Activated Charcoal has been used in the treatment of toxic events for almost 100 years with a remarkable record of safety. It adsorbs a wide variety of toxic compounds and facilitates their gastrointestinal remove. The natural absorbing properties of activated charcoal can help quell the storm in your stomach. The Poison Control Centers recommend having activated charcoal in every home in order to prepare for an accidental poisoning or drug overdose. Keep this safe and effective remedy on hand at all times. You never know when you'll need it.

Activated charcoal is one of the neatest remedies that I have run across in my endless search for natural cures. This stuff is so useful, so amazing, that it does not deserve a plain sounding moniker like “activated charcoal”.  It really deserves to more dignified name that properly conveys its miraculous curative powers, something that sounds like Latin or Greek.

While activated charcoal has a ton of uses, the most important role it performs is to prevent poison substances from entering the system in the case of accident ingestion. Giving activated charcoal to someone who has ingested something toxic (household cleaners, sedatives, narcotics, pain killers)  could save their life.

Here is how activated charcoal works. Activated charcoal is a highly adsorbent substance.  Now, before you assume I made a spelling error, please note that meant to say adsorbent with a d, not absorbent with a b. Adsorption is a slightly different process in which molecules will adhere to the surface of the charcoal. As activated charcoal moves through you G.I. Tract, everything that it passes will attach to the surface of it. Activated charcoal cannot be digested, so it and everything that has clung to it, leaves you during the next bowel movement. Now, you can see why this stuff is so effective is stopping poisons from being absorbed into your body. And this time I do mean absorb.

Besides helping save lives, ingesting activated charcoal also has several other health benefits. It can help eliminate fungi, viruses, and bacteria found in the body and can also adsorb gases and relieve you of painful gas pains or flatulence. There is also a reason why activated charcoal is used in air purifiers. It actually removes foul odors. This is something you might want to take into consideration if your farts can clear a room. Just think, no more blaming it on the dog. Recent research has also pointed to activated charcoal as a way to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart.

This stuff comes in powder and pill form, with pills, being the most convenient, less messy way to take it with you where ever you go. Mixing the powder with water to form a paste is a good way to ease the sting of insect bites.

While activated charcoal is pretty amazing stuff, there are some precautions that you need to heed before taking it. First, remember activated charcoals adsorbs just about everything it touches, including water and medications. Dehydration is the most common problem that people have when taking activated charcoal. Swelling of the stomach, constipation and vomiting might occur if dehydration becomes severs so be sure to drink plenty of water. Do not take medication and activated charcoal together. The medication will just be adsorbed and you will not receive it benefits. Diary product should be avoided when taking activated charcoal also, since milk seems to lessen its effectiveness.

Everyone should have a bottle of activated charcoal around. It’s not too pricey (around ten bucks a bottle) and it obviously has a lot of useful applications. For those of you with little kids running around and getting into stuff, it is doubly important to have this stuff around in case of an emergency. This stuff, while simple, is so amazing that if you do not have any, I encourage you to run out and get some right away. Just do not forget your keys.

Avoid food poisoning hazards and recognise food born illness signs & symptoms

About the Author

Mr. Doom has worked as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) for Los Angeles County since 1987. For most of these years he worked as a field inspector and Supervising Senior REHS in the retail food inspection programs. His experience within Los Angeles County has taken him to some of the smallest “mom and pop” restaurants and markets in the poorest areas of south Los Angeles, as well as the largest facilities and affluent areas on the west side. He has literally conducted thousands of inspections of numerous types of restaurants, food markets, warehouses, events, and more; educated hundreds, if not more than a thousand, food facility owners, managers and employees on food sanitation and safety, and the laws governing them; has supervised more than 50 field inspectors, that were responsible for an inventory of food facilities larger than many states. Mr. Doom has a B.S. in Biology from Loyola Marymount University and is an REHS with the state of California. Mr. Doom continues to work for Los Angeles County Environmental Health as an REHS IV and to expand his knowledge and experience in the subject of food safety and sanitation.