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Trying something new this week…

Have you tried using activated charcoal? This fine, odorless, black powder is often used in emergency rooms to treat overdoses. Its toxin-absorbing properties have a wide range of medicinal and cosmetic uses (although none have been technically scientifically proven).


Activated charcoal is not the same substance as that found in charcoal bricks or burned pieces of food. It is extremely absorbent, allowing it to bind to molecules, ions, or atoms and remove them from dissolved substances.


I heard a lot about this stuff back in nutrition school, but never really tried it or got into it until after graduation a few years ago. At that point, one of my friends gifted me with a rather large container of it and I got the opportunity to try using it in a number of different ways.


What can it be used for, you ask? Many things! What I think might be the most notable one is that the World Health Organization has approved activated charcoal for the emergency treatment of overdoses or poisonings. However, to its powerful toxin-clearing properties, some advocates have proposed activated charcoal as a treatment for an ever-growing list of other conditions as well.


Some uses of activated charcoal include boosting kidney health (it may be able to assist kidney function by filtering out undigested toxins and drugs. Activated charcoal also seems to be especially effective at removing toxins derived from urea, the main by-product of protein digestion. More research is needed, but some animal studies show that activated charcoal may help improve kidney function and reduce gastrointestinal damage and inflammation in those with chronic kidney disease[1]).


Activated charcoal powder is also thought to be able to disrupt intestinal gas, although researchers still do not understand how. It is theorized that liquids and gases trapped in the intestine can easily pass through the millions of tiny holes in activated charcoal, and this process may neutralize them. In one study, about 34% of the participants who were given the activated charcoal to reduce their gas also had improved symptoms[2].


Activated charcoal also has great potential as a natural water filter. In fact, people have long used activated charcoal for this purpose. Just as it does in the intestines and stomach, activated charcoal can interact with and absorb a range of toxins, drugs, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and chemicals found in water[3].


One really great use for activated charcoal is as a remedy for diarrhea. Given its use as a gastrointestinal absorbent in overdoses and poisonings, it follows that some people might propose activated charcoal as a treatment for diarrhea. In a review from 2017 of recent studies on the use of activated charcoal for diarrhea, researchers concluded that it might be able to prevent bacteria and drugs that can cause diarrhea from being absorbed into the body by trapping them on its porous, textured surface[4].


It has other uses as well, from being a great natural deodorant, to being great for skin health, to a fabulous home remedy for skin infections (around the world, many different traditional medicine practitioners use activated charcoal powder made from coconut shells to treat soft tissue conditions, such as skin infections. Activated charcoal may also have an antibacterial effect by absorbing harmful microbes from wounds[5].


With all of these uses, I am shocked that more people do not tap into the potential of this great substance!


What’s my own person favourite, you ask? Of course it would have to do with food! You are all familiar with my love of sourdough, I’m sure… well, I came across a recipe for this today, and now I HAVE to try it! In fact, I already took my starter (“Jane Dough”) out of the fridge to start warming her up so that baking can happen this week! I love the fact that people share stuff like this on social media, and there is this one lady that I follow through a sourdough baking group on Facebook who has the most phenomenal skill and style when it comes to baking sourdough. She regularly posts AMAZING-sounding recipes for different ways to make and flavour sourdough, and while I have yet to try them all, the ones that I have tried have all been just incredible.


So, I have high hopes for this one too! I will report back in a day or two to show pictures of the finished product.


Charcoal Swirl Sourdough:

· 40% bread flour (120 grams)

· 50% high-protein bread flour (150 grams)

· 10% wholemeal flour (30 grams)

· Activated charcoal powder (8 grams)

· 80% hydration (240 grams)

· 20% starter (60 grams)

· 2% salt (6 grams)


1) Combine the flours and water until it resembles a shaggy-looking mess. Let sit, covered, and allow to autolyze for 1 hour

2) Add the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to combine

3) Perform 1 set of stretch and folds, then cover again and allow to rest for 30 minutes

4) Perform 1 set lamination folds, then cover again and allow to rest for 30 minutes

5) Perform 2 sets of coil folds, 30 minutes apart, allowing to rest in between

6) Put in a greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow to bulk ferment for 6 hours at about 26°C (an easy way to do this is to set it inside of your oven with the door closed and just the light on, no heat)

7) Move the bowl to the fridge for about 14 hours

8) When ready to bake, put your Dutch oven in the oven and preheat for 250°C for 20 minutes, then bake at 250°C for 30 minutes covered. Turn the heat down to 200°C for 20 minutes, uncovered

9) Allow to cool for at least 30 – 45 minutes before slicing







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