Charcoal shows promise in fighting heart disease, others
It is often destined for the waste bin, but recent studies suggest that charcoal could be the cure-all/life-enhancing portion researchers have been looking for. CHUKWUMA MUANYA reports.
TRADITIONALLY, it has been used: to stop grounded beans paste (use in making Moi Moi and Akara) from deteriorating; in herbal concoctions; to stop diarrhoea; and as antidote to poisons.
Charcoal is usually made by, burning bones of some animals, coconut shells, sawdust, and woods of some medicinal plants. In recent times, it has been activated to potentate its actions.
The medical uses for charcoal date back to the Egyptian Papyrus of 1550 B.C. During the time of Hippocrates (400 B.C.) physicians treated epilepsy and anthrax with charcoal. In the 1700s charcoal was often prescribed for bilious problems (excessive bile excretion).
After the development of the charcoal activation process (1870 to 1920), many reports appeared in medical journals about activated charcoal as an antidote for poisons and a cure for intestinal disorders.
Modern research has validated most of the early uses for charcoal and discovered exciting new applications.
Indeed, recent studies have elucidated the many important therapeutic uses for activated charcoal: universal antidote for drugs, chemicals and poisons; systemic clearance of drugs and intoxicants; general detoxification; anti-aging and life extension; reducing cholesterol, coronary disease and arteriosclerosis; counteracting pathogens; and intestinal complaints.
Until now, charcoal has the well-earned reputation of being a universal antidote. Several studies have shown that it can adsorb most organic chemicals, many inorganic chemicals and countless poisonous substances before they can cause harm.
Researchers have demonstrated that activated charcoal detoxifies the body in several manners: purifies the six-eight liters of digestive fluids that are secreted daily which in turn helps remove foreign substances from the blood; absorbs the intoxicant substance and its metabolites that are excreted into the small intestine from the biliary (bile) tract, preventing their re-absorption; absorbs drugs that diffuse back into the stomach and intestines; and decreases the detoxification work load of the liver.
The latest find by United States researchers suggest that charcoal may provide a new approach to managing the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease.
The preliminary research was presented last week at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, California, United States.
It had been established that patients with advanced kidney disease have high rates of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and death from heart disease. Oral activated charcoal-a product called AST-120-has traditionally been used as an emergency treatment for certain types of poisoning. Recent studies have suggested that AST-120 may exert beneficial effects in kidney disease.
A professor of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Benin, Edo State, Prof. MacDonald Idu, told The Guardian: "Activated charcoal is safe for most adults when used short-term. Side effects of activated charcoal include constipation and black stools. More serious, but rare, side effects are a slowing or blockage of the intestinal tract, regurgitation into the lungs, and dehydration.
"Medical researchers have discovered, that Activated Charcoal is so effective both chemically and physically, because of it's electrical charge and the thousands of microscopic tunnels created by the process used to make it. The medical profession uses it as an antidote. It is inexpensive, harmless, and easy to use."
Dr. Valentina Kon, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States, said: "We found that oral activated charcoal lessens atherosclerotic lesions in experimental mice with kidney damage.
"This is especially important because there is no effective treatment to reduce the high rate of cardiovascular mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease."
The researchers studied the effects of AST-120 in mice genetically engineered to develop atherosclerosis. The effects were assessed in mice with different levels of kidney mass.
In mice with profoundly reduced renal mass, treatment with AST-120 led to a dramatic decrease in atherosclerosis. This was so even when charcoal treatment was delayed. The improvement in atherosclerosis was unrelated to changes in blood pressure or cholesterol levels. Rather, the effect appeared related to reduced inflammation in the blood vessels.
In mice, oral activated charcoal appears to reduce atherosclerosis associated with kidney disease. The effect is present at different levels of kidney function, in very advanced atherosclerosis, and even when treatment is delayed. More research is needed to see if AST-120 offers similar benefits in humans with kidney disease.
Activated charcoal has been shown to lower the concentration of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood serum, liver, heart and brain. In one study that was reported in the British journal, Lancet, on patients with high cholesterol, 8 gm of activated charcoal taken three times a day lowered total cholesterol 25 per cent, lowered Low Density Lipo-protein (LDL) 'bad' cholesterol 41 per cent and doubled their High Density Lipo-protein (HDL) 'good' cholesterol/LDL cholesterol ratio.
Microscopic tissue examination studies have shown that a daily dose of activated charcoal may prevent sclerotic changes in the heart and coronary blood vessels.
On the dosage and administration, Idu said the following doses have been studied in scientific research: For drug overdose or poisoning: 50 to 100 grams of activated charcoal is given at first, followed by charcoal every two to four hours at a dose equal to 12.5 grams per hour. For children, lower doses (10 to 25 grams) are used.
"There are several ways. Ranging from most to least common, it would probably look like this: Charcoal in water, taken orally; Charcoal compresses, taken topically; Charcoal bath; Charcoal Enemas; Charcoal pencils; Intravenous Colloidal Charcoal.
Activated charcoal taken as a powder is the most effective form of charcoal that can be used. The best method of use is to take the required spoonfuls of powder, place them in the bottom of a cup or glass, and add water while rapidly stirring the charcoal into the water, then drink it down, along with a second glass of water to include any residue," Idu said.
On the safety of using charcoal, Idu said: "High doses of activated charcoal can bind with and eliminate healthful substances, such as vitamins, hormones, medications, and nutrients. Although charcoal is used for various types of poisonings, it is neither a poison panacea nor a universal antidote. It would not adsorb cyanide, and it is not recommended for potentially corrosive substances such as certain acids or alkalis. Always check with a poison control center or medical professional before ingesting large doses of activated charcoal to neutralize a poison. It might be safe when used short-term if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, but consult with your healthcare professional before use, if pregnant.
Do not use activated charcoal if you have a blockage in your intestinal tract."
Dr. V. V. Frolkis, a famous Russian Gerontologist, and his colleagues have discovered that activated charcoal is a potent life-extending agent. Activated charcoal has been found to increase the mean lifespan of older test animals by approximately 40 per cent and their maximum lifespan by approximately 34 per cent.
Frolkis wrote: "Activated charcoal decreases the age-related increase in the brains sensitivity to drugs and toxins. Activated charcoal normalizes cholesterol and lipid metabolism. The regular use of activated charcoal improves the adaptive functioning of essential organs (the liver, kidneys, and adrenals). That translates into better defense mechanisms."
Microscopic tissue analysis shows that activated charcoal prevents many cellular changes associated with aging-decreased protein synthesis, lower RNA activity, arteriosclerosis, and organ fibrosis. "So the cumulative effects from activated charcoal are longer life and improved overall health."??
It has also been shown that animals fed on charcoal have higher birth rates and population density.
According to a study, "Charcoal Consumption by Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys: Its Function and Its Ecological and Demographic Consequences" the Zanzibar red Colobus monkey is the only primate, aside from humans, known to eat charcoal in the wild. All age classes and both sexes eat charcoal, but only those groups living in perennial gardens or near human dwellings do so. The habit appears to be transmitted from mother to offspring by imitation, but how it developed in the first place is unknown.
The study was published in International Journal of Primatology.
According to the study, sources of charcoal include charred stumps, logs, and branches, as well as that produced in kilns by humans. These charcoals adsorb organic materials, such as phenolics, particularly well and, as a consequence, remove these compounds, which have the potential to be toxic or interfere with digestion or both. The extreme inertness of charcoal makes it an unlikely source of minerals to the Colobus.
The study concluded: "By eating charcoal, monkeys living in gardens with a high density of food species dominated by exotic trees - Indian almond and mango - are able to exploit this abundant food resource that is high in total phenolic content much more effectively than in the absence of charcoal. The young leaves of these exotic tree species are also very high in protein and highly digestible.
" The benefits of charcoal eating are most likely due to the fact that charcoal adsorbs phenolics better than proteins. This may explain in large part why the birth rates and population densities of the Colobus living in the Indian almond and mango habitat adjacent to the Jozani Forest are significantly higher than those in the ground-water forest. The population density of Colobus in this small area is the highest ever recorded for a nonhuman anthropoid (700/km 2 ). It may not, however, be a stable situation, as there are indications of higher levels of aggression, lower recruitment into the medium-juvenile size class, and overbrowsing."
Documented evidence suggests that charcoal has been used by physicians since the last century to treat various intestinal complaints. Abdominal distension (bloating) and flatulence respond favorably to treatment with activated charcoal. Diarrhea caused by food poisoning, bacteria, nervousness and other factors is usually alleviated by taking activated charcoal. Some physicians have used activated charcoal to stop bleeding from ulcerative colitis and calm spastic colons.
Activated charcoal has been touted as the best intestinal deodorant available. Taking activated charcoal has been shown to counteracts decomposition products from food (such as beans) that cause flatulence and diarrhea.
Activated charcoal has also been shown to reduce the activity of some viruses, and prevents the poisonous activity of many harmful bacteria in the human body by adsorbing the toxins and enzymes that they generate. Studies have shown that activated charcoal is an effective treatment for dysentery, cholera, and many infectious conditions of the digestive tract.
It has been demonstrated that activated charcoal can be an effective adjunct to any regimen for the treatment of systemic Candida albicans infections. Activated charcoal adsorbs much of the toxins that Candida produces that otherwise would be absorbed by the blood and carried throughout the body. These toxins produce pathological changes in tissues and organs and interfere with proper immune function. Candida toxins cause allergic reactions and are responsible for the debilitating symptoms of Candidiasis.
Activated charcoal has also been shown to suppress the growth of intestinal-based yeasts. Activated charcoal counteracts the Herxheimer reaction-a severe, short-term exacerbation of Candida symptoms caused by the copious amount of toxins produced by dying yeast cells. The Herxheimer reaction is often so unpleasant that patients abandon treatment before completion. Activated charcoal is one method for alleviating the symptoms of yeast die-off so people can continue their treatment and not suffer.
Toxicology studies have proven that activated charcoal is basically harmless. Ingesting high dosages does not interfere with sleep, appetite or well being-or cause major problems.
However, it has been shown that how well activated charcoal really works in practical situations depends on several different factors: the type of toxicant (its chemical structure and physical properties); the amount and type of charcoal ingested; the length of time from toxin ingestion to activated charcoal ingestion; and the contents of the intestinal fluids and intestinal transport efficiency.
A study made in 1981 showed that activated charcoal cuts down on the amount of gas produced by beans and other gas-producing foods.
Idu said activated charcoal adsorbs the excess gas as well as the bacteria that form the gas. He said: "Activated charcoal helps to eliminate bad breath, because it cleanses both the mouth and the digestive tract. It is also helpful in relieving symptoms of nervous diarrhea, traveler's diarrhea, spastic colon, indigestion, and peptic ulcers. For such problems take between one teaspoon and one tablespoon of powdered charcoal up to three times a day. Take it between meals, as food can reduce its effectiveness. Swirl the charcoal in a glass of water and drink it down or mix it with olive oil for easy ingestion by use of a spoon
"Activated charcoal is inexpensive, simple to use and is a time-tested natural remedy that has many valuable uses without dangerous side effects or contraindications, a very efficient cleaner of the body when taken orally. It also helps to purify the blood.
"Charcoal may adsorb and inactivate other medications. Usually you can take charcoal two hours before or after other drugs. If you are taking prescription drugs, check with your doctor before beginning treatment with charcoal."
Idu said charcoal could be used to treat wounds, ulcers and bruises. Lancet, the prestigious British medical journal, describes the use of charcoal compresses to speed the healing of wounds and eliminate their odors. This article explained the amazing ability of human skin to allow transfer through its permeable membrane and pores of liquids, gasses and even micro-particles by the application of moist activated charcoal compresses and poultices which actually draw bacteria and poisons through the skin and into the poultice or compress.
Idu said: "Poultices must be kept moist and warm to allow healing process to take place. Make a poultice by putting one to two tablespoons of charcoal powder in a container and adding just enough water to make a paste. Spread the paste on a paper towel, cloth, or piece of gauze cut to fit the area to be treated. Make sure the cloth is moist, warm, and thoroughly saturated with the paste. Place it over the wound cloth-side down and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap or plastic bag cut to overlap the pou
