So what does mother nature have in her arsenal that can be aid the healing of the above plus so much more?
Activated Coconut Charcoal!
I was brushing my teeth earlier and thought that this may be of interest to some of you.
Activated charcoal has reportedly been used medicinally by both the ancient Egyptians and the father of medicine himself, Hippocrates. This charcoal can also be found in Emergency Departments around the world to help with poison overdoses.
Activated charcoal is one of the most versatile healing remedies with the ability to adsorb more than its own weight in toxins, bacteria and chemicals.
Adsorption, not Absorption. So it binds to the surface of the offending substance for elimination.
The porous surface of activated charcoal has a negative charge which allows gas and positive charged toxins to bind to it.
I personally use it for whitening my teeth. It binds to stains, tartar, bacteria and viruses, so if you like caffeine (guilty), blueberries or a nice glass of red, this may be well worth a try! As an added bonus, it is very low on the abrasion scale.
I like to keep it in the medicine cabinet and take a small container of it on my travels. I have used it as an internal detox, when I feel like I need an internal cleanse, taken it for an upset stomach (when that food was just too spicy or didn't think it was going to stay down - which used to happen to me quite a bit when traveling). I have , on more than one occasion, been told by my darling adult children and their friends that it has prevented their hangovers. The most amazing thing I have witnessed was the pus it dragged out from a young friend of my teenage son's white tip spider bite. It was gross but amazing.
Fortunately the lad was very fit and healthy and recovered quickly. He had an idea it was a white tip spider that had bitten him on the calf but decided to speak up day 2 after the bite ( He received the bite at his own home not mine!) . When he showed me I could see the venom had traveled via a redness and inflammation line up into his groin area. It was becoming painful. The site of the bite was raised, hot, red and discharging slightly.
We made a poultice with activated coconut charcoal and applied it to the site of the bite. He was sleeping over and when we checked it in the morning, wow the amount of pus / poison the charcoal had drawn out was impressive - I look back now and wish I had taken photos. He continued this treatment for another 5 days applying a fresh poultice in the morning and changing each evening before bed and reported to me that each time he changed the bandage the discharge slowly became less. His concerned parents still attended a Doctors office on the 3rd day once they had realized what had happened and received the appropriate antibiotics. When he had to return for the follow up appointment the following week the Doctor was surprised and impressed with the healing that was occurring and was sure further treatment was going to be required due to the extent the poison had traveled.
Was 100% natural treatment an option? Maybe. But that wasn't my decision and at the end of the day we all do what we feel is best for our kids don't we.
Anyway, activated coconut charcoal - medicinal grade - NOT barbecue or fireplace charcoal.
It is also good for bloating , gas, reducing cholesterol, water filtration, skin masks and detox, good acne treatment and mouth detox.
Its a medicine cabinet must have. It doesn't really go off if kept in a sealed dry container. You can buy capsules which are really handy as the powder is very very messy! I have the powder because of the reasons above - each to their own!
Warning - do not consume internally unless it is medicinal grade and within 2 hours of taking any medications/supplements. Otherwise they will bind to your medications rendering them useless - which is rather silly isn't it. Plus, always drink plenty of water if you do decide to consume or do an internal detox with the charcoal - it will constipate you otherwise which isn't the point of a detox. Oh and don't be surprised if your number two's are a bit black for a day or two. If it takes longer than a couple of days to clear the black stools then I would ask yourself if you had consumed enough water or maybe its time to consider more fruit/ veg / fiber in your diet.
Handy little remedy to have around, even for pets.
If you have any experiences with activated charcoal - let me know!