What is Activated Charcoal?

As outlined in the colon cleanse regimen, you may replace

Bentonite Clay

with Activated Charcoal if you can’t find Bentonite Clay (You can alternatively just buy Oxypowder instead of making your own shake).

As the name suggested, Activated Charcoal is type of amorphous carbon (charcoal). It’s made by distilling things such as wood and coconut shells. It looks like a black soot-like powder. When you buy it, it usually comes in capsule form. When you mix it with Psyllium Husk, you can open the capsule and pour the powder into the shake.

Activated Charcoal is effective at trapping, and binding carbon-based impurities, and toxins, which is really what Bentonite Clay does too. Some people recommend drinking a cup of water mixed with Activated Charcoal if you ever drank/ate anything poisonous or toxic. In fact, this was how Activated Charcoal was proved to be useful: In 1831, a scientist drank a glass of strychnine, a lethal posion. He lived because he combined it with Activated Charcoal, which neutralized its effect.

When people overdose on tricyclic anti-depressants, Activated Charcoal is usually given to prevent absorption, and overtoxicity. Air and water filters use activated charcoal.

Activated Charcoal is particularly useful in attracting and absorbing aromatic substances. However, it can also absorb nutrients when we ingest it as well.

This is why it is important to take Activated Charcoal at least 2 hours before or after a meal. Otherwise the nutrients from your meal are just going to be negated by the Activated Charcoal and won’t be absorbed.

When taking Activated Charcoal, you should expect to see black stools after a bowel movement. Other reported side effects are nausea and black teeth. These, however are less common and are never permanent.

Why is Activated Charcoal used in cleaning the colon?

1. It attracts toxins and poisons, thus the GI tract and colon are less toxic. The toxins are flushed out of the colon by the Psyllium Husk, and during a bowel movement.

Any impurities attached to our large intestine are absorbed by Activated Charcoal.

2. Activated Charcoal works without any major side effects. It does not damage the mucuous linings of the large intestine.

Activated Charcoal vs. Bentonite Clay

Activated Charcoal though is ineffective in trapping other particles such as sodium, and nitrates. It can not absorb and attract stuff such as:

-Lithium, sodium, lead, and arsenic. -Alcohol -Hydrocarbons

So Activated Charcoal will remove some type of toxins and not remove others. This is why we recommend Bentonite Clay over Activated Charcoal. Bentonite Clay does a much more effective job in binding all toxins in our mucuous linings. Psyllium Husk will push these toxins out of the body.

Activated Charcoal is not a dangerous substance, but it is not a vitamin or supplement. You should not take it everyday if you’re not cleansing. Even if you are colon cleansing, it’s important to take it 2 hours before or after eating.

If your cleansing regimen is lasting more than 1 month, you should stop taking Activated Charcoal and switch to Bentonite Clay, or Oxypowder. In addition, never take Activated Charcoal alone – it can cause constipation (this effect is negated when you take it with Psyllium Husk).

And, once your colon cleanse regimen is over, you must stop taking Activated Charcoal. It doesn’t contain any nutrients unlike herbs like Triphala.

The TRUTH About Colon Cleansing    Ever Do A Colon Cleanse?