Commonly known as activated charcoal, medicinal charcoal is available without a prescription, but it is typically kept behind the counter. Pharmacists prefer to know why an individual is buying charcoal pills, because people try using charcoal to solve problems that may be life-threatening. Additionally, charcoal is very absorbent, so it may take up beneficial medications in the body, and that can lead to further health issues. Charcoal pills have several uses.
Gastrointestinal Benefits
Charcoal is effective at treating stomach pain caused by gas, indigestion or diarrhea, according to Drugs.com. It also is used to treat food poisoning caused by food contamination with bacteria or other toxins. Symptoms of food poisoning include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps. Charcoal relieves symptoms and absorbs the toxins for removal from the body. People should not rely on charcoal pills to treat food poisoning except in mild cases--more severe symptoms call for medical attention.
Poison Treatment
Emergency medical practitioners sometimes administer charcoal after an individual has eaten a poisonous plant, such as certain mushrooms, or a poisonous animal, such as a pufferfish, as explained by the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Charcoal may treat a drug overdose as well and can be used in detoxification. In emergency situations, medical personnel may clean out the contents of the stomach first using a method known as gastric lavage, or stomach pumping, and afterward charcoal can absorb any poison still in the gastrointestinal tract. The Mayo Clinic notes that before any individual attempts to use charcoal pills for these purposes, he should call a poison control center or an emergency room for advice. These situations can be fatal.
Lowering Cholesterol
Charcoal may be able to lower high cholesterol, as explained by the Physician's Desktop Reference. A small study published in the Aug. 16, 1986, issue of "The Lancet" found beneficial effects when seven patients with high cholesterol were treated for for weeks with 8 grams activated charcoal three times a day. Total cholesterol levels decreased by 25 percent, and low-density lipoprotein, the so-called bad cholesterol, decreased by 41 percent. Levels of high-density lipoprotein, the good cholesterol, increased by 8 percent.
Benefits for Kidney Disease Patients
Charcoal has benefits for some people with kidney disease as well. A study published in the Jan. 8, 2010, issue of the "Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation" investigated an alternative treatment for elderly patients in end-stage renal disease who refused to begin regular dialysis treatment. Patients received a very low protein diet and 30g of oral activated charcoal daily. These people experienced a significant reduction in levels of urea and creatinine--waste products in the blood--in as early as one week, and improvements were maintained for the 10 months of the study. None of the study participants required emergency dialysis during this time.
Charcoal also relieves itching related to kidney dialysis treatment, according to Drugs.com. This is a common problem for dialysis patients.
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