Surely, readers have seen many products containing activated carbon such as toothpaste, beauty masks, … So, do you know specifically, what effects activated carbon has on health?

Activated carbon is widely used in our lives thanks to its antibacterial, antifungal properties as well as its ability to strongly absorb toxins. If you do not know clearly what effects activated carbon has, please read the article below.

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon is a type of carbon that has been treated with oxygen at high temperatures, making the carbon more porous. In general, this method will change the internal structure of the carbon, the pore size will decrease and the surface charge will increase.

Activated carbon is like a black powder, tasteless and odorless, and has been used for a long time to help treat many different diseases. Depending on the activities of life as well as the needs of use, people will create many different types of activated carbon such as activated carbon in powder form, granular form, pellet form, tube form, sheet form, original form or packaged as a supplement,…

Currently, activated carbon is most commonly used in medical facilities to treat drug overdose or as an emergency antidote. At the same time, it is also used to support the treatment of other cases such as reducing cholesterol levels, reducing bloating and improving kidney function.

In life, activated carbon is used as an additive to help filter water, whiten teeth,…

Activated carbon is a type of carbon that is widely used in life.

What are the effects of activated charcoal?

So, what are the effects of activated charcoal on health? Using activated charcoal as well as products containing activated charcoal will bring some benefits such as:

Detoxify the body

There was a time when activated charcoal was considered a universal detoxifier. Until now, it is still considered a very potential natural treatment. According to some published studies, activated charcoal has the ability to prevent the absorption of toxins into the body very well, especially in organs such as the intestines and stomach in emergency cases. At the same time, activated charcoal also helps to remove toxins even when they have penetrated the body.

Cleanse the skin

Thanks to its excellent purifying ability, activated charcoal is used as an ingredient to effectively cleanse the skin. In addition, activated charcoal is also used in many other products such as teeth whitening powder, toothpaste, facial cleanser, exfoliant, mask to help reduce acne, tighten pores, … When applied to the skin, activated charcoal will act like a magnet to clean all dirt and excess oil out of the pores, thereby helping to prevent acne effectively.

Teeth whitening

If you are experiencing yellow teeth, activated charcoal will be the “savior” to help solve this problem. Because activated charcoal has a negative charge, it has the ability to absorb positively charged free radicals and toxins. Thanks to that, stubborn plaque on the teeth will be defeated, bringing effective teeth whitening effects.

Toothpaste containing activated charcoal will bring optimal teeth whitening effect.

Soothe insect bites

Activated charcoal can also soothe insect bites. If you are bitten by an insect, bee sting or mosquito bite, you can use activated charcoal to reduce the feeling of itching, pain and discomfort. First, take a sufficient amount of activated charcoal powder (the amount contained in 1 capsule) and mix it with ½ teaspoon of coconut oil. Then, apply this mixture to the damaged skin area, every 30 minutes until the swelling subsides. In addition to insect venom, activated charcoal is also very effective in treating rashes caused by poisonous plants.

Environmental purification

The antibacterial properties of activated charcoal help fight mold and insects very naturally. Not only that, activated charcoal also absorbs toxic substances very quickly, keeping the surrounding living environment clean. Charcoal also helps eliminate unwanted odors, providing a fresh space, clean air, safety to help protect human health, prevent many diseases.

Improve kidney function

Activated charcoal will help improve kidney function, support kidney function by filtering out harmful substances and indigestible substances from the body. Therefore, people with chronic diseases can consult their doctor to use activated charcoal to help reduce symptoms of damage, inflammation of the digestive tract and improve kidney function.

Reduce cholesterol

High blood cholesterol levels are the main cause of many diseases such as stroke, myocardial infarction, … leading to complications of stroke and even death.

Activated charcoal can bind to cholesterol and cholesterol-containing bile acids, thereby helping to limit the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the body. The amount of cholesterol in the blood will decrease, thereby improving the overall health of humans.

Activated charcoal also helps reduce blood cholesterol levels.

Is activated charcoal safe?

Accordingly, activated charcoal is considered safe for most cases. However, there are still some side effects that may occur but they do not occur often such as vomiting. Especially when activated charcoal is used with sorbitol.

In some extremely rare cases, activated charcoal is associated with intestinal obstruction. It is often seen in some cases of the disease accompanied by symptoms of intestinal motility disorders or the use of drugs that slow intestinal motility by a nervous mechanism, …

In addition, activated charcoal is also contraindicated in cases of gastrointestinal bleeding, not excluding perforation of hollow organs.

It is important to note that in cases of acute poisoning, patients should not use activated charcoal at home on their own. Arbitrary use can increase the risk of aspiration of activated charcoal into the acute respiratory tract, especially in cases of hypertriglyceridemia and unconsciousness. Poisoned patients need to take other treatment measures such as first aid, electrolyte balance, gastric lavage and use of specific drugs for each type of poisoning instead of using activated charcoal.

Although it is considered quite safe, patients should absolutely not use it arbitrarily. Please consult your doctor before intending to use it.

Consult your doctor before using activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal brings many wonderful uses for human health. However, to ensure health safety, you absolutely should not use activated charcoal indiscriminately. Talk to your doctor about your health condition to know if you are suitable to use activated charcoal or not, how to use it, and what dosage to avoid unwanted side effects, negative effects on health.