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If there’s one supplement that everyone seems to be taking by the bucketful, it’s activated charcoal for Lyme. Early in my healing journey, I did it too. But as my healing journey continued I realised that charcoal just wasn’t improving my herxes in the way many people said it would. So I began searching for answers. What I discovered was that whilst this simple little substance has some truly wonderful uses, most of us are using it wrong. Are you?
What is Activated Charcoal?
Activated charcoal is a nutritional supplement, consisting of a carbon source (such as coconut shells) which has been heated to a very high temperature. The high temperature is what “activates” the charcoal, which increases the surface area and makes it porous.
The porous surface on the charcoal is what allows substances to bind to the surface of the charcoal. This is called adsorbtion (not to be confused with absorption!).
I’m going to guess that you’ve seen people talking about taking activated charcoal to “bind toxins” and taking multiple capsules a day. The problem is that there is a huge misconception around what that actually means and how activated charcoal actually works.
The Problem with Taking Activated Charcoal for Lyme
In order to shed some light on the problems with taking vast amounts of charcoal, let’s look at what activated charcoal is extraordinarily good at. Activated charcoal has been around for a long time, and its primary medical use is in instances of poisoning and drug overdoses.
A charcoal solution is administered by mouth, provided that the harmful substance was ingested within the last two hours. This is important, because charcoal can only work in the stomach & intestines, so the harmful substances need to still be in the stomach & intestines.
Activated charcoal cannot cross the gut-blood barrier, meaning that it cannot and will not be absorbed into your blood stream to be transported to other areas of your body.
What Toxins Are You Trying to Bind and Where Are They Located?
The first question you need to ask yourself is around the toxins you’re trying to bind. As this is a Lyme blog, and the primary reason that Lyme healers take activated charcoal is for herxing, I’ll focus on that.
When you kill Lyme bacteria, they rupture and release a whole host of endotoxins into your body. These endotoxins need to be excreted by your body, namely via your lymphatic system and your detox organs (your liver & kidneys).
The second question you need to ask is around where these toxins are located. Whilst it’s inevitable that these endotoxins will reach your gut, the problem mostly lies elsewhere in your body. Additionally, a herx is less about those actual endotoxins and more about your body’s inflammatory reaction to them.
Your body can actually excrete the toxins fairly well, but it’s the resulting inflammation that causes the herx reaction to drag on for days or weeks.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Activated charcoal isn’t really the right approach here – reducing the inflammatory response is key to reducing a herx.
Why You Might Be Using Activated Charcoal Wrong
Let’s look at some of the reasons why you might not be feeling much better when you take activated charcoal for Lyme.
Charcoal Only Works in the Gut
As we talked about above, charcoal can’t cross the gut-blood barrier. It can only bind to substances that are in the gut. Once that substance has been absorbed into the blood stream through the gut wall, the charcoal is useless. This is why, in the case of poisonings, charcoal can only be given within two hours. After that point, it becomes about administering the drug antidote via an IV. If you’re herxing, that reaction is taking place all over the body, so taking charcoal can only help with whatever might be floating round your gut, not the rest of it.
Charcoal Binds Everything
Activated Charcoal is like the burly bouncer in a nightclub at closing time. It doesn’t discriminate and determine whether one substance or another is useful to you and whether it deserves to stay. Everything gets swept up and kicked out.
That includes beneficial nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants from your food, other medications (including birth control!) and supplements. So taking activated charcoal every day is going to cause you more problems than it solves. It doesn’t determine what’s an unhelpful substance and what isn’t.
Other Side Effects of Too Much Activated Charcoal
Too much charcoal will actually slow down your bowel and cause constipation. Which many people interpret as a sign that they aren’t ‘detoxing enough’ so proceed to take even more charcoal. This can then have a knock on effect on your general gut health.
When To Take Activated Charcoal for Lyme
Activated charcoal can be a useful addition during Lyme treatment in order to relieve some of the nausea and bloating that can occur with a herx. However, this shouldn’t be a daily supplement because it will do more harm than good if used for a long period of time.
Additionally, it’s important that your protocol includes ways of addressing the inflammation that comes with a herx, rather than relying on charcoal to help a herx.
Alternatives to Activated Charcoal for Lyme
A good Lyme Disease treatment protocol should include some supportive supplements, designed to give your body a helping hand. However, when talking specifically about ‘binding toxins’ – which usually means reducing a herx and unpleasant symptoms which aren’t directly related to so-called toxins – these are some of my tried and true supplements.
Red Root
Red Root is simply one of my favourite herbs. It’s a lymphatic system tonic, which means that it stimulates your lymphatic system. It’s your lymphatic system, and not your gut, that excretes the endotoxins released by dying Lyme bacteria. As Lyme likes to live in our collagenous tissues, that’s where these endotoxins are released. They are swept up by the lymph and brought to lymph nodes to be filtered.
This is why many people with Lyme get swollen lymph nodes and sore throats. Taking Red Root will help clear out the sludge building up in your lymph nodes and get things flowing again. This herb will help with that toxic, sludgy feeling much more than taking activated charcoal will.
Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle is a herb often associated with overindulging in food or alcohol. For good reason, too! It’s a cholagogue and a hepatic herb, which means that it promotes the release of bile and improves liver health. And as we all know, the liver is the most important detox organ.
Cytokine Soothers
As many of the symptoms that people try to treat with activated charcoal are in fact caused by our own inflammatory response, it’s important to address this. Inflammation is triggered by cytokines, which are cell signalling proteins. There are three very simple herbs that are incredibly effective in reducing the inflammation associated with Lyme Disease. They are Red Sage, Kudzu and Chinese Skullcap. Head over to my post on Cytokine Cascades to get the recipe which you can easily make at home.
Lifestyle Changes
There are many lifestyle changes that can aid your body in the detoxification process. These include Epsom Salt baths, dry body brushing and the use of an infrared sauna.
Activated Charcoal for Lyme: Final Thoughts
Whilst activated charcoal can be a useful addition to a Lyme treatment plan, it’s benefits are massively over-inflated. I get it, I’ve been there. I was one of those people that took charcoal every day, until I realised that it didn’t actually help anything. But taking some of the herbs I listed above, had quick and measurable results which I just couldn’t deny. Are you going to try any of the charcoal alternatives? I’d love to hear from you – let me know in the comments below!
