The Medicinal Benefits of Eating Charcoal.

Natural charcoal is the carbon residue that is obtained from heating plant, animal or other organic matter until moisture and impurities have burned off in the absence of air, leaving mostly carbon and ash.

Most of us are familiar with charcoal and have used it mainly for cooking purposes. Though it is more commonly used as a cooing fuel, charcoal is used medicinally for detoxification purposes because it has a high surface area and works by adsorption which allows it to;

• Adsorb toxins and poisons.
• Bind with environmental chemicals and pollutants.
• Detoxify the body.
• Treat digestive and gastric issues like gas and bloating.
• Improve digestion.
• Counter some effects of the aging process.
• Treat food poisoning and infections.
• Remove impurities from water.

Different animals have always eaten charcoal for the purpose of detoxification and improving digestion. Some animals that are well known to eat charcoal are monkeys, elephants, deer, horses, camels and even bees.

Medically, charcoal is used in the form of activated charcoal which is a fluffy black powder

that is mainly used to treat poisoning, trap toxins and adsorb chemicals in the body. It is made when ordinary charcoal is heated in the presence of an activating agent or gas with the aim of causing the charcoal to produce pores, increase its surface area and allow it to adsorb more chemicals.

Charcoal will adsorb thousands of times its own weight in poisons, heavy metals, chemicals, gases and pollutants while making them ineffective. Adsorption is a process in which the molecules of a substance bind to the surface of another material (the adsorbent) while absorption is the process where the molecules are assimilated into the body.

Charcoal is also used;

• In water filtration and purification
• As a catalyst.
• For cleansing spaces of mold.
• For insect bites and stings.
• To reduce itchiness.
• To lower blood cholesterol levels.

Organic matter charcoal has no taste or odour. It is harmless and has no carcinogenic properties when ingested, inhaled or used on the skin. The known side effects of charcoal are black stools, diarrhea and constipation.

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