Charcoal As A Natural Health Tool?
When was the last time you opened a bag of charcoal and thought, “Hmm, I think this might be a tool to help me become healthier”? Uh, never! But it’s true that there are many uses for charcoal that you might have never considered before. Let’s look at these four new ways to use charcoal, and they don’t include barbecuing!
Charcoal as a tooth whitener
You know you’ve done it. The day you glanced in a mirror and thought, “Holy Smokes! When did my teeth turn yellow?” So you buy expensive teeth whitening toothpaste, or even schedule a date with your dentist for a teeth whitening session costing you hundreds of dollars. But what if there was a cheap alternative? Can you whiten your teeth for only pennies a treatment? Yes, you can! With charcoal!
But don’t try to crush up a charcoal briquette from that bag of charcoal sitting in your garage. You’ll need to purchase a bag of food grade charcoal. And it’s already in a powdered form which makes it perfect for the many uses you will undoubtedly find for it.
Want the recipe for a great tooth scrub? It’s easy:
- You need a small cup, bowl, or jar
- 1 T. charcoal powder
- enough water to make a paste
- spoon to mix your paste
- toothbrush (It will turn the head black or dark gray)
- towel to wipe up afterward
NOTE: Before you decide to scrub your teeth with the charcoal paste, be sure and do it in an area where the charcoal can be wiped up. The powder is very fine and tends to float down onto the counter, sink, and floor around you. A towel around your shoulders will also be a good idea, as it can easily float onto your shirt.
BONUS IDEA: After brushing and rinsing your mouth with the charcoal paste, you can finish your teeth brightening with a natural peppermint toothpaste. You can find links for an outstanding brand I personally use everyday at my website listed below in my bio.
Charcoal as an internal cleanser
How many of us have bought an expensive “Detox in a Box” from the natural health store, only to realize it’s a bunch of herbs to make you poop? Not that having a regular bowel movement is a bad idea, but who wants to spend thirty dollars for a month’s worth of defecation? Surely there’s a cheaper way to get your detox–and the solution is our handy, dandy charcoal powder!
Charcoal is a highly effective, immensely cheap alternative to the expensive detoxes find on the market today. Just mix it with a few, choice ingredients, and ‘voila! You got a daily detox that won’t break the bank.
No doubt, you want the recipe for a great charcoal detox. Well, here you go (I will provide links to the ingredients at the website listed in my bio.):
- 1 Tbsp. charcoal powder–Using only food grade, activated charcoal powder
- 1 cup ground flax seeds–Ground psyllium husks can be substituted for the flax, but only if constipation is not an issue. Psyllium husks can constipate.
- 1 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup bentonite clay–Using only food grade bentonite clay
- Mix all the ingredients in a jar and close with an airtight lid.
- Upon waking and before bedtime mix one tablespoon of the dry mixture in 1/4 cup water to make a “pudding”. Quickly ingest the pudding, followed by an eight-ounce glass of room temperature, reverse osmosis or distilled water. A squeeze of lemon in the water is acceptable.
NOTE: As with any ingredient you ingest, please be aware that there are times where charcoal taken internally is a bad idea. Here’s the short list:
- Do NOT take while pregnant or lactating. Never detox during these times. Ever.
- Do NOT take this charcoal detox while taking other supplements or medications. It will bind with the chemicals and cause the supplements or medications to become ineffective.
- Drink and drink and drink your water! This detox requires you to be hydrated.
- Count your bowel movements daily. You’ve got to be moving the toxins out through your eliminatory channels in order for a detox or cleanse to work. So you’ve got to have at least one BM a day. Two or more is awesome! (Your eliminatory channels are your BULLS: bowels, urinary, liver, lymphatic, and skin.)
- Don’t take this detox longer than two weeks at a time. It will clean you out. Your body will need time to recover. A great rule of thumb for detoxing is to detox every change of season. So every spring, summer, fall, and winter you should be attempting to detox and cleanse your body.
- Do take pre and probiotics after you have finished with this cleanse. The charcoal and clay will bind to the bacteria, both good and bad, in your intestines. Be ready to replenish the good gut flora with a high-quality pre and probiotic. A link is provided below for one you can order through Amazon, or you can contact me through my website for a professional, pharmaceutical grade probiotic.
Charcoal For Complexion Correction
I bet you expected another beauty tip for charcoal, didn’t you? Like a charcoal face mask? One that helps to correct complexion issues such as wrinkles and acne, but also cleanses and exfoliates? Oh, you know me too well!
Since you’re reading my mind and already expect a fantastic charcoal mask recipe, I will not waste any more of your time. My favorite recipe for a charcoal mask–links to the products at the website listed in my bio:
- 1 cup activated charcoal
- 1/4 bentonite clay
- 1 Tbsp Matcha green tea
- Liquids for making paste, choose one: coconut oil–melted (can be drying), aloe vera, or witch hazel
- Essential oil of your choice: i.e., tea tree oil, eucalyptus, or patchouli, etc.
- Mix dry ingredients together and store in an airtight jar with lid.
- Make a paste using your choice of liquids and 1 Tbsp of dry mix.
- Add 2-3 drops of Essential Oil
- Mix thoroughly and apply to face, avoiding eyes.
- Allow to dry.
- Wash off with warm water–I find a shower afterward is the easiest way to loosen the mask and wash it off.
NOTE: Sometimes a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel is an effective astringent for use following the mask. Can be followed with a natural lotion if desired.
Charcoal for Wounds and Sores
Truly, charcoal is a wondrous ingredient to have in your natural medicine cabinet. The many things you can do with charcoal cannot be contained in this one blog post. But, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how miraculous charcoal was in healing wounds or sores.
The following is a dynamic wound healing recipe which utilizes the power of charcoal to bind with toxins rendering them harmless. In addition, it also capitalizes on the anti-bacterial nature of colloidal silver, giving it a powerful punch.
- 1 tsp charcoal
- equal parts colloidal silver liquid, or colloidal silver gel to make a paste
- Mix in a small, glass container (charcoal stains plastic)
- Cover wounds with a thin layer
- You may cover wound with bandage or gauze
- Change dressing every four hours
NOTE: You can use a special bandage that utilizes the two ingredients for pressure wounds, called “Actisorb Silver 220”. To find these bandages, check out my website for links to find the bandages.
To read more about the research and results published about the efficacy of charcoal and silver for open wounds, check out the “References” section for a link to the study.
Resources:
Effects of Silver and Charcoal on wounds
For additional study on charcoal: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3917957
For information about charcoal and it’s effect on cancer, read here: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/detox-with-activated-charcoal/
Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram!
I'm a Naturopathic Doctor, Master Herbalist, and Clinical Herbalist in training. I love holistic health. I love talking about it, researching it, and using natural remedies for myself, family, and friends. So sharing my love with the world is a no-brainer.
I'm also not a stranger to living life with a chronic disease, as I am a carrier of a rare, x-linked, muscular dystrophy called Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy Type 6. I am asymptomatic, but I have passed the mutated gene to my three sons, who each suffer to varying degrees from EDMD6. From this disease, I've learned patience, empathy, and a lot of insight into how to live with degenerative, chronic illnesses.
At my website, www.naturopath-doctor.com, I offer online holistic health consultations, using hair analysis to better understand why you feel sick. Need a doctor supervised weight loss? I got the program for you and will help you get those stubborn pounds off.
Want to detox but not sure how, or what supplements to use? I utilize years of experience in detoxing protocols and have pharmaceutical grade supplements to provide you with a gentle, effective cleansing and detoxification program. Come see me over at my website, naturopath-doctor.com, and contact me today!
