Activated Charcoal: Benefits, Dosage, Contraindications

Vegetable activated charcoal is a carbon-rich, porous material obtained by calcining wood (or other materials) heated to a very high temperature in the absence of air. The charcoal is then activated by increasing the number of pores, which increases its surface area. This is achieved by heating it to high temperature in the presence of steam or carbon dioxide, or with an activating agent such as phosphoric acid or zinc chloride. Activated charcoal is widely used to treat drug overdoses and poisonings. Activated charcoal can be prepared from vegetable by-products such as coconut shells, cherry pits, olive pits, or date pits. The adsorption power of activated charcoals is mainly attributed to its porosity and specific surface area (surface area per unit mass, expressed in m²/g), representing the area available to adsorb a monolayer of molecules. The surface developed by activated charcoal is significant: 1 g of activated charcoal has a specific surface area between 400 and 2,500 m²/g. Activated charcoal demonstrated its ability to prevent toxicity when two of its pioneers, Bertrand (1813) and Touéry (1831), publicly ingested arsenic and strychnine, respectively, with activated charcoal and survived. Subsequent researchers demonstrated in vitro the action of activated charcoal on a wide range of toxins, including morphine, barbiturates, salicylates, and other medications. In addition to its role in neutralizing toxins, it has been demonstrated that activated charcoal adsorbs gases, suggesting it may play a role in reducing flatulence. Due to its adsorbing nature (meaning to attract substances to the surface of the material), activated charcoal can help treat liver and kidney disorders. Oral intake of activated charcoal may lower cholesterol levels and reduce high bile acid levels.