Drinking charcoal is something that most people would have thought crazy years ago, but now it’s quite popular. There are legions of fans who attest to the benefits of drinking activated charcoal: detoxing, weight loss, increased mental ability and focus, not to mention the poplar teeth cleaning. But, a popular question remains: is is safe to drink activated charcoal.
First, let’s learn a bit about this latest health trend.
What Is Activated Charcoal
When you think of charcoal, do you think of a BBQ where your Uncle placed charcoal from a bag into the grill? Well, that’s not activated charcoal. When health aficionados speak about drinking activated charcoal, they are speaking about a very specific material. The difference between activated charcoal and regular charcoal is that the normal type of charcoal has not been heat activated. The activation of the material comes from applying high heat. This heat destroyed all of the impurities that are found in normal charcoal materials.
And, if you’re wondering what materials are sued in activated charcoals, then you will be pleased to learn that quite a lot are made from coconut shells, while others are made from wood or peat (that’s similar to the heat source used throughout rural Ireland and is a safe organic material).
Why Drink Activated Charcoal
There are many reasons to drink activated charcoal. These range from detoxing your diet and purifying your body to whitening your teeth and making your gut healthier. Some people find that when they drink activated charcoal they end up with both brighter teeth as well as a healthier gut.
All in all, what you’re going to find is that the result is a healthier physical appearance (brighter skin and teeth) as well as a better gut flora.
Is It Safe To Drink Activated Charcoal
TLDR, yes. Even though there are some instances of cities banning activated charcoal (NYC banned many locations that were serving donuts, ice cream, and other foods containing activated charcoal). While activated charcoal was popular in ice cream (see the famous NYC black ice creams). The worry about drinking activated charcoal comes from the problem if you happen to be taking a medication that will be absorbed by the charcoal and not absorbed. This is correlated to why emergency rooms stock activaged charcoal and use it on people who have taken an overdose of pills or some other drugs.
How To Drink Activated Charcoal
There a a few different ways you can drink activated charcoal. The most popular is to get a drink that contains it already in the mix. The problem with this is that many companies have begun to withdraw their products from circulation because there was a fear of them interacting with drugs people took. If you are not taking any prescription drugs that
Laws Regarding Activated Charcoal
Certain states (NY, for instance) have banned the use of activated charcoal in food items. That means there is a huge restriction on the number of places where you can buy drinks and food made with activated charcoal. For example, one of the more popular uses of activated charcoal is to color food (such as black colored bagels and black colored ice cream made with activated charcoal). This doesn’t mean that it’s against the law for you to drink activated charcoal, all it means is that you need to be wary about where your look for your charcoal based drinks (you want to make sure that you are choosing a good source).
Where to Buy Activated Charcoal
You can find good activated charcoal in both local supermarkets (as long as they have organic options) as well as in craft boutique juice stores. The ban on activated charcoal in retail establishments can be solved if you are willing to spend time to investigate the different healthy and organic sources.
My recommendation is that if you do want to use activated charcoal, make sure you choose one that is made from something healthy such as coconut shells. This will allow you to remain safe while following your health plan.
Coconut Shell Charcoal
Here are some links to investigate or more info:
Hi there everyone!
My names Jason (Jay for short). You can find out more about me and why I started this website here.
Stay healthy and I hope you enjoy the information!