Activated charcoals help you to flush off all the toxins from your body. During pregnancy you might feel regular morning sickness. Activated charcoal helps you recover from the disturbing morning sickness. Several doctors prescribe activated charcoals to pregnant women. The activated charcoal should be taken through oral medication.

What is Activated Charcoal?

Wood, coal, peat or petroleum products make common charcoal. However, activated charcoal is made from perforated pores which are used for the manufacturing of medicines and cosmetics. Common charcoal is heated in the presence of several gases in order to develop the pores. In this way activated charcoal is being produced. Activated charcoal is used for trapping harmful chemicals.

Activated charcoals are fine black powder. They are tasteless and odorless. They are non-toxic. It protects the body from absorbing poisonous elements.

Several Uses of Activated Charcoal for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women can use activated charcoals for various benefits.

• Great Detoxifier

Activated charcoal will absorb all the toxins from your body. The body does not digest the charcoal. For that reason it does not get mixed in the blood stream. Hence, it does not affect your little one, resting in your womb. It eliminates all the harmful toxins from your body. This improves your overall digestive system. It will energize your body and make you feel good, during your pregnancy.

• Gets Rid of Bloating

Pregnant women are subjected to gas and constipation. Activated charcoal promotes a healthy digestive system. It helps pregnant women to get rid of indigestion and heartburn. That is why it is so effective in dealing with issues like morning sickness.

• Great Neutralizer for harmful Chemicals

Activated charcoals have the capacity of absorbing any kind of poison from your body. All the harmful chemicals you eat will get absorbed by the activated charcoal. This helps in keeping your blood pure. This even protects your child from getting the harmful elements.

However, activated charcoals do not come without any kind of side effects. There are various side effects that you can face if you are regularly consuming activated charcoal.

Side Effects of Activated Charcoal

• Vomiting or Diarrhea

Activated charcoal can trigger vomiting tendency among pregnant women. It can also cause tremendous diarrhea. It can make you sick and irritable. Sometimes, uncontrolled consumption of activated charcoal creates such problems. Since it does not get mixed with the digestive system, the body tends to reject too much of it. That is why it reacts in such a manner. Since the stomach rejects too much activated charcoal, either vomiting or diarrhea is a common outcome. Consult with your doctor if you are suffering from these symptoms.

• Black Stool

Perhaps a less vicious side effect when compared to the previous one, but black stool is certainly an outcome of consuming activated charcoal. If you are regularly having black stool you must also check with your physician as it might indicate that you are not being able to digest the required iron. However, consumption of activated charcoal more or less guarantees black stool because the undigested charcoal pores mixes with the rafage to create blackish stool.

• Black Tongue

Having a black layer on your tongue is also very common whilst you are consuming activated charcoal on a regular basis. However, it is not desired because it indicates that it is triggering constipation. You must check with your physician to make sure about the amount of charcoal you must consume. Black tongue does not only look good on you but also at the same time it is not a healthy sign. Get it checked with your doctor.

• Severe Constipation

Sometimes unregulated consumption of activated charcoal causes constipation in pregnant women. It causes the formation of gas. You will feel bloated and gassy all the time. Since the product does not mix with the digestive system, it tends to create obstacle in the normal digestive system. This results in the bloating. The digestive process gets disrupted with the consumption of excess activated charcoal.

• Tremendous Pain and Swelling in Stomach

Consumption of too much of activated charcoal causes severe pain and swelling in your stomach. You can also experience severe cramps in your stomach. This is quite alarming because it might affect your pregnancy. Normally stomach ache happens as result of your digestive system’s reaction to too much of indigestible charcoal. That is why knowing the exact amount of activated charcoal to have is very important.

• Absorbs Essential Nutrients

Activated charcoal is known for absorbing poison. However, it also at true that it can absorb all the essential nutrients from your body. That is quite harmful considering the fact that you are now having food for both you and your baby. Too much consumption of activated charcoal can actually make it steal all the essential nutrients from your baby and make it starve. That is indeed a major risk. Your child can be malnourished and you would not even have a clue.

• Adverse Effect with some Medication

If you are undergoing certain prior medication then it is advisable that you check with your doctor before taking activated charcoal. There are certain medications which do not go well with activated charcoal. It produces adverse effects. It can harm you as well as your little one in the womb. Remember that any kind of allergic reactions, during pregnancy, is not a good sign. That is why it is better to avoid it. Check out the specific drugs which you should not have along with activated charcoal. If the drugs are necessity, then activated charcoal should be taken. The certain drugs are listed below:

1. Suvorexant
2. Tapentadol
3. Mycophenolic Acid
4. Naltrexone
5. Acetaminophin
6. Oxycodone
7. Tricyclic antidepressants
8. Carbinoxamine
9. Fentanyl
10. Methadone

What is the Recommended Amount?

Too much consumption of activated charcoal is dangerous. However, regulated usage can offer you with certain benefits. It can be have both in liquid or powder form. The standard dosages are of 15g/72 ml, 25g/ 120 ml, and 50 g/ 240 ml. But do not choose a dosage on your own. Consult your doctor to check the dosage suited for you.

Precautions:

The risks of consuming activated charcoals outweigh the certain benefits. The impact of such alternative food items on your child health is yet to be tested. Do not start having activated charcoal on your own without consulting your doctor.