So what is activated charcoal? Maybe you have never heard of it before. Think about air cleaners you may have used or seen. Many of them have a charcoal filter. This is because charcoal is very good at trapping chemicals and particles.

In traditional medicine, doctors and hospitals sometimes use charcoal to treat victims of poisonings. Or venomous snake bites.

In the world of natural health, activated charcoal is being used successfully for treating a variety of conditions. In a general sense, it is a detoxifier. But it can be used for specific reasons such as fighting intestinal gas, preventing hangovers or headaches, cleansing the skin, or even reducing high cholesterol.

Activated charcoal has been used in society for medicinal purposes for several thousand years. Native Americans knew of its healing properties. It has been used by our military to protect soldiers against exposure to hazardous chemicals. As far as the makeup of the product goes, activated charcoal is the same thing as regular charcoal. Charcoal is made from a mixture of some or all of these ingredients: hardwood, peat, coconut shell, and petroleum. It contains pure carbon, called “char”.

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been made specifically for medicinal use. It has been heated and expanded to create a large, porous surface. This surface can then trap toxins. Charcoal attracts and sticks other substances to its surface. Interestingly, it can absorb thousands of times its weight! This is hard to imagine but a cubic inch of charcoal has a surface area equal to 150,000 square feet!

When someone has ingested a toxic substance, if they are given activated charcoal quickly, it could save their life. Now, activated charcoal is used in a more preventive way—at much lower doses—to remove chemicals, bacteria and other toxins that are in all of us. Heavy metals, chemicals, and gases adhere to the charcoal and are passed out of your body.

But activated charcoal can also be used in a topical manner to treat skin conditions, insect bites, rashes, and even jaundice in babies. It comes in various forms: liquid, tablets or capsules, or powder. It can be found as an ingredient in different detox products or teeth whiteners. Some studies have resulted in findings that activated charcoal contains anti-aging properties. It is believed to improve liver and kidney function.

As you can see, there are many uses and benefits of activated charcoal. To learn more, contact Holistic Organic Wellness. We can answer your questions and provide a fact sheet on Activated Charcoal.  We currently carry activated charcoal in capsule form in our retail store in Boca Raton. This highly beneficial supplement is becoming increasingly popular among those seeking to detoxify and to implement preventive maintenance into their daily health routine.