One thing is absolutely certain: There will be no fly-overs when the Boks and the All Blacks meet tomorrow in Baltimore. Just check the posting date and you will understand.
South Africans view risk like they view long weekends: It’s always worth taking one.
Maybe that’s why rugby is so popular here. It’s full of risk.
Them Americans pride themselves on being risk-takers. You know, like crossing a road on the edge of the zebra stripes. Or lighting a candle without a fire extinguisher in the room. Or eating at McDonald’s…
We tend to walk across a highway in peak traffic to light our braai fires with a blow torch under a thatched roof (but we draw the line when it comes to meat quality).
Actually, Baltimore is a great place for our boys to play, since it is one of America’s crime hot spots. With a murder rate of ~1% in Cape Town, our boys in green and gold will likely feel right at home. Actually, the most violence they are likely to face is Rassie’s half-time speech (v 2.0).
Scrambled kiwi eggs or springbok liver on toast? Which will it be?
Confusingly for outsiders, the All Blacks are anything but. Calling them the “Mostly (Ghostly) Whites” would have been more honest but also rather awkward. They could have had Snow White for a mascot (but that would have been even more awkward). But here at Integrow Health, we have something that is truly ALL BLACK (and it’s actually good for you).
Activated Charcoal At Your Service
Exactly how do you activate charcoal?
Invite your braai fire, but don’t invite oxygen.
Charcoal is activated when wood or a similar material is super-heated in the absence of oxygen. The end result is a jet-black, porous material with an enormous surface area. Since we’ve been talking rugby, here’s a number that might stagger you. A single teaspoon of activated charcoal has the surface area of an entire rugby field. Now THAT sucks! Activated charcoal sponges up any and every stray molecule it can find.
This super-sponge is the perfect detoxification agent. On the one hand, it is inert and totally safe in itself. On the other hand, it sucks up all toxins in the gut. As such, 21st-century medicine still uses activated charcoal in emergency centres to deal with overdose situations.
BTW – in case you’re wondering – sucking on that braai briquette is not going to work the same way. If all else fails, maybe, but you didn’t hear it from us…
Charcoal is possibly the only ancient remedy to be fully accepted by modern medicine. 3,500 years ago, the ancient Egyptians already used activated charcoal for wounds, gut upsets and for treating poisonings.
How Does Activated Charcoal Clear Toxins From The Body?
Activated charcoal is typically taken by mouth. So, there’s a toxin in your blood, but the black stuff is in your gut. How can charcoal suck up toxins it cannot reach? Enter something called the “entero-hepatic circulation”. The liver filters out a lot of toxins and dumps them into bile. In turn, bile is excreted into the gut. The toxins in bile are reabsorbed into the bloodstream, unless something binds with them to avoid this. Plant fibres fulfill this role, but activated charcoal does it better (and safer) than any other substance known to science. The toxin-laden charcoal exits the body, thus breaking the cycle. Job well done!
“One dust to rule them all, one dust to find them.
One dust to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
Activated Charcoal’s Dark Secret
Activated charcoal powder is fluffy and black. It is both messy to mix with water and yucky to ingest. If you ever cleaned up the soot after a braai, you know what we’re talking about.
How We Solve the Problem
Integrow Health’s Activated Charcoal Capsules are the answer to a messy problem. Easy to dose, easy to swallow. No fuss, no mess. Each capsule contains 260 mg of Pure Activated Charcoal. This is more than most other products on the market. Even better: Milligram for milligram, our price per capsule is better than any of our competitors.
THAT’S what a real All Black Superhero looks like!!
Here are some uses for activated charcoal:
Removes toxins from the body
This list is very wide. It includes toxins produced by the body as part of its normal operations (e.g., bilirubin), ingested toxins (e.g., alcohol) and environmental toxins (e.g., aflatoxins, pesticides, herbicides, etc.). It is also often taken in conjunction with anti-parasitics to avoid an allergic reaction by absorbing the released toxins.
Reduces gas and bloating
A lot of gas is due to toxins produced by unwelcome gut microbes like Candida. Charcoal binds these substances before they turn into gas.
Stops diarrhoea in its tracks
The vast majority of all runny tummies are due to toxins. Two to four capsules of activated charcoal can bind these toxins, rendering them harmless. This is much, much better than taking medication to slow down gut motility. Slowing down the gut when it is full of toxins is going to push those toxins into the blood (remember the entero-hepatic cycle?). Charcoal is the safer option.
Lowers excessive cholesterol levels
Cholesterol is a major component of bile. Adding charcoal to the gut mix means a lot of it does not return to the body. This is especially true for the types of cholesterol more commonly associated with inflammation in the body.
Supports kidney function
By binding to urea in the gut, charcoal reduces the workload on the kidneys. This is especially helpful in early kidney failure, where this can help maintain normal kidney function for much longer than would otherwise have been the case.
Supports liver function
Detoxifying the body is one of the liver’s main functions. By adding activated charcoal to the mix, the liver does not have to work so hard at ridding the body of toxins. This is especially important during times when the liver is under stress, like in hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer / metastases. Many of the terrible symptoms of these diseases can be softened by our all-black friend.
How To Use Activated Charcoal
Adults and children older than 12 years:
Take 1-2 capsules first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Do not eat or take medication/supplements for at least an hour afterward, as the charcoal may affect their absorption.
The dose may be taken once or twice daily, for as long as needed.
Children under 12 years of age:
Only recommended in case of overdose or on prescription by a healthcare professional.
When treating an overdose situation with activated charcoal, take as many capsules as possible by mouth while seeking professional help. When dealing with a child that has accidentally overdosed, giving the capsule contents in a glass of juice or some yoghurt may be the easiest way to dose it. The faster the charcoal gets to the scene of action, the better, but don’t forget to call the emergency department! Getting expert help is critical in a situation like this.
When given at the right time, activated charcoal saves lives. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved by this humble dark horse. Every emergency chest needs a bottle. If sealed, it never expires and is always on standby to clean up a toxic crisis.
Safety Tips
Since activated charcoal is not absorbed at all, it is extremely safe, also during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
However, however, however…
Always remember: Since it may interfere with the absorption of medication/supplements, always ensure there is enough time between taking activated charcoal and the other pills. We recommend at least an hour. This can be tough when your day is already packed full, but do what you can.
Note: Activated charcoal may cause oral contraceptive failure if this rule is not followed.
Do not take activated charcoal daily for a long period, in case it interferes with the absorption of key nutrients from your food. Take it for short periods at a time to achieve specific health outcomes. If you suffer from a chronic disease such as kidney or liver failure, discuss with your doctor how to take it.
Every household needs a bottle of activated charcoal on standby in case of sudden nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or accidental overdose (or toxic apples, né Snow White?). Emergencies always happen at the worst times, when visiting a doctor is very difficult or very expensive. Activated charcoal can buy you precious time and allow you to get the situation under control. It may even save a child’s life. How can that be measured in money? (And it beats sucking on a braai briquette…)
Yes, South Africans love living on the edge, but only if they can claw their way back to safety (or score a winning try in the last minute). Charcoal is a safety line when all else fails. Don’t be without it!
To your (black and holy) health
The Team at Integrow Health
