Cleansing & Detox Program
Activated Charcoal Body Cleanse and Detox
Whether it be a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, for full body cleansing, or poison detox, activated charcoal will, to a greater or lesser degree, be beneficial and should be included in any natural cleansing or detox program.
Very few health practitioners realize that as an agent to remove toxins from the body, charcoal is the best single detoxifier for whole-body cleansing. Of course, along with charcoal, one cannot forget water, both on the outside and the inside to help wash away poisons. Richard C. Kaufman, BS, MS, PhD, (Bio-nutritional Chemistry from the University of Brussels) has written extensively in the field of anti-aging. He writes, “Detoxification is an on-going biological process that prevents toxins (from infectious agents, food, air, water, and substances that contact the skin) from destroying health. Chronic exposure to toxins produces cellular damage, diverse diseases, allergic like reactions, compromised immunity and premature aging.” As a general detox plan to counteract these daily exposures to toxins, he has found two programs that, using activated charcoal, have worked well for him and others. He recommends either.
- Use activated charcoal on two consecutive days each week. Take a total of 20 to 35 grams each day divided into two or three doses. Take in the morning, at midday and before bed on an empty stomach. Avoid excessive calories or processed foods on those days.
- Take about 20 grams a day of activated charcoal in divided doses for several months. Follow with a one-month break and resume the cycle.
These programs should not be viewed as license to continue any unhealthy practices. Charcoal should be viewed as an auxiliary to sound health practices, not as a back-up for intentional indiscretions. But, should we give in to some carelessness, charcoal is a wonderful aid to recovery. CharcoalRemedies.com p. 61-62
Water
As has been repeated numerous times elsewhere, one must insure that they are maintaining adequate water intake. That means with every dose of charcoal, and throughout the day. Never forget that pure clean water is the absolute best cleansing agent in the world. As charcoal passes through the GI tract it is constantly picking up toxins, either those that have entered the body through ingestion, breathing, or skin contact, or those resulting from the body’s metabolism. While charcoal grabs onto (adsorption) these toxins your body still needs help to move the mass along until it is all eliminated from the body. That is where water intake is so vital.
Constipation
While charcoal does help to regulate bowel movements for some, the opposite may be true, and you may notice your bowels getting sluggish. At that point you should either increase your fluid intake, or decrease your charcoal intake, or supplement your charcoal with some natural product, such as slippery elm, that will aid elimination.
In case of constipation we do not recommend a warm enema to begin with. A warm enema in most cases will probably work, but it tends to make the bowel even more sluggish and eventually the bowels will decide to let you do the work for them by giving more enemas. The better solution is to stimulate the bowels using a small COLD enema which actually helps tone the lower bowels by encouraging them to contract. You can purchase a bulb syringe in any pharmacy. There are two sizes. The smaller size is usually called an ear syringe for ear irrigations to remove wax build up.
Drugs
Remember again, charcoal does not discriminate when it comes to poisons. It pretty well grabs onto all poisons (see Poison List) including drugs, which are pharmacologically classified as “poisons.” So if there is any concern that charcoal may interfere with your medications then you have several options. 1) don’t take any more charcoal internally 2) give yourself a one and a half to two hour window around the time of your medication when you do not take any charcoal 3) treat yourself to a nice warm bath with a half cup of charcoal powder added into it. Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, the charcoal in the water will be able to detox the body. The medical journal The Lancet has reported the ability of activated charcoal to draw toxins from deep tissue as well as deep organs. In this way charcoal can also help as a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, or as a full body cleanse. People comment that they feel even more relaxed after such a bath.
In place of charcoal powder, granular or lump or bamboo stick charcoal can be tied into sachets using nylon or organza cloth and suspended in the water. While this is far less messy it does not work as fast as a charcoal powder. Using bamboo stick charcoal in baths and saunas is a popular treatment in Asian cultures.
To find out more how charcoal can be used in cleansing and detox programs, order the book CharcoalRemedies.com now.
Activated Charcoal Detox FAQs
Whether it be a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, for full body cleansing, or poison detox, activated charcoal will, to a greater or lesser degree, be beneficial and should be included in any natural cleansing or detox program. Richard C. Kaufman, BS, MS, PhD, (Bio-nutritional Chemistry from the University of Brussels) has written extensively in the field of anti-aging. As a general detox plan to counteract these daily exposures to toxins, he has found two programs that, using activated charcoal, have worked well for him and others. He recommends either:
1. Use activated charcoal on two consecutive days each week. Take a total of 20 to 35 grams each day divided into two or three doses. Take in the morning, at midday and before bed on an empty stomach. Avoid excessive calories or processed foods on those days.
2. Take about 20 grams a day of activated charcoal in divided doses for several months. Follow with a one-month break and resume the cycle.
Whether it be a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, for full body cleansing, or poison detox, activated charcoal will, to a greater or lesser degree, be beneficial and should be included in any natural cleansing or detox program. The medical journal The Lancet has reported the ability of activated charcoal to draw toxins from deep tissue as well as deep organs. In this way charcoal can also help as a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, or as a full body cleanse. People comment that they feel even more relaxed after such a bath.
As has been repeated numerous times elsewhere, one must insure that they are maintaining adequate water intake. That means with every dose of charcoal, and throughout the day. Never forget that pure clean water is the absolute best cleansing agent in the world. As charcoal passes through the GI tract it is constantly picking up toxins, either those that have entered the body through ingestion, breathing, or skin contact, or those resulting from the body’s metabolism. While charcoal grabs onto (adsorption) these toxins your body still needs help to move the mass along until it is all eliminated from the body. That is where water intake is so vital.
Remember again, charcoal does not discriminate when it comes to poisons. It pretty well grabs onto all poisons (see Poison List) including drugs, which are pharmacologically classified as “poisons.”
So if there is any concern that charcoal may interfere with your medications then you have several options. 1) don’t take any more charcoal internally 2) give yourself a one and a half to two hour window around the time of your medication when you do not take any charcoal 3) treat yourself to a nice warm bath with a half cup of charcoal powder added into it. Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, the charcoal in the water will be able to detox the body.
John Dinsley
Born in British Columbia, Canada, John Dinsley has lived, and worked from South America to the North Pole, from Nova Scotia to Nepal. He is trained as a lifestyle counselor, teaches public health programs, home remedies workshops, and has operated a family care home. He and his wife Kimberly are the owners of Charcoal House LLC. They often travel together across the U.S. and internationally to conduct charcoal workshops. He is a carpenter by trade, has managed an organic market garden business, and volunteered in overseas development work. When he is not building, teaching or gardening, he enjoys writing.