Lemon is known for its healing property for decades. It helps to boost the immune system, a remedy for kidney stones and washes out toxins in the stomach.
Activated charcoal is produced by heating coconut shell, peat, coal or wood in the presence of a gas that causes it to produce loads of internal spaces or 'pores'. It is likewise used in the emergency treatment of certain kinds of poisoning or drug overdose.
Certain juice manufacturers have already been incorporating activated charcoal to lemon juice, water, and sweetener to make a drink that they claim to be beneficial to the health from general detoxing, improving metabolism to alleviating hangovers, Buzzfeed reports.
Victoria Moore, a yoga teacher and a blogger makes her own lemonade from lemon juice, activated charcoal powder, organic maple syrup, and Himalayan sea salt. Due to environmental pollution and toxins from processed food, Victoria aims to detoxify her body by drinking it once or twice a week. She claimed to feel much more 'clear-headed', decreased anxiety and completely active.
Taking a dose of carbon lemonade for cleansing and up to four times if she notices a problem with her digestion or immune system has become a routine for food and health blogger Whitney Benjamin. She intends that the carbon will absorb the toxins and undigested food particles in her guts.
Judy Fulop, a naturopathic physician at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, recommends special carbon pills to athletes who get diarrhea when running marathons and those individuals exposed to mold. This is due to the activated charcoal's absorbent characteristics. The concept is that charcoal adheres to complex elements, moving with them out of the gastrointestinal tract.
Additionally, she directs anyone taking medication to do so at least 2 hours apart from having something with charcoal in it. Activated charcoal may absorb the nutrients from food, so it's not a good idea to drink green juice or smoothies with charcoal or pairing salad with charcoal lemonade.
"The research shows that it does not have an effect on the alcohol itself, but it may have an effect on the additives and the chemicals that are in the process with the alcohol," Fulop says. She also stated that some have headaches and awful hangovers which are more likely they have a low tolerance to the effects of alcohol.
Although Fulop has observed in some cases that activated charcoal eases gas, she says that it may not have a long term effect and may not be applicable to everybody. If the bloating persist over a period of time, one should seek medical attention instead of taking charcoal.
According to Fulop, there have been no studies yet that can support the claims of some marketers that activated charcoal-spiked beverages help boost the metabolism and increase energy. What Fulop wanted to emphasize is that activated charcoal is harmless in very small quantity.
However, she warns that consuming activated charcoal can result in bowel irregularity and turn your tongue and your poop black. She highly suggests consulting a healthcare professional if anyone with any underlying health issues and wanted engage in black lemonade.
"It's not a panacea," Fulop says.