Ultimate Guide to Activated Charcoal: Benefits and Uses

I am a now retired Vet Tech yet will be opening a Pet Rehab in NJ I pray. I also run a 501(c)(3) Animal Rescue. We save all B& S, yet many Dobermans that are very gassy and prone to bloat.

I am a huge fan from my work at a Vet of the use of Activated Charcoal (AC). I always had it on hand. Issue until I open my Business/Clinic I am looking for any OTC compatible AC. The AC at stores has dyes and other ingredients not good for our furkids.

Has anyone found a brand OTC as I am not a fan of ordering, and now will NOT order any online meds that is NOT a VIP Approved Pharmacy.

Yes sidenote other non VIP Online Pharmacies have had many reports of tampered meds or not even the correct medication....so PLEASE make sure you utilize a VIP Pharmacy. I.E. Dr. Foster & Smith is VIP. JW any specific brands to add to my first aid kit for my furkids and our Rescues? Grazie.

Anon,

I realized I suggested plenty of water for your wife and you had said she was on a fluid restricted diet. I had thought you meant she was restricted about types of fluid and not quantity. So, scratch that recommendation as I realize you mean quantity.

If she is allowed to have fats, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is an excellent fat to have. It is very good for the body and nutritious. If apples and berries are okay for her, organic apples are an excellent food (The old adage, An apple a day keeps the doctor away really does have some truth in it! ) and berries are antioxidant.

~Mama to Many~

I have been using activated charcoal for a few years and I always by mine on Ebay. You can get any size in powder form. My dog likes to eat Deer droppings (yuck) and it makes her sick, but when I see her licking her lips after being outside I know, if I get the charcoal in her she won't be sick, I use an empty syringe by sticking it in the side of her mouth between the teeth. I have used it for the flu and it stopped the vomiting.

Try drinking Senna Tea. This usually works on the worse cases of constipation problems. Because it's been four days you may need a cup on an empty stomach in the morning and another around noon. You can try a cup before bed and usually in the morning you get relief. I dilute my cup by 1/2 by pouring 1/2 in another cup and filling with water because it usually works when I don't need it to work if I use the undiluted cup. If It's been more than two days, I use the undiluted cup. Put a tea bag in a cup and pour boiling water into the cup and cover it and let it steep for about five minutes. Drink as warm as you can get it. I don't put any sweetner in mine and I don't know if it makes a difference.

I don't think it matters whether you use the bulk powder or capsules. I currently have bulk powder, but only because I got tired of opening capsules to use as a poultice. I prefer capsules, internally, just because I'm a clutz and it's so messy. LOL!

I would also eat something in between the charcoal and meds, such as fresh fruit - cantaloup would be a decent choice I think, as it is bulky and has a lot of water. It should sweep away the charcoal before your meds get near it, or provide a barrier between the charcoal and meds if you take the meds first. I would not take the charcoal and meds together without doing this.

Raw potatoes are also bulky and have a lot of water. Both are low in sugar and fats. The amount you need would depend on how much charcoal you took if you took the charcoal first. If you take the meds first you would want to wait 30 minutes to an hour perhaps before eating the melon. That way the meds are not mixed into the melon in the stomach, but have exited into the small intestine and will not contact the charcoal at all. Taking psyllium fiber after taking the charcoal may help sweep it from the digestive tract in case it lingers and adsorbs the meds. Wait perhaps an hour after taking the charcoal to take the psyllium. Away from the meds, of course. Mixing psyllium and charcoal in water and taking them together seems to reduce the effectiveness of the charcoal in my experience as it is trapped in the psyllium.

Charcoal is wonderful stuff. Sulfur is also a good detoxifier, though it works differently. Probiotics like kefir may be helpful in case the charcoal removes the beneficial gut microbes. I have been getting hives recently after using store bought kombucha, though I enjoyed it for a few years before the hives started. You may want to stear away from it temporarily if you are ill.

@ John Wayne NZ post of 2008. ABE & activated Charcoal. I am currently a student of organic/bush medicine used by the kelenjin people of Kenya. While African birds eye ABE chilli is not part of this tribe's use, activated charcoal only from certain indeginous trees used to be a daily routine. I am an organic farmer of ABE & cayenne. The pharma world use it for medical purposes but not enough for theraupic purposes. One is better off with direct consumption for better results for a broad spectrum of illnesses from ulcers to heart problems.

Charcoal pills were used for severe food poisoning. Eating chicken that has been left out in the heat of the blazing sun from 4am to dinner time, no refrigeration. Many around me got sick with severe bowel problems. I took charcoal pills, the loose bowels stoped within 10 min.

Dear Lauren,

I don't see any reason not to use both charcoal and cilantro.

When I am using charcoal I try to use it alone because I wouldn't want it to bind with anything in the other supplements I am using. So, just take charcoal a couple of hours after taking the cilantro.

Charcoal should be taken with a glass of water to avoid any risk of constipation. It should not be taken along with any prescriptions or supplements.

I hope the combo is helpful to you!

~Mama to Many~

@Newlynatural: Three natural remedies for help in elimination are Milled Flax Seed, Vit-C, and Magnesium. The benefits of these certainly go beyond simply elimination. Begin w/ recommended doses and increase until you get results.

Take magnesium oxide capsules or a dose of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) hopefully that should do it. I'm sorry I didn't see post till now...hope this helps someone else with constipation.

Would taking the activated charcoal affect someone who is on a fentynal patch? Would it reduce the effectiveness of the patch?

Also does activated help with parasites?

thanks

Activated charcoal may have an effect on a fentanyl patch although, not as severe as if you were taking an opioid pill. I still think it would pull some of the fentanyl out of your system. Check with your doctor, and or try a dose or two and see how you feel. No withdrawals intended :) I am a RN who is prescribed a large amount of activated charcoal due to a form of toxicosis. My MD advised me to wait 90 minutes-120minutes between taking charcoal and other medications or supplements. Make sure if you take activated charcoal, that you at least take a multi vitamin. As the article mentioned, charcoal will pretty much absorb the good with the bad.

Hi...was curious to see if taking the charcoal in powder form or capsule? Also, if taken in powder, what is a good method to mix it in?

I have been considering using activated charcoal for multiple conditions, but i'm not sure if it causes constipation, that's the last thing I need right now. any advise and experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I was told that if you want to prevent the unpleasant effects of a hangover you can take an activated charcoal capsule with each alcoholic beverage which will absorb the harmful elements in the alcohol which cause the hangover.

You can put the charcoal in an empty tea bag and fold it to keep it together. Wet first before placing it where needed. If desired, add bentonite clay, too. Don't use clay with silver(amalgam aka mercury fillings). ❤

Dear Mama to Many, I am an avid reader of earthclinic and all the helpful comments from everyone and am so grateful to all for their input and general advice.

I want to know your thoughts on using a charcoal poultice in my mouth. I have had an infection in the gum for years; painless unless touched, it is a lump high above the gum line, and oozes out through the gum in tiny lesions at times; hence, no pain.

I have tried swishing with iodine, turmeric, oregano oil, turpentine and currently colloidal silver. Everything helps and the gum looks pink again as long as I keep it up, but the lump remains.

Reading about the charcoal poultice makes me wonder if it would draw out the infection once and for all. My general health is not the greatest and I am sure the infection does not help.

Dentist would suggest oral surgery etc., root canals, and I do not want to go that route. There must be a way to overcome this and I would appreciate any advice you might have. I am now 73, not young, but will not give up on trying to restore my health as far as possible. Thank you so much for your wisdom and experience.

Dear Mama to Many,

Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I will begin your suggestions for either a charcoal poultice or tablets immediately. I am so grateful. Thank you again, and I will keep in touch.

Nurses would feed patients cooked rice when I worked in a hospital in pediatrics for diarrhea and coca cola to drink. Rice is good for both diarrhea and constipation.

To Mama To Many from Tennessee:

My wife is currently on dialysis, does activated charcoal filter out the toxin with the kidney also ? How do you do it ? Plus she received some blood transfusion also. She is currently on liquid restriction diet with potassium and phorphorus restriction and has a high blood pressure. Do you have guidance on diet? Their guidance is white flour diet mainly. Any advice would be appreciated.Thanks.

Mama to Many: Thank you Mama for your response.

Currently she has high blood pressure 150, it will be great if activate charcoal could help since she already on medication.

Should I put the poultice on both kidneys?

The reason I asked about the diet guidance because to see if anyone you know from practical experience what diet do they follow that been helpful?

Kelly from Ohio; I usually do a complete cleanse before introducing my system to some thing new or different;so if the charcoal does block you up, you have enough time inbetween bowel movements to do the charcoal then again work on your bowel movements. I use one of the very best cleanses ever for the past fifteen years, it's a twin pack of multi-herb digestion & detox support the other bottle is multi-fiber cleanse;you take one of each herb(2), morn. Noon & night and this herb will let you know it's time to go potty haha because it's Dynamite, but it's bought in an herbal store & very affordable. Good luck

I am a huge fan of charcoal and just getting up to speed on cayenne. Drinking teas. In water with ACV right now. Am I reading this right- 1 part cayenne to 4 parts charcoal will take the heat out but interfere with the other properties?

I have a bald spot birth mark on side of my head the size of a nickel that I darken with activated charcoal to hide. It works great with brown or black hair. Often the barber would cut my hair to short there and further expose it. So this helped greatly. Also later started to cutting my own hair with a flowBee that helped the situation with the clumsy barber go away!

This post from 2005 says she used charcoal that for over 14 years and there are several areas or info that state you shouldn't take it long-term. Do you happen to know the real answer to this??

Hi Mama to Many… hope all is well with you.. just have a quick question for you…. Is it ok to use charcoal for heavy metal detox along with cilantro? Not sure if I can use the two together without side effects. Appreciate an early response. Thank you so much… have a blessed evening..

Thank you so much!!!

Can activated charcoal be used for small child of 4 who is having diarrhea. He had it all day yesterday, twice during night, woke up from it today. So it seems it continues..

When I called the company for the activated charcoal we have, he said it's only for 12 and above. Didn't explain why. I thought it would be fine for 4 year old just smaller amount?

Hi. I have a problem. I started taking activated charcoal on a regular basis and now I am bloated and cannot go. My stomach is solid as a rock. I stopped taking the Charcoal of course but what can I do to fix this problem, it's been 4 days?

Did you ever find a source for ceyanne pepper (Bird's Eye Pepper)? I would like to purchase as well, but don't know where to find it. As you mentioned, by the time you find a source, the product is reduced to useless powder not yeilding any health benefits or so expensive you need to finance. You may email me direct if you like. Sincerely, RR

Amazon supplies the bird eye chillies.

Dear John from N.Z.

I read with interest your experience with african birds eye chilli. I have endevoured to find a source but its of little help without a botanical name of the chilli.
Are you aware of another way I may be able to source the chilli you refer to?

Regards Chris, Adelaide Australia