Does charcoal clean your system and how long does it take?

Answer 1

Charcoal doesn't clean your system. It's used in poisonings because it binds to toxins and absorbs them before they enter the small intestine. But once a substance has entered your body either through the blood stream, lungs, or absorption in the small intestine, charcoal will do nothing. Even still, the use of charcoal is being phased out in EMS because it's pretty ineffective outside a hospital setting. Just try drinking an activated charcoal "shake"...it's pretty gross.