Wilderness/survival medicine-Activated Charcoal

J

JD Spydo

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Nov 20, 2004
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I was listening to a show on gcnlive.com this morning and heard a very interesting guest talk about all of the remedies that you can have with "actvated charcoal". Aparently it's a great detoxifier and it has all kinds of healing properties. The guy had an interesting website too www.charcoalremedies.com .

I had heard about it 3 years ago on another show about the detoxifying and healing properties of activated charcoal but this guy really went into detail about it. I do plan on getting some for my survival kit.

Because when the local Walgreen won't be available to us we're going to have to do something. I would sure like for any of you all who may know something about activated charcoal or any other comparable viable survival type remedy to share it with us. Let's talk
 
There was a thread a couple of months ago (could be more) about it. I bought some charcoal tabs to keep around the house for nausea, because they are neat and clean, but it is my understanding that you can just use hardwood charcoal, so need to really stock up for when the SHTF.
 
Remedy! Supernatural! Remedy for what?? What can it actually be used to treat? It just says it's a remedy, not what it's good for fixing.
 
Its carried on ambulances for use for people that have ingested poisons. Many poisons will bind with the charcoal so that it won't be absorbed by the body.

The only other things that I remember it being in is some water filters and our NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) suits in the Army.

Like chewbacca says, you can use hardwood ash in most cases. I know that they use it in the making of some homemade soaps also.


KR
 
It only works to absorb certain toxins when ingested. It's not an herbal remedy, it's not a cure-all, it's not for general health. It can easily cause lots of constipation. The store-purchased activated charcoal is special: it is not just another version of what you get out of your fire. It's been specially 'activated' to maximize surface area and detoxify it. The stuff in your fire may work, but likely also has toxins in it.

All that said, I would keep it in a home kit in case you have a child or pet around. I would only bring it in the woods if I had a child or dog with me that was prone to eating things they shouldn't be eating.
 
KR and Spooky are right.

As apposed to something like Ipecac, which induces vomiting, activated charcoal comes in handy when what went down is caustic and would do more tissue damage if it came out the same way….. not a cure all but very useful.
 
Additionally Spooky, I’m prone (especially after a pint or five) to eating things I shouldn’t, like an entire rack of ribs, a week old burrito, or Indian takeout from neighborhoods without any Indians.

So far I use the time on the can to think about what I did an learn from it.


cheers all
 
nydude said:
KR and Spooky are right.

As apposed to something like Ipecac, which induces vomiting, activated charcoal comes in handy when what went down is caustic and would do more tissue damage if it came out the same way….. not a cure all but very useful.
Click to expand...

Correct, and ipecac, if you look at the studies has several issues. Not only is there risk of aspiration (pulling it into the lungs) which is remarkably bad if it’s an alkaloid but even the risk of re-injury coming out. But it also can take so long to work as to allow all of the poison to become absorbed making it useless and it often never actually empties the stomach of all its contents, another problem. A significant amount of poison can stay in the stomach. That’s why we no longer carry it and use charcoal instead.

KR
 
Great stuff been using it for years. It works great if you have a bee sting, tummy acke,
It has wonderful drawing prorties when used as a poltice.
Brushing your teeth if you have no tooth paste,
There are a lot of things you can do with this stuff.
Great stuff to keep on hand and in kits.

Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Great stuff been using it for years. It works great if you have a bee sting, tummy acke,
It has wonderful drawing prorties when used as a poltice.
Brushing your teeth if you have no tooth paste,
There are a lot of things you can do with this stuff.
Great stuff to keep on hand and in kits.

Bryan
Click to expand...

Most of the above is taking advantage of its alkaline properties. Good for the tummy - because it neutralizes acids much like rolaids.

As for toxins it is helpful for organochlorines. Victor Yuchenko, who was poisoned supposedly in the Russion embassy through introduction of dioxin into his cream of mushroom soup, was treated using activated charcoal. For hydrophobic chemical therapy activated charcoal works best when introduced as a suppository rather than ingestion. All the action is in the colon. I've got a boat load of papers to demonstrate this and it was a subject I was interested in during my PhD.

Still the new age BS about -detoxification - is mostly new age BS. Folks talk about its uses for current use pesticides, smoking, too much alcohol, illecit drugs, basically any bad lifestyle habits. Activated charcoal doesn't help with any of that. Kind of like the enema cliniques where they flush your bum with water and show you the muddy water that comes out. So what?

It has its uses, but understanding what its uses are is key. Don't try to over extrapolate the stuff. As Spookey indicated, charcoal from your firepit is going to have piles of PAHs formed sponatenously from the combustion process. You will be as likely to be introducing mutagens into your system after ingesting firepit charcoal as you will be helping yourself.
 
I got a question. What part is "activated" about activated charcoal?


Do I have to go through my phone company? (knuck knuck)



Is it charged with negative ions or something?
 
The article says activated implies the charcoal was baked or altered in some way to create the most surface area possible, so that it absorbs more than non-activated charcoal. it makes sense.
 
Yep - in technical terms, activation simply means heating above the boiling point of water usually over night. By removing moisture from the pores, you are increasing the total available surface area. Some procedures call for more intense heat, but that is going beyond the operation definition.
 
all things that one can do themselves in the campfire.

I've been using campfire charcoal for years. Works excellent to make water clear and sweet, works great for tummy aches or indigestion. etc etc etc etc. native indians in BC ate charcoal for hundreds of years as a natural remedy against stomach aches, or ingested poisonous plants
 
As far as I understand it activated charcoal, by micro-porosity/electrostatic properties (my words, don't take it as a technical term) will capture many toxins, heavy metals, and other chemical substances.
It is used in hiking water filters (and in professional water purification units) to remove various type of chemicals.
I knew charcoal pills to be used mostly for diarrhea treatment. I have some friends who did used limited quantities of crushed wood charcoal as field expedient for diarrhea treatment, and apparently it did somewhat help, although not sure I'd try myself.

Although Activated charcoal does have medical effect, I wouldn't buy the hype some of the sites linked in this thread do around it.
 
Activated charcoal is good way to help in cases where toxins are involved. In Finnish army medics (I was one, that's why I know ^^ ) carry charcoal tabs for in case of poisonings and to help remedy dirrhea. I remember when some trooper took some charcoal tabs and his dirrhea was gone fast but he came back face white and asked: Will I die, my poop is all black!!! He though blackness was dye blood or so.

When you do use activated charcoal tabs your poop and vomit can be dyed all or mostly black. Its not dried blood but coal.
 
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