If 2014 was the year that green juice reigned supreme, then 2015 is set to be the year of the black juice – or more specifically, the charcoal blended juice.
Using charcoal for health reasons is nothing new – activated charcoal has been used as a water purifier for thousands of years and is still widely used today, think Brita filters or Black+Blum bottles.
But activated charcoal powder has had a glamorous rebrand for 2015.
What is activated charcoal?
Activated charcoal (usually peat, coconut or wood) is charcoal that has been heated to a point where it expands and becomes more porous. These pores are thought to ‘trap’ or absorb toxins and impurities.
Its more traditional uses have been to counteract poisons or remove serious impurities from the body, but in its new guise as a super supplement it’s being touted as a detoxifying quick fix for bloating and a sluggish digestive system.
As charcoal juice pioneer and founder of Botanic Lab, Christophe Reissfelder told Get The Gloss, “Activated charcoal is a highly absorbent material with millions of tiny pores that can capture, bind, and remove up to 100 times the charcoal’s weight in toxins.”
The new wave of activated charcoal drinks tend to be juice or coconut water based with powdered charcoal added. As the charcoal is blended in (and pretty tasteless), they’re reported to be ok taste-wise!
But if you’re wary of a jet-black drink or are wearing white, you can also reach for a plain old charcoal tablet or capsule which has a similar effect.
Are there any side effects?
As with anything new, don’t over-do it and if you have any concerns speak to your doctor or naturopath beforehand.
On the whole there don’t seem to be many negative side effects, but some people do report an upset stomach after regularly ingesting charcoal.
It’s worth bearing in mind that on the other side of the fence, there are many critics who argue that our bodies are more than capable of removing toxins without any “detoxifying” assistance.
What do you think? Will you be grabbing a charcoal juice or will you give this one a miss?
Receive other tips & news like it…