Charcoal: Miracle of Absorption

The Illustrated Home Library Encyclopedia can tell us why Charcoal is important to have around. It can do what a box of baking soda can by absorbing odors. It also absorbs gases, and colors from liquid. If you were going to dye some Easter eggs and had charcoal in the water when a color tablet was added the charcoal would absorb the color from the water.

If you have concerns about water purity charcoal can clean it up but then the water would be black from the charcoal, which you would have to remove. And that would be a tough thing to do. Just touching charcoal can smear black all over your hands, but that will give you some idea of what charcoal is capable of. At one time it was used to remove the color from sugar.

Another value of charcoal is its ability to help save lives. When poison is accidentally ingested whether in liquid or solid form taking a charcoal pill will buy time to get to a hospital because it will absorb the deadly toxins in the stomach. Charcoal will eventually make it into the bloodstream, carrying the toxins, to be fed to the crucial organs and cells of the body.

Does it slow the digestion of the poisons? It could if the poison was a liquid. Liquid assimilates in the body at a much faster rate almost immediately compared to a solid, which has to be broken down.

While someone who has ingested poisons and taken a charcoal pill needs to get to the hospital to have their stomach pumped immediately in some situations charcoal pills can be taken without the trip to the hospital. In one instance, charcoal pills are often taken before drinking alcohol to avoid having a hangover afterwards. They absorb the alcohol and slow the alcoholic rate at which it is taken into the bloodstream. Without a sudden rush of alcohol in the bloodstream the brain won't be deprived of oxygen that can bring about hangovers.

Some of the charcoal pills that can be bought in the store contain a concoction of charcoal and calcium carbonate. Charcoal is pure carbon so what is calcium carbonate? It is calcium and carbon as the name suggests. Calcium doesn't stand alone its found in combination with other compounds.