3 Natural Uses for Activated Charcoal

As one of the most non-toxic, adsorbent substances we have at our disposal, activated charcoal has many health benefits and yet it’s widely underused. Continue reading to learn some of the natural uses for activated charcoal.

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What Exactly is Activated Charcoal?

Also referred to as activated carbon, the charcoal we’re talking about here doesn’t even closely resemble the black stuff you’d use to fire up a BBQ.

Food grade activated charcoal is produced with very high temperatures, which allows the wood (this is one of many materials that activated charcoal can be made out of) to become extremely porous. Once the completed product hits the health shelves, one gram of activated charcoal has the surface area of roughly two tennis courts. It can be used for anything and everything including water filtration, garden TLC, and even as a vitality booster.

3 Amazing Natural Uses for Activated Charcoal

1. As a Healing Agent

Activated charcoal has the ability to draw toxins out of the skin. This means that it’s safe to use for the treatment wounds, poison ivy, pink eye, snake and spider bites.

When used as a poultice, activated charcoal can also help treat abscesses. And making your own activated charcoal medicine poultice is real easy too!

All you need to do is mix 3 Tablespoons of activated charcoal powder with a little water to for a paste. Now spread the paste onto some gauze (cut to the size of the wound or problem area). Place the poultice gauze onto the affected area of skin and then wrap with plastic (cling wrap works just fine). Finally cover the plastic with a bandage and allow the charcoal to adsorb for several hours, or better yet, overnight.

You can use this natural healing method on a daily basis until you have seen significant improvement in the affected area of skin.

2. As an Odor Eliminator

Activated charcoal is great at getting rid of unpleasant odors such as:

• • Pet smells
  • Smoke
  • Foot odor
  • Skunk odor
  • Chemical smells

If you have a problem with odors, all you need is an empty can and some activated charcoal powder. You’ll want to poke a few holes into the can (not too large though) and then fill it with the activated charcoal powder.

Place the can in the affected area and then allow the carbon to adsorb the odors in the room. To make sure your shoes smell fresh you also use empty tea bags and fill them with activated charcoal powder. Once filled, just staple them up and then insert them into smelly shoes. The odor should be gone when left to work overnight.

3. As a Garden Booster

By using activated charcoal in your garden you’ll be able to improve soil drainage, reduce the risk of soil compaction, and also boost the nutrient level of the soil. There’s more though: activated charcoal can also improve soil’s water retention abilities, which is great for gardens that don’t get watered on a daily basis.

Aside from the soil boosting effect, activated charcoal helps improve germination and can also boost your plants’ ability to resist fungal disease and insect infestations.

If you’ve been looking for a natural fertilizer and eco-friendly insecticide, then you just found it. All you need to do to take advantage of what activated charcoal can do for your garden is to mix activated charcoal powder on a 2:3 ratio with organic compost. Treat your garden with the mixture on a monthly basis and you’ll be reaping the tranquil, green rewards in no time at all.

It should be noted, you don’t need to use food grade charcoal as it’d get very expensive.

As you can see, there’s more to activated charcoal than just its teeth whitening and bloat-busting abilities. We’ve just shown you 3 natural and safe ways to use activated charcoal in and around the house; all you need to do now is to start implementing these great ideas!

Read Next: Minimizing Toxins: A Crucial Strategy for Optimal Health

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