Activated charcoal, or activated carbon, is a fine, black powder used in medical settings to treat life-threatening poisoning or overdose. Activated charcoal is made by heating wood, coconut shell, peat, or petroleum at high temperatures without oxygen. This process helps charcoal develop tiny pores and a higher surface area, which allows it to absorb chemicals.
Activated charcoal has also become a popular health and wellness detox cure-all. It's sold as a supplement or added to foods, skincare, and toothpaste. Fans of activated charcoal claim it has additional health and wellness benefits liketreating high cholesterol, improving kidney health, and curing hangovers. However, there is not enough evidence to prove activated charcoal has benefits beyond treating poisoning or overdoses.
Most of the purported health benefits of activated charcoal are not confirmed. The only proven use of activated charcoal is treating poisoning or overdoses in emergency care. No research proves activated charcoal effectively helps lower cholesterol, improve kidney health, whiten teeth, treat acne, or cure a hangover. However, there is some promising research on activated charcoal's ability to help skin wounds and relieve gas.
Treats Poisoning and Overdoses
In lift-threatening emergencies, healthcare providers use activated charcoal to help remove various drugs or chemicals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—known as gastrointestinal decontamination. Activated charcoal is often used to absorb large doses of medications like carbamazepine, dapsone, theophylline, phenobarbital, and quinine.
When taken orally, activated charcoal's porous texture helps it absorb chemicals or drugs in the stomach. This helps prevent the body from absorbing harmful substances that can travel to your bloodstream and damage organs and tissues—or cause death. Because your gut also can't absorb activated charcoal, it helps eliminate toxins or chemicals through your stool.
However, while activated charcoal can absorb many chemicals and drugs, it is ineffective against certain toxins. Activated charcoal does not effectively adsorb alcohols, metals like lithium, electrolytes like magnesium, and corrosive substances.
Over-the-counter activated charcoal is also not offered in high doses that are effective in healthcare settings. For these reasons, you should always seek emergency care for poisoning or overdoses and never try to treat yourself or others at home.
May Help Reduce Gas and Bloating
In addition to absorbing harmful substances, activated charcoal may help absorb gas, alleviatingbloatingand flatulence.
A study including 52 adults found taking activated charcoal reduced gas that can obstruct ultrasound images. However, this research is flawed due to the small sample size. Other research also combines activated charcoal with other substances.
In another small study, participants with small intestinal bowel overgrowth (SIBO) took simethicone and activated charcoal for 10 days. The participants experienced reduced flatulence and abdominal pain related to SIBO, a condition that often causes excess gas. However, simethicone alone helps reduce bloating and gas. The study also found taking the antibiotic metronidazole had a more significant effect on reducing flatulence.
Another study found taking a supplement containing activated charcoal for two weeks helped reduce participants' bloating andconstipation. However, the supplement also contained herbs that may have offered more constipation and gas-reducing benefits.
Does activated charcoal help Travelers' diarrhea?
Activated charcoal is often touted as a cure for travelers' diarrhea—loose stools and illness experienced by travelers who consume contaminated food or drink. A review of studies found taking activated charcoal appears to help prevent diarrhea by removing drugs and bacteria that often cause digestive issues. Still, we need more research to prove it is an effective diarrhea treatment.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health also warns against giving activated charcoal to people who are dehydrated and have diarrhea—especially sick children. Activated charcoal may worsen fluid loss and absorb nutrients, enzymes, and antibiotics.
May Help Heal Skin
Activated charcoal has been used to treat wounds for centuries. Activated charcoal may help heal wounds by absorbing bacteria, which creates a sanitary environment for the wound to heal. But while some modern research is promising, we need more research to prove activated charcoal is an effective wound treatment.
A small study found activated charcoal cloths helped treat leg ulcers better than antimicrobial dressings within four weeks. Another study found activated charcoal cloth pads reduced wound size faster than silver foam dressings that are typically used.However, these studies involve medical-grade dressings, not directly applying activated charcoal powder to wounds.
Activated charcoal added to skincare may also help remove bacteria, oil, and dirt that clog pores. Still, it is not a proven treatment for acne or anti-aging. We need more research to understand if activated charcoal in skincare has true benefits.
How to Take Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal supplements are typically taken orally as a capsule or as a powder mixed into a beverage. Since activated charcoal can absorb nutrients and interact with some medications, it should be taken on an empty stomach and one hour after taking any medicines. Take activated charcoal three to 12 hours before takingbirth controlpills.
Studies show activated charcoal is the most effective in treating overdoses and poisonings when taken within the first hour of ingesting a harmful drug or chemical. When treating life-threatening poisoning or overdoses, a person will drink high doses of activated charcoal powder mixed with a liquid. If someone cannot drink the mixture, the activated charcoal liquid may be transported to the stomach using small tubes placed through the nose or mouth.
The sugar alcohol sorbitol may also be added to the activated charcoal mixtures in emergency care. This adds sweetness and gives the supplement more laxative power. Laxativeshelp your gut eliminate waste faster, which may also help decrease the amount of poison absorbed.
Dosage
There is no optimal dosage for activated charcoal. Activated charcoal supplements vary and are often sold in 250 to 950 milligram (mg) dosages. In emergency poisoning or overdose situations, activated charcoal dosages are much higher and depend on the amount of substance ingested and the person's body weight.
If the amount of toxin ingestedisknown, a healthcare provider will administer a 10 to 1 ratio of activated charcoal to toxin. If healthcare providers do not know how much toxin was ingested, they will give a dosage of 1 gram per kilogram of body weight or age-based dosages.Age-based dosages used to treat poisoning or overdose include:
- Adults and children older than 12 years old:50-100 grams (g)
- Children 2 to 12 years old:25-50 g
- Infants younger than one year old:10-25 g
Activated charcoal should be safe for most people. However, activated charcoal can increase the risk of intestinal blockage and is unsafe for people with existing blockage or gut motility disorders (slow food movement through their intestines). Intestinal blockage is a serious condition where something blocks food and stool from moving through your intestines.
People who are pregnant and breastfeeding should also consult their healthcare provider before taking activated charcoal. While it may be safe for short-term use, the safety of using activated charcoal while pregnant or breastfeeding is not well known.
Potential Drug Interactions
Activated charcoal can absorb many medications and make them less effective. It can also absorb micronutrients, making it difficult for your body to absorb vitamins and minerals from supplements and food.
Drugs, supplements, and medicines you should avoid taking with activated charcoal include:
- Pain relievers like Tylenol (acetaminophen)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)
- Barbiturates, like Amytal (amobarbital)
- Tricyclic antidepressants, like Elavil (amitriptyline)
- Asthma and lung condition medications, like Elixophylline (theophylline)
- Epilepsy and seizure medications, like Phenytek (phenytoin)
- Birth control pills
- Dietary supplements
- Medications that induce vomiting, like Ipecac (syrup of ipecac)
You should also avoid mixing alcohol and activated charcoal. Drinking alcohol can decrease activated charcoal's effectiveness at absorbing poison and other substances. Research shows alcohol may even prevent activated charcoal's ability to absorb toxins.
What to Look For
You can find activated charcoal powder and capsules at health food stores, drugstores, and supplement stores. Like other dietary supplements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have to verify activated charcoal use claims or ingredients. Because of this, the quality, ingredients, and doses of activated charcoal supplements can vary. To help you choose a quality activated charcoal supplement, look for products tested and certified by third-party labs.
It is also important not to confuse activated charcoal with charcoal briquettes used for grilling. While both are made with charcoal, charcoal briquettes have not been activated and should not be ingested.
Can You Take Too Much Activated Charcoal
There is no toxic level of activated charcoal since the body can not absorb the supplement. However, taking large doses of activated charcoal can cause uncomfortable side effects. Make sure to talk to a healthcare provider before trying to take very large doses of activated charcoal.
Side Effects of Activated Charcoal
Taking activated charcoal supplements can cause gastrointestinal tract side effects like:
- Black stools
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
When used in an emergency setting to treat poisoning or overdose, activated charcoal can also cause more severe side effects. A person receiving activated charcoal when they are semiconscious or vomiting may accidentally experience aspiration, inhaling activated charcoal liquid into the lungs.
In rare cases, activated charcoal can cause bowel obstruction, or a blockage in the intestines. This prevents food and stool from moving through the bowels.
Because activated charcoal is very abrasive, using activated charcoal toothpaste regularly can also wear down tooth enamel. Activated charcoal applied to the skin incharcoal face masksor other skincare can also causeskin peelingin people with sensitive skin.
Activated charcoal is a fine, porous black powder that can absorb toxins like chemicals and drugs. Because of this, activated charcoal is an effective way to treat a variety of life-threatening poisonings and overdoses.
Activated charcoal may also help relieve gas and bloating and promote wound healing—but research is limited. Currently, there isn't sufficient evidence to prove activated charcoal supplements or using products with activated charcoal, like toothpaste, benefit your health.
Taking activated charcoal is typically safe for most people. However, it can absorb some drugs and micronutrients, so make sure to avoid taking activated charcoal with other medications and supplements.
