The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Cheri (Texas) on 09/13/2013
★★★★★
I have been using activated charcoal for a few years and I always by mine on Ebay. You can get any size in powder form. My dog likes to eat Deer droppings (yuck) and it makes her sick, but when I see her licking her lips after being outside I know, if I get the charcoal in her she won't be sick, I use an empty syringe by sticking it in the side of her mouth between the teeth. I have used it for the flu and it stopped the vomiting.
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Toourlady89 (Ca, Usa) on 08/28/2013
Hi, taking activated charcoal on a regular basis as I understand is not really a good idea. It is used for certain occasions for absorption of bad bacteria from the stomach such as: in food poisoning, abdominal distention with gas, or absorption of excess medication in cases of over dose. It could absorb large amounts of liquid from the stomach and thereby cause constipation. There are many other uses of charcoal but Use it as needed only. Not for regular daily use. You would wanna take it separately from your meds or vitamins as it would also absorb some of those. For constipation, hydration is most important, Milk of Magnesia could help followed by 6-8 glasses of water for the day. Magnesium Oxide daily would help prevent constipation in the future.
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Timh (Ky, Usa) on 08/28/2013 2048 posts
@Newlynatural: Three natural remedies for help in elimination are Milled Flax Seed, Vit-C, and Magnesium. The benefits of these certainly go beyond simply elimination. Begin w/ recommended doses and increase until you get results.
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Bobbie (Rowlett, Tx) on 08/27/2013
Try drinking Senna Tea. This usually works on the worse cases of constipation problems. Because it's been four days you may need a cup on an empty stomach in the morning and another around noon. You can try a cup before bed and usually in the morning you get relief. I dilute my cup by 1/2 by pouring 1/2 in another cup and filling with water because it usually works when I don't need it to work if I use the undiluted cup. If It's been more than two days, I use the undiluted cup. Put a tea bag in a cup and pour boiling water into the cup and cover it and let it steep for about five minutes. Drink as warm as you can get it. I don't put any sweetner in mine and I don't know if it makes a difference.
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Newlynatural (Fl, Usa) on 08/27/2013
Hi. I have a problem. I started taking activated charcoal on a regular basis and now I am bloated and cannot go. My stomach is solid as a rock. I stopped taking the Charcoal of course but what can I do to fix this problem, it's been 4 days?
Kidney Infection
Posted by Lucy (Santa Cruz, Ca, Usa) on 03/23/2013
★★★★★
Kidney pain for me is the worst. When I get this pain I open 4 capsules of activated Charcoal mix it in water drink and within minutes the pain is gone. I've always used this with lemons. If I have blood in my urine I do the juice of 4 lemons, the Charcoal, and drink lots of water.
Diarrhea
Posted by Isabel (Edinburgh, Scotland) on 07/17/2012
★★★★★
Activated Charcoal Tablets worked like a miracle for me last night. Thank goodness I had them in the cabinet.
For the first time in ages, I landed up with such a painful, swollen, distended stomach, tender and painful to the touch all over so much pain and gurgling noises. Then diarrhea, then feeling sick and woozy. Don't know if it was too spicy a dinner, food poisoning, just an allergy/intolerance or what. But at midnight, what can you do?
These trusty, simple, old-fashioned charcoal tablets (made from coconut shells, I have read) sorted me out COMPLETELY in less than ten minutes. What a miracle cure, when used to treat the right ailment.
Allergic Reactions
Posted by Anonymouscat (Sarasota, Florida) on 07/04/2012
★★★★★
Charcoal and Allergic Reaction from Benadryl
Took Benadryl for hives, but begain having serious adverse side effects: pounding, irregular or racing heartbeat shaking tremors difficult time catching your breathe, my tongue felt thick. Seriously feel like I was going to die! Well all of that happened to me, dr called and said she thought it was a reaction from the Benadryl. So I took some activated charcoal tablets I always keep on hand, and the adverse side effects fell away It was truly AMAZING.
Bloating
Posted by Mark (Las Vegas, Ca) on 03/30/2012
★★★★★
Activated Charcoal is good for food poisoning, Gas and bloating and Accidental poisoning. Always keep some on the house. I take it fairly often. I have never had a bad experience using it but many times it has saved me from problems such as gas, bloating and bad food.
Those that warn people to stay away always fail to recognize that maybe it will work for others and their problems might be an abberation and not the typical experience. I have never had charcoal cause constipation.
Bee Sting
Posted by Grace (Spring City, Tn.) on 03/27/2012
★★★★★
I have used charcoal for bee stings also. It works good to put this mixture into a pouch: cut from a baby diaper or chuck with medical tape around it, Pull out the stay dry lining because charcoal only keeps drawing if it is wet. Ground Flax seed works best but when my husband became allergic to flax seed I started using corn starch.
This also works on Brown Recluse Spider Bites, Snake Bites, Mosquito Bites, Infected Cuts of any kind and Ear Infections (Tape to the out side of the ear, pulls the infection out). I used this on my children it really works. Put it on at night and the next morning there was yellowish pus on the poultice.
I believe if people knew the benefits of Charcoal and how to use it many lives would be saved. No worries about gangrene.
Activated Charcoal and Meds
Posted by Craig (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 12/23/2011
Would taking the activated charcoal affect someone who is on a fentynal patch? Would it reduce the effectiveness of the patch?
Also does activated help with parasites?
thanks
Diarrhea
Posted by Cameron (Brisbane, Qld, Australia) on 12/14/2011
★★★★★
Yes, works very fast. Mix some Activated Charcoal in some juice, about a Teaspoon, let it fall to the bottom before mixing and drinking because it floats and any vigorous mixing bfore it sinks will have it all over the place. Also works for stomach upsets, gas and vomiting. Vomiting may take up to 3 doses but it will work, be prepared as black Charcoal Vomit is awful if you miss the bag or toilet.
Diarrhea
Posted by Lisa (Kevil, Ky) on 11/28/2011
★★★★★
Those with negative effects probably took too much, didn't drink enough water, didn't counter with extra fiber from veggies, fruits or fiber supplements. I had a little constipation. Stools were a little dry and hard to pass. So I backed down from a teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day, to 1/2 a tsp. 2 or 3 times a day, and made sure to drink plenty of water and eat enough fiber from foods and I also followed the charcoal with slippery elm, about a tablespoon in a pint of water, which makes a thin mucilaginous drink that is soothing to the gi tract and moves things on through it. I have had great results. Totally stopped the bout of gas and diarrhea that I had hit me, I guess from a bug or food poisoning.
Powder Form Vs. Capsule
Posted by Organicqueen (Chandler, Az, Usa) on 11/05/2011
Hi...was curious to see if taking the charcoal in powder form or capsule? Also, if taken in powder, what is a good method to mix it in?
Chemo Detoxing
Posted by Cameron (Brisbane, Qld, Australia) on 10/24/2011
★★★★★
Charcoal works in the Colon just as effectively as it does in the stomach and for the same reason as an enema. It prevents any toxins in the gut from being reabsorbed by your body from your gut due to a slow or blocked bowel. There are no better alternatives for ERs than charcoal, medical research shows charcoal as the most effective primary treatment for poisoning or drug overdose and is effective until at least an hour after poisoning/overdose. Do not administer Charcoal to a person who is unconsious except in the most dire circumstances.
My daughter has Leukemia and we were forced by Authorities to submit her for Chemotherapy, she had a severe reaction to a Chemo drug during treatment and eneded up in ICU, then a regular ward for 3 weeks recovering. I use Charcoal to detox the Chemo drugs out of her now to avoid side effects. Recemntly though she had some Doxorubicin an extremely dangerous Chemo drug along with Pegaspargase, we did not get home to administer the charcoal until at least 4 hours after her dose, all of a sudden she was suffering from severe abdominal pain, nausea, joint, bone pain and vomiting. I gave her 1 tablespoon of charcoal in juice and she was in bed asleep less than 5 minutes later with no more syptoms. I am the biggest fan of Charcoal, I have a lot of experience applying it and have done extensive reading about the most amazing and under rated substance I have ever discovered. I never ever leave home without it now.
Charcoal is still the treatment of choice at virtually all ERs that I am aware of, current 2011. Charcoal is the most effective remedy for poisons and toxins of all sorts, it has no known side effects of any sort except to make your Poo go black. Charcoal is not known to ADsorb Nutrients from the body! Charcoal is effective for anything except Solvents, Acids, Highly Alkaline Products or other petroleum based products. Ruling out those few things, it leaves us with an effective remedy for bites and stings of all sorts including spiders and snakes, please seek urgent medical attention for snake or spider bites. To use Charcoal as First Aid for snake or spider bites, apply as a wet Poultice, covered in plastic wrap to stop it drying out. Change as often as possible until you recieve medical help. You can also use Charcoal in a bath, it relieves pain almost instantly.
Diahhrea, Stomach Pain, Nausea, Topical Ulcers and a host of other conditions all can be treated with Charcoal. Nausea can be stopped in as little as 1 minute, vomiting stops in less than 5 minutes, retake charcoal if the charcoal slurry is vomited until vomiting stops, usually less than 3 times. Diahhrea, take a tablespoon in water or juice after each runny stool, your next firm stool will be quite black but do not worry. For Topical Ulcers, make a Poultice with 3 tablespoons Charcoal and 3 tablespoons Starch or Ground Flax Seed (keeps moisture in) and apply this to the cleaned Ulcer site on the back of a clean dressing. Cover the dressing with Plastic to stop the poultice drying out, change every 4 hours to 6 hours.
You may also try Charcoal as a Poultice for Kidney or Liver problems as it will help detox these through the largest organ of your body(skin) quite easily and effectively, change every 4 to six hours, you will notice a urine smell, this means its working.
Tooth and Mouth Care
Posted by Patricia (Las Vegas, Nv, Us) on 07/08/2011
★★★★★
Thanks to some other posts about making a paste from either charcoal or slippery elm and applying to your tooth, I've come up with another strategy. I took a paper coffee filter and cut it in strips a little more than an inch wide. I fold it so there is room to fold a small section over the top like a long, skinny evelope. I add either the charcoal or the slippery elm then fold over the top. Wet the strip with water. Then I cut it into smaller strips- about an inch and place between my lip and gumline.
Dealing with a dental infection and cavitation issues- this was a miracle. I could feel it start to draw immediately. I make a few long strips up at a time, wet them to seal it and cut them to the size I want as needed.
Viruses, Charcoal and Cayenne
Posted by Patricia (Las Vegas, Nv, Us) on 07/08/2011
I am a huge fan of charcoal and just getting up to speed on cayenne. Drinking teas. In water with ACV right now. Am I reading this right- 1 part cayenne to 4 parts charcoal will take the heat out but interfere with the other properties?
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Diamond (Salisbury, Usa) on 06/19/2011
Jeanne;I think the inscription might read take only 1/2 a teaspoon of Activated Charcoal, then work your way up gradually to one tsp. Most people will have negative results to anything, even food, but our bodies will let us know when enough is enough or that it's not good for one person but is for another.
True? good luck
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Diamond (Salisbury, Usa) on 06/19/2011
Kelly from Ohio; I usually do a complete cleanse before introducing my system to some thing new or different;so if the charcoal does block you up, you have enough time inbetween bowel movements to do the charcoal then again work on your bowel movements. I use one of the very best cleanses ever for the past fifteen years, it's a twin pack of multi-herb digestion & detox support the other bottle is multi-fiber cleanse;you take one of each herb(2), morn. Noon & night and this herb will let you know it's time to go potty haha because it's Dynamite, but it's bought in an herbal store & very affordable. Good luck
Charcoal Side Effects
Posted by Mercedes (Wilkes Barre, Pa/usa) on 05/25/2011
I took natures way activated charcoal for gas pains it caused worse pains then I started I also feel a lump in my stomach it has been 6 days and I still cannot have a bm. I also went to the hospital for this pain. They couldnt do anything for me because I took exlax which made me go but not the hard lump above belly button. The exlax made me dehydrated so they sent me home. I wouldn't recomend this to my worst enemy. So to all who read this before taking it please don't take it.
Food Poisoning
Posted by Ngok Ti (Busan, South Korea) on 05/22/2011
★★★★★
Last may 10, I accidentally drank tea from a restaurant which might not have prepared it clean. Within 30 mins from when I finished drinking, my stomach started churning painfully and I had severe diarrhea for 3 days. Since I was already alarmed that the condition didn't get better even after taking loperamide, I turned for help from the Chinese drugstore which advised me to take 3 activated carbon capsules before bedtime 3 hours after dinner. As soon as I took the first dose that evening, the diarrhea stopped. My stomach was still a bit painful so I took another dose the following evening. That worked great.
