Commonly known as Active Carbon, Activated Charcoal is produced from organic materials such as nutshells, peat, pitch or wood through one of many processes involving the use of oxygen and extremely high temperatures. It is a highly porous substance with a wide variety of medical, household and beauty uses.
7 Fantastic Health Benefits of Activated Charcoal
1. Air and water purification
Activated charcoal is actually the primary ingredient in your Brita filter and is also included in heavy duty water filters that attach to your plumbing. It can filter both water and air by attracting and absorbing contaminants. AC is also completely odorless, so it won’t make your house fragrant, but it can get rid of many allergens and toxins. To get rid of unpleasant smells, here are some great tips with applde cider vinegar.
2. Digestive aid
You can take activated charcoal in a pill form to reduce bloating and flatulence by absorbing some of the junk weighing down your stomach. It can also encourage regular bowel movements.
3. Whiten teeth
Check this video for a before and after demonstration:
Activated charcoal is actually an excellent toothpaste all on its own. AC is also a less abrasive substance than the ingredients most commercial toothpastes use to scrub plaque off your teeth. If you have sensitive teeth you should stick with your toothpaste for sensitive teeth and try switching it up with AC just once or twice a week.
4. Cleanse skin
All kinds of skin products using activated charcoal are starting to appear, but many of these also contain nasty chemicals and can be quite expensive. Try mixing activated charcoal with a little bit of aloe and water instead. If you make this your regular face wash you will notice significant improvements within a couple of weeks. And you will scare the crap out of everyone in your house 🙂
If you have problems with acne, here are some other ways to clean your skin and prevent acne.
5. Remove toxins from your hair
Our hair is exposed to all kinds of harmful toxins from pollutants in the air and even from commercial shampoos. Add a little bit (5 millilitres/a teaspoon) to your shampoo to thoroughly cleanse your hair. If you’re concerned about the chemicals in your hair you can also switch to baby shampoo.
6. Remove poison from insect bites
If mixed with a tiny bit of water and applied directly to the wound within a few minutes of injury activated charcoal can actually absorb the poison from insect bites and even minor snake bites. This should relieve most of the itching and swelling. If you notice red lines under the skin, extreme swelling or an unusual color around the wound seek medical care right away.
7. Detox
Adding some activated charcoal to your water or lemonade makes a powerful detox drink. Just remember that it should only be used as an occasional detox solution, not a regular drink.
Try it out!
Research is being done even now to figure out whether or not there are more uses for activated charcoal but either way it should be in your health kit now and best of all, it’s really not that expensive so perhaps try it for yourself?.
