Activated Charcoal

Emergency Detox for Poisoning and Infections

Uses Activated Charcoal taken internally relieves gas and diarrhea and binds ingested poisons. Used as a poultice it draws infection and toxins out of wounds. Taken internally it binds toxins in the gut.

Dosage Taken internally, 4 to 6 capsules, up to every hour as needed.

Dr. Myatt’s Comment:
Activated charcoal adsorbs, or “draws,” 17 times it’s own volume in fluids. (Adsorption is much faster than absorption).

When given for internal poisoning, it adsorbs toxins and prevents them from entering the bloodstream. We use it in conventional medicine for this purpose.

When used externally, charcoal has the same “drawing” effect. It’s the ONLY thing to do for a Brown Recluse Spider bite in my opinion. (Conventional medical treatment consists of giving an antibiotic and prednisone, both of which are useless in preventing the inevitable tissue damage that will follow.)

Using a charcoal poultice over the bite site will pull the toxins out of the system, usually in as little as one hour. I have also used it successfully in Black Widow Spider bites (not as serious as a Brown Recluse bite, but very painful). Two M.D. colleagues of mine tell me that it works well for snake bite, and I would certainly use it in this instance if I had occasion to. Every household should have charcoal on hand!

Find Activated Charcoal for internal and external use here:

Making and using a charcoal poultice is easy:

Remember, when working with activated charcoal, IT IS MESSY – it will stain and blacken everything it touches! That includes your clothing and countertops and even your dishes. Fortunately, it washes off the skin fairly easily with soap and water.

NOTE: It is possible that charcoal could cause permanant tattooing if allowed to enter a cut or broken skin – use with caution in cases of open wounds.

Open some Activated Charcoal capsules and mix the charcoal (1 to 2 Tbs. should do it) with a little water to form a wet paste. It should be moist but not so dry as to be crumbly or so wet as to be runny or drippy.

Spread the paste on a piece of folded paper towel, loosely woven cloth (like cheesecloth), or piece of gauze sized to fit the area to be treated. When ready the cloth should be moist, and thoroughly saturated with the paste. Another great material to spread your charcoal paste on is a piece cut from a disposable protective underpad – these are available in your local drugstore. Others folks have told us of using feminine hygene pads – these make great absorbant dressings and are sterile until their packaging is opened!

Place the charcoal poultice on the affected area making sure it completely covers the area.

Cover the poultice with plastic (plastic food wrap works well) sized to be larger than the poultice by at least an inch on every side. This keeps it from drying out. If the charcoal paste dries out, it will not be able to adsorb effectively.

Tape the edges of the plastic down and cover the poultice to keep it securely in place. You may wish to bandage it in place with gauze wrap.

You can leave it on for several hours, or even overnight.

After 6 to 10 hours another poultice can be applied – you may continue to use a charcoal poultice until the symptoms have cleared up.