The other day I was researching how to make my chocolate cake even darker,
and I read an article saying that I can add some activated charcoal to my mix. However,
I was reluctant to use it cuz I am not sure if eating charcoal is a good idea or not.
So why don’t we find out with People Also Ask?
Hi, I am Shao Chieh Lo, welcome to what people also ask, where I search something seemingly
obvious and share with you some of its PAA, aka People Also Ask, which is a feature telling you
what other people are searching on Google that relates to your query. Today's keyword
is activated charcoal. We'll discuss what it is and whether or not it should be used for
food or other uses. So let’s start with our first PAA: What is activated charcoal? The question is
answered by an article titled “What Is Activated Charcoal Good For? Benefits and Uses” published
on Healthline which is an American website and provider of health information headquartered in
San Francisco, CA. According to this article, activated charcoal is a fine black powder
made from bone char, coconut shells, peat, petroleum coke, coal, olive pits, or sawdust.
The charcoal is activated by putting it through a series of high-temperature processes. The
high temperatures alter its internal structure, shrinking its pores and expanding its surface
area. As a result, the resulting charcoal is more porous than conventional charcoal. Interesting,
but why do we need more porous charcoal? What is the point of it? Let’s talk about our next PAA:
What is activated charcoal used for? The question is answered by an article titled
“Charcoal, Activated (Oral Route) Proper Use” published by Mayo Clinic, which is
a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health education,
and research. Activated charcoal is employed in the emergency treatment of certain types
of poisoning by preventing the toxin from being absorbed from the stomach into the body, according
to this article. However, If corrosive agents such as alkalis, strong acids, iron, boric acid,
lithium, petroleum products such as cleaning fluid, coal oil, fuel oil, gasoline, kerosene,
paint thinner, or alcohols have been swallowed, this might not be effective because it will
not prevent these poisons from being absorbed into the body. I also read another article in
WebMD also mentioned that It is common to used for high cholesterol, hangovers, and upset stomach,
but there is no strong scientific evidence to support most of these uses. Which bring
us to our next PAA: What toxins does activated charcoal absorb? The question is answered by an
article titled “Can activated charcoal detox the body?” published by MedicalNewsToday. According to
this article, If a person consumes one of these specific poisons, activated charcoal treatment
must be administered within one hour for it to be effective. However, some substances might move through
the digestive sysyem more slowly than others, and a doctor may decide to administer activated charcoal
beyond the typical 1-hour window. Substances that might be absorbed by activated charcoal include:
A bunch of hard to pronounce stuff, I will just listed in the caption.
Activated charcoal can also be used to provide protection against organic vapors like paints, adhesives,
and plastics. As a result, workplaces that use or produce these products often require at-risk staff
to wear respirators containing activated charcoal cartridges. Okay, activated charcoal appears to be
useful in an emergency, but what if I just want to eat it for the sake of eating it? Let’s talk
about our next PAA: Is it safe to take activated charcoal daily or use it in food? The answer to
this question is answered by an article title ”Here's the truth about activated charcoal, the
latest supplement trend” published by Today.com, which is a website associated with The Today Show,
which is ​​an American news and talk morning television show that airs on NBC. According
to this article, many people take an activated charcoal supplement because they believe it can
“detox” their bodies or absorb alcohol. But is it safe to do so? Dr. Michael Lynch,
medical director for Pittsburgh Poison Center and assistant professor in the department of
emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, tells TODAY that it would be
minimal risk to do so, but activated charcoal really does not do what fans claim it can.
Activated charcoal is not helpful to treat over-drinking because It does not bind well to
ethanol or alcohol. And the very concept of “daily detox” is dubious because activated charcoal can
only be used to detox very specific substances that we usually do not ingest on daily basis.
Another risk of ​​activated charcoal is that it does bind well with many prescription drugs, though.
This means that people who take, blood pressure medication for example, and also take charcoal at the same time
may reduce the effectiveness of the medication. As to whether or not you should put it in your food,
it is controversial too. I found an article titled ”Surprise, NYC Apparently Has a Ban on Black Foods
with Activated Charcoal” published by Eater. According to this article, The Department of
Health of New Yorker says that activated charcoal is banned from all food and drink in the city.
And it seems that FDA does not approve it to be used in food in the first place either.
But again, it would be minimal risk to use it as food coloring if you want to. Today we
learned what is activated charcoal, what is activated charcoal used for,
and the risks associated with taking it daily. If you made it to the end of the video,
chances are that you enjoy learning what people also ask on Google. But let's face it,
reading PAA yourself will be a pain. So here's the deal, I will do the reading for you and upload a
video compiling some fun PAAs once a week, all you have to do is to hit the subscribe button and
the bell icon so you won't miss any PAA report that I compile. So just do it right now. Bye!