Activated charcoal, or activated carbon, is a type of carbon processed so it is highly porous. The large number of pores gives it an extremely large surface area -- around 300 to 2,000 square meters per 1 g. This makes it an ideal material for binding a number of substances, including gases and liquids. Activated charcoal is used in the hospital setting and you can also buy it over the counter. Check with your doctor before adding supplements to your diet, especially if you have health problems or take other medicines.
Poisoning
In a hospital setting, activated charcoal is used to treat poisoning and drug overdoses. As reported in the June 2010 issue of the "Journal of Medical Toxicology," activated charcoal, if given within one to two hours following ingestion of the harmful substance, can prevent systemic absorption of these substances. According to the same journal, the optimal dose is around 40:1 ratio by weight of charcoal to drug/poison. Its use is not free of side effects, which include pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents.
Intestinal Gas
Many people feel activated charcoal helps with flatulence and intestinal gas-associated discomfort. This appears to be a valid observation, and is corroborated by a study reported in the March 1981 issue of the "American Journal of Gastroenterology." Subjects ingesting activated charcoal had fewer flatus events and less breath hydrogen concentrations, following a gas-producing meal, compared with subjects given a placebo. Another study reported in the July 1986 issue of the "American Journal of Gastroenterology" obtained the same results. As of August 2011, this appears to be the most recent peer-reviewed placebo-controlled study investigated this issue.
Malaria
A rodent study reported in the April 2010 issue of "PLoS One," indicated activated charcoal may be an effective therapeutic agent in malaria. Mice suffering from malaria, given oral activated charcoal, exhibited increased overall survival compared to untreated mice. The authors also noted that oral activated charcoal did not interfere with the action of parenteral artesunate -- an antimalarial drug. If future human studies corroborate these findings, activated charcoal could be used as a low-cost adjunct therapy, or for immediate treatment of severe malaria in rural settings.
Caution
Only use activated charcoal if your doctor advises it. Young children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and the elderly should not use activated charcoal. This supplement can cause nausea, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and constipation. It can also cause black stools.
References
- "Journal of Medical Toxicology"; Activated Charcoal for Acute Poisoning: One Toxicologist's Journey; K.R. Olson; June 2010
- "American Journal of Gastroenterology"; Effects of Orally Administered Activated Charcoal on Intestinal Gas; R.G. Hall, et al.; March 1981
- "American Journal of Gastroenterology"; Efficacy of Activated Charcoal in Reducing Intestinal Gas: A Double-Blind Clinical Trial; N.K. Jain, et al.; July 1986
- "PLoS One"; Oral Activated Charcoal Prevents Experimental Cerebral Malaria in Mice and in a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial in Man Did Not Interfere with the Pharmacokinetics of Parenteral Artesunate; J.B. de Souza, et al.; April 2010
