More Medicinal Uses of Activated Charcoal

I first posted an article on the medicinal uses of activated charcoal a year ago.  At that time, I had come across some material on other uses of this substance, but I really wanted to spend more time researching it before posting.  I hoped to find more resources and clinical studies on its usage.  

 

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much.  It's another one of those substances that, because it is naturally occurring, it can't be patented.  So there's no money to be made in researching it.  I have no doubt that much of what we learn about activated charcoal in the future will be due to people using it when there are no other options.

What exactly is activated charcoal (also known as activated carbon)?  It's similar to barbecue charcoal, but at the same time, it's an entirely different animal.  Do not substitute one for the other.  It comes from natural sources, often coconut fiber, and is heated at high temperatures to activate it.  The charcoal's ability to adsorb toxins is greatly magnified by the process.  (Yes, activated charcoal adsorbs.  Lots of materials absorb--they soak up something, and then if squeezed, release that substance.  Activated charcoal adsorbs--it chemically binds the substance.  It doesn't let go.  It binds a toxin, poison, or bacteria, and then safely carries it through the body for disposal.  Like a good football player catches the ball and carries it all the way through to the endzone without ever letting go, no matter what comes at him.  A bad player fumbles.  Activated charcoal is a good player.  You really want it on your team.  In fact, the surface area of a standard adult dose of activated charcoal if it were all laid out would be the equivalent of ten football fields.  No, I don't know how scientists calculate that.  They just do.)


Activated charcoal has been used medicinally for thousands of years.  The Egyptians used it on infected wounds and for intestinal complaints.  The Greeks treated epilepsy, vertigo, and anthrax with it.  The Romans prescribed it for numerous illnesses.  Military doctors in the 1800s eliminated gangrene with it. 

Today, activated charcoal is used in hospitals and clinics around the world for poisoning and drug overdose, in kidney dialysis units, breast cancer surgery, wound dressings, ostomy bags, itching, dysentery, and the list goes on.  Outside the hospital, it's most commonly used in air and water filters.

The previous article addressed using activated charcoal for managing the following:

• E. coli intestinal infections
• wound cleaning
• spider and snake bites
• contact dermatitis from poison oak, ivy, and sumac
• abdominal complaints of gas and bloating
• drug overdoses

Here are more:

Food poisoning.  Right now in 2019, with the USDA overseeing the food industry, 50 million Americans still get food poisoning every year.  Over 100,000 are hospitalized.  Three thousand die.  The culprits are usually tainted meat.  What's going to happen when people eat food they should have tossed because food becomes a precious commodity?  There's going to be more food poisoning.  To treat food poisoning, take rounded tablespoonfuls mixed in water every ten minutes, even if the vomiting continues.  Do not use capsules.  The powder needs to be loose in the water to start working immediately, not waiting for the capsule to be digested first.

Acid indigestion and acid reflux.  Take a tablespoon of activated charcoal mixed in a glass of water.

Diarrhea.  Six times per day mix a tablespoon of activated charcoal in a glass of water.  

Irritable bowel, Crohn's, and ulcerative colitis.  Take one teaspoon of powder or capsules with every meal to bind the toxins that cause inflammation.

Abscessed tooth.  Make a poultice from sterile gauze wrapped around activated charcoal.  Moisten the poultice and hold it in place over the tooth to reduce swelling and pain.

High cholesterol.  Daily use of activated charcoal reduces cholesterol in the blood.

End-stage renal disease and renal failure.  Preliminary clinical trials indicate that activated charcoal combined with a low-protein diet show promise in individuals with these conditions.  Some were able to delay using dialysis machines for up to a year. 

Miscarriage and post-partum infections, "childbirth fever."  I really don't like using anecdotal reports of treatment.  I much prefer carefully conducted trials.  Unfortunately, those aren't always available in our world and we need to prepare for the life ahead of us.  If it's a life-or-death situation and we have no other options, most of us are going to take chances we'd rather not have to take.

The leading cause of death for women throughout most of history has been childbirth and infections related to it, specifically tissue retained in the uterus following birth or miscarriage.  Apparently, there was a Dr. Nahamancher practicing in the 1930s who started using "charcoal pencils" in the uterus of patients who developed infections.  Once he started using this treatment, he never lost another patient to infections following miscarriage or childbirth.   Most of the time, it only took one treatment.  It was reported that once the charcoal pencil was inserted into the uterus, the odor dissipated almost immediately, a sign that the charcoal was working. (This is also the case when sugar is applied to infected wounds--the odor disappears rapidly.)

Dr. Nahamancher produced charcoal pencils by stirring together water, activated charcoal, and starch (cornstarch, flour?) until thickened.  After cooling slightly and thickening a little more, he poured strips of the mixture onto a greased pan.  He let those sit for a while and then dried them overnight in a warm oven.  (Or use a dehydrator set to about 90 degrees.)  They could then be picked up if handled carefully.

There were also isolated reports of activated charcoal taken internally to stop hemorrhaging, administered in enemas to stop bleeding in the lower intestine, and used to treat typhoid fever, dysmenorrhea, and dysentery.  Unfortunately, there was no further information. 

So now you wonder what activated charcoal tastes like.  How are you going to get someone who is vomiting and otherwise really sick to take it?  Well, you really should give it a try.  Of course, capsules will taste like any other capsule.  But what if you are using powder?  Are you scared yet?  You shouldn't be.  We had a little scare earlier this year and my son and I decided to give it a try.  Nothing could taste worse than vomiting anyway.  We had nothing to lose by trying it.  And honestly, it tastes like nothing.  No flavor.  Nothing bad.  Nothing good either, other than it was good that it didn't taste bad.

Contraindications.  Activated charcoal is perfectly safe for all ages.  However, it may interfere with medications, so you should wait two hours after taking activated charcoal before using other medications. 

Links to related posts:  

Medicinal Uses of Activated Charcoal   

 

For further reading:  

https://www.journalofnaturalmedicine.com/using-activated-charcoal-for-food-poisoning/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/activated-charcoal
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7392829 (reduce cholesterol)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3441164/ (reduce cholesterol)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2874369 (reduce cholesterol)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2612535 (reduce cholesterol)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20061701(end stage renal disease)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24412558 (renal failure)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15822758 (poisoning)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3207879/ (poisoning)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3521259 (intestinal gas)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26409027 (poisoning)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21716104 (poisoning)
http://www.charcoalremedies.com/doctors
https://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-activated-charcoal-medicine-detox/

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