The new trend to detox our body from all the day’s impurities has become infamous among millennials. People now rely on various supplements to cleanse their body’s insides because they know it leads to a healthy body and suitable wellness routine.
Health-Conscious people are more into supplements where if they are not getting something organic in the city, they would surely set their sight for its supplement. The newer kinds of detox drinks and eatables are now available in the market to give these health-conscious people a range of products to choose from.
One of those detoxicating elements available in the market and used by many individuals is activated charcoal. It is right! Activated charcoal has been very appealing to many people because of its efficiency and properties to bind all the impurities and absorb them.
Activated charcoal has now become one of hose many elements used in toothpaste, beauty creams that claim to suck all the dirt out from your skin, and even eateries such as ice-cream. People use activated charcoal in its powdered form too to mix it in their drink and form a detox drink that they could consume in their everyday work or health routine.
The question still stands in everyone’s mind that what is activated charcoal exactly? Precisely to say, it is a fine odorless black-colored powder which is comprised of the carbon-based compound. The charcoal manufacturers try to make the compound in an extremely absorbent form, so when someone adds it into their drink, it binds all the molecules, ions, and atoms, hence, absorbing all the dirt in the body in itself.
According to sources, a review was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, which said that charcoal preparations (a single teaspoon of charcoal) have approximately one-third of a large football ground area. The large surface allows the charcoal to absorb all the molecules and impurities inside a body to cleanse and purify it.
Activated charcoal could be obtained by heating carbon-based compounds at a very high temperature, for instance, saw-dust or wood. This charcoal is different from the black substance found in charcoal bricks used to grill food.
Also, charcoal activation is significant from carbon compounds such as wood because it frees up all the previously absorbed dirt and molecules and makes it ready for absorbing newer elements forming larger holes into it. Hence, trapping all the toxins into it and releasing them from our feces.
Some Benefits of Charcoal
Being a very potent detoxifying substance, there are some health benefits of charcoal. Apart from detoxifying and cleansing the body, charcoal could also help in other ways, some of them include:
Clinically used to treat poisoning and Drug Overdose.
A position paper published in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology reported that after comparing 48 data and 26 drugs involved in those, the volunteers who took around 50 grams of activated charcoal 30 minutes after they consumed poison showed reduced poison signs side-effect by up to 47 percent.
Clinical experts have claimed that activated charcoal can reduce the side-effects of poison consumption and drug overdose. A source- Mayo Clinic responds to activated charcoal usage for curing poisoning, saying that it is not effective in poisons such as alkalis, strong acids, or petroleum products.
The use of activated charcoal for treating poisoning or overdose depends on the case-to-case or nature of the poison or drug. Nothing can be said confidently on its sure results to treat overdose or poison, so one must not try to independently cure this at home since it is made for use in the clinical setup.
Support the Kidney Health
Activated charcoal helps assist the kidney in smoothly performing the function of filtration by absorbing all the undigested toxic elements in it. Urea is the main product from which protein is digested in the body, and charcoal helps absorb and remove it effectively.
In-depth research and observation are required to claim confidently. Still, charcoal is known for reducing inflammation and gastrointestinal conditions in individuals, which could benefit people with chronic kidney disease. Doctors can recommend charcoal if one is suffering from kidney disease, but more importantly, they put stress on lowering all the protein diet one is taking to help reduce symptoms somewhat.
For Filteration of Water
Water management systems have been using activated charcoal granules to filter water besides other chemicals. Charcoal has been known to absorb all the chemicals, drugs, viruses, or bacteria from the water efficiently, known in a person’s intestine.
A 2015 study found that water filtration systems that used carbon removed as much as 100 percent of the fluoride in 32 unfiltered water samples after 6 months of installation.
~ Medical News Today
From ancient times, people have been using charcoal as a part of the water filtration process as it helps reduce all the impurities in the water.
For Reducing Intestinal Gas
European Food Safety Authority mentions that charcoal used for food consumption could be supported since it could reduce intestinal gas. Consuming activated charcoal would mean that all the liquid and gas that has been trapped in the intestine could pass through the many holes in charcoal, which in return helps in neutralizing it.
A study was conducted to prove that few participants with a history of excessive intestinal gas took activated charcoal in about 448 milligrams (mg) three times a day for about two days. The morning of their final examination, as a result, conclusion, these participants again took about 672 mg of activated charcoal powder.
When they did an ultrasound scan to identify specific organs, the examiners could see them, which was not visible before due to intestinal gas. Hence, 34 percent of the total participants showed improved symptoms of intestinal gas. Still, more observations and research are required to claim something as a conclusive theory.
For Skincare
Skincare products such as anti-aging cream, blemish removal, and fine lines drawing cream in the market contain activated charcoal as one of the ingredients to make skin smoother and better.
Some skin care brands have charcoal face washes claiming to suck all the dirt out from the skin and making it smooth. Our skin does have trapped microparticles and excess oil and dirt, which needs an escape so that our skin could feel fresh. Activated charcoal helps in drawing them out and cleansing our skin properly.
For Teeth Whitening and Oral Hygiene
The oral health products in the market, such as toothpaste, which has charcoal as an ingredient, claim that their product is an antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and detoxifying agent cleaning mouth teeth properly.
There are kinds of toothpaste and mouthwashes now available in the market that contains charcoal as an ingredient to absorb all the dirt from the inside. There are not enough studies or reviews to validate this theory. Instead, as the review reported, using charcoal for oral health led to increased caries and enamel abrasion contributing to the mouth’s cavities.
It is best to consult your dentists before thinking of using charcoal for oral health and use it under the professional’s supervision.
It might help in treating Diarrhea.
Since charcoal traps all the impurities and bacteria in the gut, it could help relieve diarrhea symptoms. Some sources report that using charcoal for relieving diarrhea symptoms could be harmful than the side-effects of anti-diarrheal treatment. Also, according to a few other sources, Charcoal hasn’t shown any improvement in the patients suffering from diarrhea.
More research and analysis is required to clearly say anything about the specific benefits of charcoal and its usage in the treatments mentioned above. It is always best to consult a medical expert before indulging in trying something new because it might show some harmful results than improving it.
For now, more observation is necessary to claim activated charcoal the best for all these health conditions and daily usage.
