Activated carbon is a porous substance that is extracted from carbon-containing materials of organic origin. Sources can be: charcoal, coal coke, petroleum coke, coconut shells and others.
It is used not only in medicine, but also in industry for the purification, separation and extraction of substances.
If we consider activated carbon as a drug used for medical purposes, then it copes well with diarrhea and toxicity of the body. Best of all, coal copes with hemoperfusion in case of poisoning with theophylline, glutathimide, barbiturates.
In pharmacies, the drug can be found in the form of capsules, granules, tablets, paste, powder. You can find both black coal and white, which differ only in small changes in the compositions. The composition of black activated carbon:
- activated carbon - 0.5 grams;
- starch - 0.07 grams;
- black salt - 0.03 grams.
Since the extraction and manufacture of activated carbon does not apply sophisticated technology or expensive substances, the price of the drug is very low, ten tablets cost less than 10 rubles.
pharmachologic effect
The pharmacological action of the drug is absorbent, antidiarrheal and detoxifying. Coal can bind substances without affecting their chemical nature. This is possible due to the large surface activity that affects the decrease in surface energy. It absorbs alkaloids, glycoids, gases, toxins, heavy metals and other compounds, removing them from the body.
But at the same time weakly interacts with acids and alkalis. In order for the positive effect to be maximum, it is necessary to use it during the first hours after poisoning.
If with the introduction of a large amount of food in the stomach, the effectiveness is directly proportional to decreases. If the poisoning is caused by opiates, then the course of using the medication lasts for several days.
Indications and contraindications for use
The substance is used for dyspepsia, secretion of mucus from the gastrointestinal tract, as well as during fermentation or rotting processes.
Instructions are applied to activated carbon. According to the bark, the drug is effective for poisoning of various directions, for burns in the early stages, for dysentery or salmonellosis, for hepatitis, asthma, gastritis, liver cirrhosis, and so on.
People under treatment note that the drug shows itself well for allergies, metabolic disorders, chemotherapy. Recommendations also state that the drug is a good preparation for X-ray, endoscopic examinations.
The drug will help get rid of the gas in the intestines. Many lovers of slim figure will apply it for weight loss. As a rule, its use is combined with the rejection of flour, sweet, alcohol.
If the patient has hypersensitivity, ulcers or bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract, then it is better for him to stop using activated carbon. In addition to this, the instruction states that it is impossible to apply simultaneously with drugs that must be absorbed, as they will simply be derived from their bodies.
Instructions for the use of activated carbon for children and adults
The drug must be taken one to two hours before meals or other drugs. If the dosage exceeds 100 grams, then it needs to be divided into three equal doses. To complete a full course of treatment, you should take pills from three days to two weeks. You can repeat the course only after fourteen days.
If the use of the drug is necessary in case of poisoning, then twenty to thirty grams of the powder substance is diluted in 100 - 150 ml. water. In the case when the poisoning turned out to be serious, before starting the course it is necessary to wash the stomach with a suspension of 10 to 20 grams of powder. Only after this, it is already possible to take coal dissolved in water.
If a person feels the process of fermentation or rotting in the gastrointestinal tract with the release of gastric juice, the course of administration is from one to two weeks. Children up to seven years: five grams; children from 7 to 14 years: seven grams; adults: ten grams three times a day.
What is white activated carbon
In addition to all the usual black coal, in pharmacies you can find white, which in its properties is not much different from the usual counterpart. The drug will help relieve the load from the liver, intestines and kidneys, independently removing toxins and allergens. In addition, the stool is normalized and gas formation in the intestine stops.
White coal is a non-toxic drug that is absolutely identical in its properties to black. The only supplement: healthy dietary fiber, because of which white coal is added to food.
Side effects
If the drug is used for hemoperfusion, then there may be: hemorrhage, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, a change in the normal level of pressure.
Dosage during pregnancy and lactation
If a woman has to use activated carbon during pregnancy, then she should follow the following rules. The most important of them is the correct dosage, which is calculated as one tablet per ten kilograms.
But such parameters need to be taken only in the presence of strong toxicity. If the ailments are light, then one or two grams of the substance is enough for oral intake. If necessary, permanent medication, the frequency should be set by an experienced specialist.
But besides black coal, there is white, which is strictly prohibited during pregnancy due to the presence of an additional component in its composition, which adversely affects the process of pregnancy or breastfeeding.
How to clean the body with activated charcoal
To clean the body of toxins and enough to take just one pill per day. If the use of the drug is aimed at treating certain problems and ailments, the dosage increases.
As soon as you notice that your body has been poisoned, you should take two to four tablets of activated charcoal. The substance does not cause any addiction, does not affect the intestinal microflora, so that the drug can be used without special concerns the entire course prescribed by a doctor, unlike antibiotics, which can cause some problems of the gastrointestinal tract.
But, despite the absence of at least some toxicity, it is still necessary to first consult with a specialist before starting a long-term course of administration. As a rule, without the recommendation of a physician, activated carbon should be taken no more than four days.
If a person wants to cleanse the body after excessive use, this substance can also be applied. It is necessary before drinking alcohol-containing beverages, take the tool, calculating the dosage in relation to: 1 tablet per 20 pounds of weight.
You can also take coal after drinking alcohol, but then the ratio changes to 1 tablet per 10 kilogram. Wash it down with water without gases.
Activated carbon is the easiest, cheapest and most convenient way to combat pollution of the intestines and the body. It is best suited for people with problems of the gastrointestinal tract, including flatulence.
If the disease progresses seriously, and the symptoms increasingly affect the quality of life, then you need to take coal in the following dosage: 1 tablet = 10 kilograms of weight. It is necessary to use tablets three times a day for an hour to food. The number of days depends on the duration of the continuation of the disease, up to two weeks.
If a person is infected with dysentery or after drinking water with high rates of harmful chemicals, then you should consult a doctor who can develop the right system for removing substances.
As soon as the patient feels the first symptoms of poisoning, it is necessary to take activated charcoal at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kilogram of human mass, and then call a doctor.
How to use the drug for weight loss
Can I use activated charcoal for weight loss and how? In the course of the application, people found that there are two schemes of application that should be followed during the diet:
- It is necessary to divide ten tablets per day into several doses before meals;
- it is necessary to apply, counting the number of tablets, as one per ten kilograms of weight, while their number should not exceed seven at a time.
In order to enter the correct schedule, it is best to start taking the course with three tablets, gradually increasing their number. This will help the body to better adapt to the upcoming tight diet.
If something went wrong during this process, then it is worth stopping the use of the substance. The use of a large amount of coal can dehydrate and hang out most of the minerals and vitamin.
A coal diet is a tough but surefire weight loss solution.
If it is correct to develop a daily diet, then after the course, which should be less than two weeks, the result will be on the face.
Conclusion
Activated charcoal is a universal remedy that can not only cleanse the body for medical purposes, but also help weight loss to those in need, which is especially effective with a competent diet. With all its beneficial properties, the drug has a very low price, so it is necessary in any home medicine chest.
For more information about taking activated carbon, see the following video.
