Have you heard of activated carbon and how it is used?

Activated charcoal is an odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, fine black powder. Activated charcoal is well-documented in medical literature and adsorbs (not absorbs) chemicals, toxins, and poisons in the body (usually before they can do harm!).activated charcoal bulk

Adsorption is the chemical process in the body where toxins bind to a surface (activated charcoal). Its porous surface and negative electrical charge create a chemical reaction in the body and bind to toxins.

How to Use Activated Charcoal

1. Emergency poisoning (drugs, bleach, metals, aspirin, etc.) – It’s kept in the ER for this exact reason. This is why it’s important to have some on hand. We keep this one in our home. NOTE: Always call 911 in the event of any poisoning as they are trained in the exact amount needed to properly treat a poisoning.

2. As a tooth whitener – Add it to your DIY or natural toothpaste to remove stains from chocolate, berries, and wine. It actually changes the pH of your mouth to prevent decay, bad breath, and periodontal disease. Or, try this paste which has charcoal on its ingredient list. Consider brushing in the shower so you don’t make a mess! NOTE: Do not use more than once per week and exercise caution around dental work, such as veneers and crowns, as staining may occur.

3. Reduces gas and bloating – It can bind to and alleviate gas if taken one hour prior to a meal. That said, it’s not an excuse to eat poorly, but we all have occasions where having some on hand can be useful. 500mg capsules (like this) taken prior to eating should do the trick!

4. Eliminates mold – Did you know mold can actually live in your body? It can cause depression, liver and kidney failure, impaired immunity, respiratory illness, as well as a host of other serious issues. Leaks and poor ventilation in the home can exacerbate mold growth. Exercise caution when cleaning mold. Always wear a mask and gloves and never use bleach! I use Thieves Cleaner, which works and smells great. I also diffuse each room of our house for 24-48 hours with Thieves essential oil when we move in somewhere, as it will kill mold.

5. Air and water filtration – Activated charcoal can pull impurities such as pesticides, some fluoride and industrial waste out of water. It can pull gases and VOC’s out of the air (with the right system). Berkey makes great counter top water systems. This one is great for the whole house and is so nice as it makes all faucets drinking quality and eliminates need for shower filters!

6. Digestive cleansing – It is possible charcoal is the most effective GI decontaminant out there! Add 10 grams 60-90 minutes prior to each meal during digestive cleaning to help remove unwanted toxins, which contribute to poor health (allergies, immune function, etc).

7. Reduces high cholesterol – Check out (this study) where total cholesterol decreased by 25 percent, LDL cholesterol decreased by 41 percent, while HDL increased by 8 percent, in four weeks. This means bad cholesterol went down as effectively as prescription medications! NOTE: Take charcoal away from medications as it may have affect on absorption.

8. Helps with skin irritations – I have heard story after story where mamas have used a mix of baking soda (or coconut oil) and charcoal topically on their kiddo’s after a nasty spider bite (or other bug bites). Not only do they state the toxins were drawn out but there was also no scar!

Anti-aging – Charcoal prevents oxidation and cellular damage when included in cleansing. It can bind to heavy metals and other toxins and keep the liver, kidneys, and adrenals healthy. NOTE: Make sure channels of elimination are open and working well when cleansing. You need to be eliminating and sweating to properly rid of toxins. If this is a challenge, use infrared sauna and enema buckets or colonics as part of your healing process.coconut shell activated charcoal