Activated charcoal is a carbon- based substance that has been heated or otherwise treated to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. It is made from wood and other plant materials preferably palm kernel/coconut shells which are usually heated with a gas that causes the materials to expand, creating a porous surface.
Because of its extremely porous nature, activated charcoal is able to attract and strongly bind many harmful substances like chemicals, toxins, poisons, heavy metals, intestinal gas, fertilizer, or even alcohol in various aqueous based environments. The porous surface has a negative electric charge that attracts the positively charged unwanted products.
Simply put, it is an “active” charcoal with high adsorptive power created for medicinal purposes.
It is important to know that Activated charcoal is not the same as normal charcoal we used for grill or char wood from fire. True activated charcoal is odourless, tasteless, and non-toxic.
With unemployment rate rising in the country, it is a business that gives good and quick returns on investment, if invested upon.
Interest in activated charcoal grew in 1831 when a French Academy of Medicine professor (Prof Touery) famously drank a lethal dose of strychnine and did not suffer any ill effects, all because he combined the deadly poison with activated charcoal.
Benefits & Uses Of Activated Charcoal
Teeth Whitening: Have teeth become stained from coffee, smoking, tea, wine, oil or food? Activated charcoal helps whiten teeth while promoting good oral health by changing the pH balance in the mouth, helping prevent cavities, bad breath and gum disease. It works to whiten teeth by adsorbing plaque and microscopic tidbits that stain teeth. Activated charcoal use is cost-effective and an all-natural solution for a bright smile.
Water Purifier: Activated charcoal traps impurities in water including solvents, pesticides, industrial waste and other chemicals. This is why activated charcoal uses include its use in water filtration systems throughout the world. For water treatment, Granular Activated Charcoal is recommended (GAC).
Skin Cleanser: Activated charcoal is beneficial for a variety of potent skin care uses. It can pull out the pollutants and toxins that rest on the surface of the skin, making it a superb cleansing ingredient for skin care.
Soothe and Heal bites, cuts and skin irritations: Whether you were stung by a bee, snake or had a cut from the kitchen that has become infected, activated charcoal can help speed the healing and relieve the symptoms.
For minor skin ailments including insect bites, stings, cuts, scrapes and minor infections, activated charcoal can be applied as a paste, helps absorb venom and infection. It will also bring down swelling and lessen pain. To make the paste, slowly add water to a bit of activated charcoal powder and mix until it is a spreadable consistency.
Anti-Poison: Studies show that activated charcoal may be the most effective GI tract decontaminant available. It can adsorb up to 50-60% of unwanted substances in stomach and intestines when taken quickly after ingestion. It can even have a positive effect as long as four hours after ingestion! In fact, emergency rooms routinely administer large doses of activated charcoal for certain types of poisoning.
Air Purifier: Activated Charcoal porous structure makes it great at removing odours, harmful chemicals and allergens from the air. This is why you’ll often find activated charcoal in air purifying products. Whether to capture laser plume or anaesthesia gases in operating rooms, clearing the smoke from restaurants, smoke shops, or bars, or sucking up solvents and hair sprays in aesthetician and beauty salons, activated charcoal is clearly the answer.
Anti-Aging: Activated charcoal slows the rate at which the brain becomes increasingly sensitive to toxins as you age, which makes for better cognitive functioning. Studies show that activated charcoal prevents many cellular changes associated with aging, adrenal gland, liver and kidney function.
General Detoxification: Activated charcoal is one of the world’s oldest detoxifying remedies and now it is available as a powerful and convenient supplement to help eliminate the toxins in your food and environment that make you fat, weak, and foggy headed.
Depression: When you feel unusually moody or suddenly tired, activated charcoal helps you back in the game within minutes.
Metal Recovery: Activated Charcoal is the most efficient in the recovery of Gold, Precious, rare earth and base uranium, copper, nickel and zinc ore, waste and reclaim streams.
Hence, Activated Charcoal is a business one can indulge in to make multi -million naira profit if invested in, on a large scale.
We recommend activated charcoal as part of first aid kits, at HOME, FARM and at WORK.
