Activated Charcoal is made from coconut husk, which have been burnt at a very high heat and then refined to this ultra fine powder. Activated Charcoal Powder can be used as an oral care product, as well as for culinary purposes. With no taste or odour, it can be added to cakes, ice cream or drinks to give them a dramatic colour change. Activated charcoal is a fine, odorless, black powder often used in emergency rooms to treat overdoses. Its toxin-absorbing properties have a wide range of medicinal and cosmetic uses, though none are scientifically proven. Activated charcoal may be able to assist kidney function by filtering out undigested toxins and drugs.
Activated charcoal seems to be especially effective at removing toxins derived from urea, the main byproduct of protein digestion.
More research is needed, but some animal studies show that activated charcoal may help improve kidney function and reduce gastrointestinal damage and inflammation in those with chronic kidney disease.People have long used activated charcoal as a natural water filter. Just as it does in the intestines and stomach, activated charcoal can interact with and absorb a range of toxins, drugs, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and chemicals found in water.Dozens of teeth-whitening products contain activated charcoal.
Many oral health products that contain activated charcoal claim to have various benefits, such as being:
antiviralantibacterialantifungaldetoxifyingActivated charcoal’s toxin-absorbing properties may be important here, but there is no significant research to support its use for teeth whitening or oral health.Medical uses of activated charcoalIn the emergency room, doctors may sometimes use activated charcoal to treat overdoses or poisonings.
Activated charcoal can often help clear toxins and drugs that include:
NSAIDs and other OTC anti-inflammatoriessedativescalcium channel blockersdapsonecarbamazepine (Tegretol)malaria medicationsmethylxanthines (mild stimulants)Activated charcoal cannot bind to all types of toxins or drugs, especially ones that are corrosive.
Activated charcoal is great for both internal or external use. Mix with water to help with detoxification, digestion, or use for face masks, teeth whitening, or poultices.