and beauty products.

Thanks to this stuff.

It's called activated charcoal or activated carbon.

It's what health trend fanatics claim to be using to detox,

brighten skin and whiten their teeth.

But of course just because you can wash with it, eat it,

and brush your teeth with it,

doesn't mean you necessary should.

(curious music)

The global market for activated charcoal is projected

to reach 6.2 billion dollars by 2022.

It's an impressive feat considering it comes from

the same stuff as your grilling charcoal.

It's a da-da-da-da, burnt wood.

The difference is that activated charcoal is burned

at a higher temperature so it breaks down

into a very fine powder which gives it a larger surface area

than a chunk of charcoal on your grill.

And it's exactly what you want when you're trying to remove

toxins or poison from your body.

How it works has to d with the microscopic structure

of the charcoal itself.

Inside each particle are millions of pores

that act like a tiny trap.

So if you swallow some then it will begin to bind

with other substances in your gut.

Which is helpful if you've just overdosed on drugs

since it can prevent them from entering your system.

And in fact, this is exactly what hospitals will use

to treat certain cases of poisoning before resorting

to pumping the stomach.

But, drugs aren't the only thing that charcoal binds to.

It can also soak up helpful things like minerals,

vitamins, and antioxidants.

So when you drink a charcoal laced lemonade

with a healthy meal, you'll actually absorbing less

nutrients than you otherwise would.

To make matters worse, it can also prevent medications

like anti-depressants and contraceptive pills

from reaching your system.

Which of course makes them less effective.

The key to activated charcoal whether it's saving a life

or depriving you of nutrition, is timing.

It only works if there's something for it to absorb

in the first place.

So bad news, taking charcoal pills in the morning

for a hangover, it's not gonna do anything, pal.

Because the alcohol is long gone from your stomach by then.

So ingesting charcoal for any other reason than treating

a severe case of poisoning isn't a good idea.

It's indigestible.

So after you eat it, your body passes it along

and eventually out the other end.

Along the way, it can have side effects.

Oh, fun.

Like constipation and nausea.

Not to mention there is, sorry, no evidence to support

the claims from charcoal enthusiasts that it will

prevent bloating, boost energy,

brightens skin or whiten teeth.

So hey, if you don't like the idea of eating black

you know, anything, you don't have to.

Your body's probably better off anyway.

(curious music)