Our love affair with Activated Charcoal is SO real. This black powder has many uses internally, externally and around the home, it’s no wonder we keep a bottle handy at all times. With winter fading and summer around the corner, food-grade Activated Charcoal is what we’re turning to, to detox our skin, clear our pores and whiten our teeth. (There was even that one time my 5lb dog ate a piece of dark chocolate and Activated Charcoal was part of the remedy in a pinch!) Everyone could benefit from keeping Activated Charcoal around which is why YOU will find it in April’s Rosehive Superfoods Box! Pre-order April’s Rosehive Superfoods Box to get 40g Organika Activated Food Grade Charcoal to try this recipe with!
Fast and easy to make this homemade activated charcoal lemonade with stevia is loaded with feel good benefits. Food-grade activated charcoal relieves bloating, traps toxins from within the body, whitens teeth, reduces acne, and has so many more unique benefits!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 tsp activated charcoal
- a whole squeezed lemon
- distilled water
- a few drops of stevia for sweetness
Benefits of Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is charcoal made from coconut, peat, coal or wood that’s been heated with a gas to create millions of tiny pores, making it very absorbent in trapping toxins in the body. It is a fine black powder, finer than sand. It’s odorless, tasteless, and completely non-toxic (not to be confused with barbecue charcoal, which IS toxic). In history, healers from Chinese Medicine, Ayuredic Medicine, and Western Medicine have used activated charcoal to soak up poisons and improve intestinal health. In modern medicine, charcoal is used in emergency rooms to treat poisoning or drug overdoses. More recently, fresh juice companies have been adding food-grade activated charcoal to juice concoctions and smoothies to create a beverage that is believed to have detoxifying benefits.
What are some of those benefits?
- Digestive cleanse
- Relieves digestive issues such as gas, and bloating
- Reduces Alcohol Poisoning + Hangovers
- Help eliminate toxins from the body
- Improved mental clarity
- Teeth whitener
- Reduces high cholesterol
- Absorbs impurities from pores therefor reducing acne
- Bad breath and body odor remedy
- Anti-Aging properties
- The colour black in Traditional Chinese Medicine is associated with the kidneys and is said to enhance, purify and support the Jing energy.
Judy Fulop, a naturopathic physician at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago was interviewed about the benefits of activated charcoal and here is what she had to say:
“It’s effective in binding, but it can be too effective, in terms of binding medications a person needs,” Fulops says. She recommends that anyone taking medication do so at least 2 hours apart from drinking something with charcoal in it. The same goes for nutrients. Activated charcoal may also soak up the vitamins from food, so it doesn’t really make sense to drink green juice or smoothies with charcoal in them, or sip a charcoal lemonade alongside a salad, Fulop says.
“The research shows that it does not have an effect on the alcohol itself, but it may have an effect on the additives and the chemicals that are in the process with the alcohol,” Fulop says. “Some people have headaches and really bad hangovers, and part of it could be that they are more intolerant to some of the byproducts.”
While studies have reported mixed results on whether activated charcoal relieves gas, Fulop says she’s seen it work, but that it may not help everyone, and not long-term. Remember if you do give it a try: Everyone responds differently to different doses, so to avoid potential undesirable effects, such as constipation, please consult your doctor and use only as suggested.
Head over to our Activated Charcoal Pinterest board for tons of superfoodie inspiration:
So there you have it! An exciting superfood to discover in 2017! Will you be giving it a try?
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbal medicine, particularly if you have a known medical condition or if you are nursing or pregnant.
Try Activated Charcoal in April’s Box & use Code ‘LIVEWELL25’ for 25% off here.
