What exactly is charcoal? It is a powder obtained by smoldering wood such as birch or willow, but also from coconut shells, and then treated to increase its porosity and consequently its absorbent functionality.
It is born as an anti-toxic, in cases of food poisoning, because it mechanically adsorbs and incorporates the toxic element: the resulting mass is not absorbed in the digestive phase and passes to the intestine for elimination, without releasing any of the intercepted substances . Let's see in detail when it should be used, dosage and contraindications of vegetable carbon.
Vegetable Coal: indications
As mentioned, the Vegetal Coal is an antitoxic in the first place and is indicated precisely in case of poisoning or real food poisoning :
> Inedible mushrooms.
> Expired food.
> Foods gone bad for poor conservation: custard, fish, eggs.
> Drugs overdosed or accidentally and dangerously taken.
> Alkaloids, arsenic.
The charcoal exerts adsorbent power, ie it absorbs and retains substances, does not release them, englobes them and leads them to evacuation, different from the simple and only absorbing power, which would limit itself precisely to absorb toxicities but not to hold them and not make them digest from our body.
To promote this interesting antidote effect it is essential to take Vegetal Coal on several occasions during the day, for a daily dose of about 1.5 / 2 grams.
Unfortunately, Vegetal Coal is not able to absorb metals such as iron, or cyanide salts, solvents or acids, so in these conditions it does not perform any "health-saving" action.
Also read Vegetable carbon for difficult digestion >>
Vegetable charcoal is also useful in cases of diseases affecting the gastrointestinal system, fermentative and putrefactive disorders :
- Gastric hyperacidity
- Bad breath
- Aerophagy and meteorism
- Diarrhea
- Flatulence
Vegetable carbon, thanks to its adsorbent properties, incorporates fermentative gases, viruses and bacteria, from the stomach and intestines . It also performs a disinfectant action and purifies the body with faeces. This remedy is not carminative, but works with intestinal transit, which is why the consequence of taking charcoal is to produce black stools.
Vegetable charcoal: Contraindications
We have seen that plant charcoal absorbs many of the substances we ingest. It is therefore contraindicated to those who are following a drug therapy, since its effectiveness is at risk. Also as an antidote it should not be associated with those drugs that induce vomiting or gastric lavages, the so-called emetics.
Vegetable charcoal is contraindicated in case of slowed intestinal transit, overt constipation, or even intestinal obstructions . It must not be taken at all in the presence of appendicitis.
To overcome the problems linked to the slowing of intestinal functions, we can find the association of charcoal and carminative herbs, such as cumin, caraway and fennel, which contrast the formation of gas and meteorism without constipation phenomena.
