later.  Keep well hydrated.

FLU SYMPTOMS.

  • Take Activated charcoal at the first sign of the flu.

It will help rid your body of any bacteria or bug that has cause it. If you have a saw throat then make up a thick charcoal paste and swallow slowly. Try and hold in your throat for a few minutes. Repeat hourly till your symptoms are relieved.

FLATULENCE

  • Activated charcoal cuts down on the amount of gas produced by beans and other gas-producing foods, and adsorbs the excess gas as well as the bacteria that form the gas.

Brand name, over-the-counter drugs may be more commonly used for gas because of their attractive packaging and commercial value, but they are certainly not as effective.

BLOATING

  • Charcoal helps greatly with gastric and intestinal disorder, indigestion, dyspepsia, heartburn, sour or acid stomach, gas upon the stomach, constant belching, fetid breath, all gaseous complications.

If you are feeling bloated,  then have a teaspoon of charcoal in a large glass of water and the gas should subside within 10 minutes.

COLIC

  • To be taken internally by babies or those with sensitive digestion as in ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease.

Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of charcoal powder into a litre of warm water.  Allow the charcoal to settle out then pour off the gray water into a baby bottle or separate glass.  This can be repeated several times using the original charcoal.

NAUSEA AND VOMITING

  •  We believe it to be the most effective treatment available for nausea and vomiting and should always be used as the primary treatment of choice.

Often, very uncomfortable patients will feel well in seconds after swallowing the charcoal slurry made from charcoal powder stirred in water.” 25 In the case of nausea and vomiting, after each vomiting episode, drink a mixture of one to two large spoonfuls of powder in a little water. You may follow the charcoal water with a glass of plain water, if tolerated. If the charcoal is vomited up, drink another glass of charcoal water immediately.

BOWEL PROBLEMS

  • For diarrhoea, after each loose or watery stool, drink a mixture of one to two large spoonfuls of charcoal powder in a glass of water.

Follow each glass of charcoal water with one or two glasses of plain water.  Charcoal will also help you greatly if you suffer from constipation,  although it should be taken in a slurry.

SLURRY

  • To be taken internally by babies or those with sensitive digestion as in ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease.   Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of charcoal powder into a quart of warm water.  Allow the charcoal to settle out then pour off the gray water into a baby bottle or separate glass.

This can be repeated several times using the original charcoal.

BALI BELLY

  • Take a heaped tablespoon of charcoal in a glass of clean water followed by another glass of water.

Follow this dosage after every loose bowel movement or after vomiting.  Believe us, we will not travel without it and it has helped us and other travellers we have introduced charcoal to.

LIVER AND KIDNEY PROBLEMS

  • Charcoal has the ability to adsorb drugs in the enterohepatic circulation cycle (intestinal-liver circulation loop), significantly clearing them from the blood stream.

Normally, the liver filters poisons from the bloodstream. These poisons are then added to the liver bile, and together they pass back into the intestinal tract for elimination. But it is possible for some drugs to be reabsorbed by the intestines and then back into the blood system before they are voided in the stool. Therefore, several days of repeated doses of charcoal is still a good treatment for poisons that may otherwise remain in the blood for a long time.   While most people usually think of poisoning as a single event, we need to be reminded that the body is continually dealing with waste products from digestion and metabolism. The organs employed in filtering and purifying the blood can always use some extra help. As a general detoxifier, charcoal is without equal. It purifies the six to eight litres of digestive fluids that are secreted daily. This in turn helps to remove foreign substances from the blood. Charcoal adsorbs the intoxicant substance and its metabolites that are excreted into the small intestine by way of the bile duct, thus preventing their re-absorption. As we have noted, charcoal adsorbs drugs that diffuse back into the stomach and intestines. By neutralizing all these toxins, charcoal decreases the workload of the liver as well as the kidneys. While charcoal lightens the load on the body, it could also lighten our national budget.  A welder by trade, had become acutely ill from breathing the fumes while welding galvanized metal. These deadly fumes are known to destroy the nephrone cells in the kidneys, keeping them from properly filtering the blood. In his case,  blood work showed extremely elevated levels of waste products so he was scheduled to begin kidney dialysis in a couple of weeks. The man was advised by a natural healer to take  a daily charcoal bath. This was supplemented each night with a twelve-inch wide poultice applied around his trunk.  This in turn helps to remove foreign substances from the blood. Charcoal adsorbs the intoxicant substance and its metabolites that are excreted into the small intestine by way of the bile duct, thus preventing their re-absorption. As we have noted, charcoal adsorbs drugs that diffuse back into the stomach and intestines. By neutralizing all these toxins, charcoal decreases the workload of the liver as well as the kidneys.  The first and second weeks showed a steady drop in the man’s blood waste products. By the third week his blood functions had returned to near normal.   He  continued on the program and never needed dialysis.

People with a diseased liver or kidney can be treated at home with a large compress over the mid-back or over the abdomen. To hold the poultice in place, plastic stretch wrap can be wound around the person’s stomach. The best time to do this is just before going to bed.

BITES STINGS ETC

  • Poultices have been found to be effective for itchy skin, infections, gangrenous ulcers, insect bites and stings.

When one considers that the skin is the largest organ of the body, it is reasonable to expect that poultices would have the profound effect they do. However, the poultice does need to be kept moist to be effective. Charcoal may be used by itself or with ground flaxseed or with clay added to the charcoal.  Using equal parts of charcoal,  and ground flaxseed makes a nice poultice that will, when covered with plastic, remain moist overnight. Once used, poultices should be discarded.  A little charcoal paste or a moistened charcoal tablet applied to a band-aid works well for insect bites

EYE INFECTIONS

  • For inflammation of the eyes, apply a small 2 in. x 2 in. charcoal poultice over one eyelid for eight to ten hours.

It should then be removed and another compress used on the opposite eyelid. You can use a ski cap or surgical tape to hold the poultice in place.  Use this method for the first sign of any eye infection eg pink eye.

CANDIDIASIS

Richard Kaufman, PhD, is a bio-nutritional chemist. He reports, “Activated charcoal can be an effective adjunct to any regimen for the treatment of systemic Candida albicans infections.” The toxins produced by Candida, absorbed by the blood and carried throughout the body, are effectively adsorbed by charcoal. Candida toxins cause allergic reactions and are responsible for the debilitating symptoms of candidiasis.poultice on the eyelid. Those who are writers and end up with tired eyes will find this simple remedy helpful.

CANDIDA/TRUSH AND UTI

  • Take charcoal for about a week at the first sign of thrush or UTI.  Charcoal curbs the growth of intestinal-based yeasts, and it counteracts the Herxheimer reaction.

When, as a result of a successful treatment, there is a large die-off of yeast cells, there is a severe, short-term aggravation of Candida symptoms due to the increased amount of toxins produced. The Herxheimer reaction is often so unpleasant that patients abandon treatment before completion. . I took four Taking activated charcoal is one method for alleviating the symptoms of yeast die-off so that patients can continue their treatment and not suffer. Dr. Kaufman suggests 20-35 grams of activated charcoal a day in divided dosages on an empty stomach until the problem is eliminated. The larger amount is taken for more severe situations. He recommends not taking charcoal within two hours of taking required medications.

MOUTH ULCERS/COLD SORES AND TEETH

  • One of our customers from Kuranda have a tooth abscess. She made a thick Activated Charcoal paste and applied it around the area before going to bed on three consecutive nights. On the fourth morning the Activated Charcoal had drawn the abscess out.

Make a thick activated charcoal paste and apply to cold sores overnight until they disappear. I was also told by one of our lovely customers who I will refer to as The Honey man that if you take a tablespoon of organic coconut oil daily you will not suffer from cold sores again.  Brushing your teeth with Activated Charcoal will not only help whiten your teeth but also help remove plague and tartar. Make a thick paste and brush your teeth with in fourth nightly and soon your smiles will be whiter and your kisses sweeter.

CUTS AND INFECTIONS

  • Apply a poultice to the infected area and also take internally to kill and bacteria or infection.

Repeat until infection has healed and remember to dispose poultices. Do not reapply.

CYSTS/ULCERS/ABSCESS

  • Our beautiful cat “Kitcherella” likes to get into cat fits around the full moon. On one occasion as a result she had an abscess the size of a golf ball on her back. We applied an Activated Charcoal Poultice over night and by morning the abscess had been drawn out.

We continued applying a poultice of a few days and also gave her some Activated charcoal in her food to help fight any internal infection. $5 worth of charcoal certainly beats a $300 vet bill and an angry kitty. You can also sprinkle charcoal on an open wound if it occurs in an area you can not apply a poultice.  My sister had a sebaceous cyst on her back for years so I talked her into letting me apply a charcoal poultice on it. By morning the charcoal had drawn the cyst out. From that day on she uses charcoal for many different things, the kids included.   One of our customers from Kuranda have a tooth abscess. She made a thick Activated Charcoal paste and applied it around the area before going to bed on three consecutive nights. On the fourth morning the Activated Charcoal had drawn the abscess out.

SKIN IRRITATIONS/ACNE

  • Activated charcoal helps greatly with all different types of skin irritations.

You can use charcoal both internally and externally for any irritation. We also sell a 100% natural Activated charcoal and goats milk soap which will help greatly. There are three different scents to choose from. Please see product page.  Many of our customers have reported back to us about how great the Activated charcoal powder and soap has been for their skin and we personally have noticed a remarkable difference with blackheads.

NEUTRALISES ODOURS

  • Activated charcoal id the most absorptive material in the world and is great for adsorbing odours.

Put some charcoal powder in a container in the bathroom or any other area you would like to freshen up.

PETS

  • Activated Charcoal has no flavour so your pet will not be any the wiser.

Sprinkle Activated Charcoal in your pets wet food or water to help, worm them, freshen their breath and help with intestinal gas. Activated charcoal must always be taken with liquid or in a moist form and not in powdered form.  Use a poultice on any cuts, infections, abscesses or rashes and always give them internal doses to help fight and bacteria.  In case of poisoning give your pet a thick paste of activated charcoal to adsorb the poison immediately and seek the advice of your vet.

CHILDREN

  • Activated charcoal is safe to use for children of all ages.

In cases of infants we recommend you use a slurry water to administer it internally. ( See applications)

SLURRY

  • To be taken internally by babies or those with sensitive digestion as in ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease.

Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of charcoal powder into a quart of warm water.  Allow the charcoal to settle out then pour off the gray water into a baby bottle or separate glass.

This can be repeated several times using the original charcoal.