Activated charcoal is a hot supplement touting the ability to detox your body. Gwyneth Paltrow was one of the first to show activated charcoal some love back around 2016, while celebs Vanessa Hudgens, Khloe Kardashian and Shay Mitchell have also promoted its supposed detox effects. Other so-called health benefits include digestive health and reducing high cholesterol.
Amazon is flooded with activated charcoal supplements, and you can even find it sold in beverages at cafés. Some folks also mix activated charcoal powder into their food like smoothies and baked goods. But does activated charcoal really have detox capabilities? Find out why some people believe so and why you may not want to jump on the activated charcoal bandwagon.
[READ: Popular Social Media Diet Trends — From the Benign to the Barbaric]
What Is Activated Charcoal?
Also referred to as activated carbon, activated charcoal is made from coconut and other nut shells and is heated between 1,100 and 2,200 degrees F. This makes the charcoal porous and gives it the ability to absorb anything it comes into contact with. Some folks call this detoxing, as they feel when you ingest it, the activated charcoal with bind to toxins and pull them out of the body. However, there is more to this story.
For many years, activated charcoal was given by mouth if someone accidentally ingested a poison like a household cleaner to help minimize its absorption into the blood. So yes, it does help detoxify when a life-threatening toxin is taken into the body in high amounts.
There are also guidelines to using activated charcoal. The person needs to have ingested the poison within 1 hour of ingestion and needs to also be alert and aware. It also cannot be used when the poison that’s been ingested is a liquid.
Activated charcoal for poison ingestion should only be given in health care facilities and never for home use. In the hospital, the health care team will check and make sure all guidelines are met before using this method of treatment on someone who has ingested poison.
[READ: Remedies for a Stomach Ache.]
The Downside of Activated Charcoal
Although the activated charcoal can bind to toxins when you ingest poison, once in the stomach, it can also bind to foods you have eaten. This means that these nutrients that your body extracted from the food you just ate won’t be absorbed into your body.
A 2012 study examined the effects of varying amounts of activated charcoal added into apple juice and left for a specific amount of time. Researchers found that many phenolic compounds (beneficial phytonutrients that are naturally found in the juice) were decreased, meaning the activated charcoal absorbed them.
In addition, the activated charcoal can also bind to any medications you’re taking, reducing their effectiveness. If you are taking a medication that needs a specific dosage, this could mean you aren’t getting the dose you need, which can put your health at risk.
Another side effect of taking activated charcoal includes constipation, which can happen when the charcoal gets into your intestines and hardens and causes black stool. In some cases, this can lead to a blockage in the bowels or even a tear or perforation.
[See: What to Eat, Drink and Do to Relieve Constipation.]
What About Hangovers?
Those hoping to get the benefits of activated charcoal after a night of heavy drinking will be disappointed. A 2022 StatPearls article on activated charcoal states that activated charcoal “does not effectively absorb alcohol, metals like iron or lithium, electrolytes like magnesium, potassium or sodium, and acids or alkalis due to the polarity of these substances.”
Yet activated charcoal has been touted to help with hangovers, and some folks will mix the activated charcoal powder into cocktails. Plus, you may also find it in some hangover remedies. However, as mentioned above, activated charcoal does not absorb alcohol, so it will not work when you mix it with alcohol or take it the next morning to help with your hangover.
The Reality of So-Called “Detoxes”
Activated charcoal has been used by medical professionals for hundreds of years to help folks who have potentially harmful or even deadly overdoses of toxic substances. However, if you take a supplement or beverage with activated charcoal, you may actually be doing your body more harm than good.
While you may take out some cholesterol from your gastrointestinal system, you’re also taking out nutrients your body needs. Additionally, you do not need to take anything to detox your body, as your body is naturally built with organs that help detoxify it including your skin, liver and kidneys. Based on this evidence, I encourage saving your money instead of wasting it on this potentially harmful trend.
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What Does Activated Charcoal Do? originally appeared on usnews.com
