The first I became aware of charcoal as a natural remedy was when I saw these tablets in a pharmacy in Southeast Asia.

I was curious. And there is something quite beautiful about these tablets. So black and smooth and soft. You can easily crush them between your fingers.

What is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated to make it clean, sterile and more porous. The porous nature of activated charcoal makes it adsorptive. An odd word, adsorption is not to be confused with absorption. To say that charcoal adsorps is to say it attracts and holds toxins but it seems that they just cling to the outside of the charcoal rather than being absorbed into it.

Either way the bottom line is that charcoal is a great magnet for poisons, toxins (including heavy metals) and the bacteria that cause bad breath and gum disease.

Food grade activated charcoal can be taken as a antidote to poisons, or for gastrointestinal ailments, to detox heavy metals and to treat diarrhea.¹

Activated Charcoal as a Toothpaste Ingredient

The Koreans, Japanese and Indians have long used charcoal in tooth powders and toothpaste. In addition to cleansing your teeth and leaving your mouth feeling clean and fresh charcoal has a bleaching effect. It will whiten your teeth in no time but without the damaging and toxic effect of the bleaching materials more commonly used by dentists for teeth whitening.

If you want to make your own toothpaste then here you have in charcoal another excellent natural (and inexpensive) ingredient to add to your toothpaste recipe.

When using tooth powders, you’ll find they are easier and more effectively used with your finger than with a toothbrush. Just dip a wet finger into the tooth powder and scrub your teeth clean.

Here is a great tooth powder recipe using bentonite clay from Mountain Rose Herbs.

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