Charcoal Adsorption
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
by Yulia Berry
Great Home Remedies
Activated charcoal is one of the neatest remedies that I have run across in my endless search for natural cures. This stuff is so useful, so amazing, that it does not deserve a plain sounding moniker like "activated charcoal". It really deserves to more dignified name that properly conveys its miraculous curative powers, something that sounds like Latin or Greek.
Here is how activated charcoal works. Activated charcoal is a highly adsorbent substance. Now, before you assume I made a spelling error, please note that meant to say adsorbent with a d, not absorbent with a b. Adsorption is a slightly different process in which molecules will adhere to the surface of the charcoal. As activated charcoal moves through you G.I. Tract, everything that it passes will attach to the surface of it. Activated charcoal cannot be digested, so it and everything that has clung to it, leaves you during the next bowel movement. Now, you can see why this stuff is so effective is stopping poisons from being absorbed into your body. And this time I do mean absorb.
Besides helping save lives, ingesting activated charcoal also has several other health benefits. It can help eliminate fungi, viruses, and bacteria found in the body and can also adsorb gases and relieve you of painful gas pains or flatulence. There is also a reason why activated charcoal is used in air purifiers. It actually removes foul odors. This is something you might want to take into consideration if your farts can clear a room. Just think, no more blaming it on the dog. Recent research has also pointed to activated charcoal as a way to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart.
This stuff comes in powder and pill form, with pills, being the most convenient, less messy way to take it with you where ever you go. Mixing the powder with water to form a paste is a good way to ease the sting of insect bites.
While activated charcoal is pretty amazing stuff, there are some precautions that you need to heed before taking it. First, remember activated charcoals adsorbs just about everything it touches, including water and medications. Dehydration is the most common problem that people have when taking activated charcoal. Swelling of the stomach, constipation and vomiting might occur if dehydration becomes severs so be sure to drink plenty of water. Do not take medication and activated charcoal together. The medication will just be adsorbed and you will not receive it benefits. Diary product should be avoided when taking activated charcoal also, since milk seems to lessen its effectiveness.
Everyone should have a bottle of activated charcoal around. It's not too pricey (around ten bucks a bottle) and it obviously has a lot of useful applications. For those of you with little kids running around and getting into stuff, it is doubly important to have this stuff around in case of an emergency. This stuff, while simple, is so amazing that if you do not have any, I encourage you to run out and get some right away. Just do not forget your keys.
This Article has been viewed 76 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.