Hi friends! Today we’re talking about another health trend: activated charcoal as a supplement.
With its strikingly dark black color, activated charcoal supplements and foods with added activated charcoal have gained popularity in the health and wellness scenes in recent years.
Activated charcoal has also seen a recent resurgence in popularity, as it has been marketed by some companies as a way to ‘detox’ and protect against the novel coronavirus. If you want to read more about immunity supplements, check out this post about immunity supplements in general, and this post about colloidal silver.
But back to activated charcoal: do you need activated charcoal? Does it detox your body? And is it safe?
*Disclaimer: As always, this is general information intended for healthy adults. Your needs may vary based on medical status, lifestyle, or life-stage. Please never replace generalized health information you’ve read online with individualized clinical care.
What is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal is similar to common charcoal that is made from peat, coal, wood, coconut shell or petroleum. Activated charcoal, however, is made by heating common charcol in the presence of a gas, which causes the charcoal to develop lots of tiny holes or pores. The tiny pores or holes help the activated charcoal ‘trap’ chemicals.
It is often taken orally to treat poisonings. It’s also now commonly marketed as a ‘detox’ supplement to ‘remove toxins’ from the body. Some people also claim it can alleviate a hangover, calm an upset stomach, stop gas, and with help bile flow problems.
In addition to being sold as a remedy or supplement, activated charcoal is also often added to food products, making them a striking black hue.
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