The Charcoal Poultice

What is it?

A charcoal poultice is an application of charcoal over a body part. The active ingredient is usually a
mixture of pulverized charcoal and water, and may also contain ground flax seed or other constituents.

How can it help you?

Charcoal has powerful drawing properties which can be used to great advantage in many situations, both
internally and externally. It has great effect in cleansing and assisting the healing of the body. It can adsorb toxic
gasses, poisons, fluids etc., taking in as much as 80 times its own weight of the substance adsorbed. Taken
internally as a tablet, capsule or a slurry, charcoal is the most valuable thing we have for treating poisoning, and
also has great effectiveness in treating abdominal gas, diarrhea, etc. It is not toxic to humans, even when taken
in very large amounts.

Externally applied as a poultice, it has the following applications:

• Antidote for bites and stings, including ant, bee, wasp, mosquito, snake – Make a poultice of appropriate
size and apply to bite site. Relief from pain and other symptoms is usually very quick, and is even
effective with those allergic to the sting. If a snake bite, promptly make a poultice of charcoal and water
large enough to cover the whole extremity, or a large area of the body around the bite. Change poultice
every 10-15 minutes. Take charcoal internally in large amounts. Continue as long as there is pain and
swelling. If these symptoms get worse, add ice packs to the bitten body part.
• To counteract poisoning of almost every type, including mushrooms, drugs, pesticides, herbicides, cancer
producing substances, heavy metals, gasses, petrol, etc. take lots of charcoal internally, and apply a
poultice over the liver.
• Inflamed eyes, and also meningitis and encephalitis – apply as poultice to eyes, either hot, warm or cold
as it feels most comfortable.
• Intestinal gas, diarrhea, indigestion, irritable or spastic colon etc. Apply large poultice over the abdomen,
and take charcoal internally.
• Reduce swelling of almost every type – apply poultice over swelling. This is very powerful, and actually
draws fluids through the skin and into the charcoal. In kidney failure, urine will be drawn out; if a bile
duct is blocked, bile will be drawn out; in swelling caused by trauma or damage, excess fluid will be
drawn out; in swollen joints, fluid will be drawn out, etc.
• Infections – will adsorb bacteria, viruses, toxins, wound secretions, etc. Will also deodorize a smelly
wound.
• Inflammation of any type – apply poultice over inflammation.
• Aids the liver if it is diseased or under heavy load – apply poultice over liver area. Liver failure can be
treated with charcoal poultices.
• Relieves pain of many types. Abdominal pain, sore throat, earache, sprains, arthritis, pleurisy, and other
pains usually respond quickly to a charcoal poultice.

Cautions to watch
• External applications of charcoal have not been known to cause any problems whatsoever.
• Taken internally, there are no known contraindications to the use of charcoal, except for the occasional
person who may be very sensitive because of bowel inflammation, and the rare person who may become
slightly constipated. No allergies have been reported.
• The type of charcoal used is important. Charcoal produced from eucalyptus trees is one of the best. In an
emergency, use whatever type of charcoal you can get. Do not use burnt toast or other food, this charcoal
can be carcinogenic.
• Applying charcoal to freshly broken skin may cause a tattooing effect. Use comfrey or similar poultice
instead until scab forms.
• Err on the side of caution with charcoal applications internally – if in doubt, take more charcoal!
• In a non-emergency situation, preferably apply the poultice just before bedtime for best reaction and to
lessen possibility of leakage and slipping.
• Remember that the charcoal poultice is powerful in its action, but that many problems have a deep cause
that, unless dealt with, will make the charcoal ineffective. Become familiar with the ailment or condition
and see if there is some advice you can give that may help them deal with the cause of the problem. Also
consider other faith building therapies that may be used.

Equipment you need

1. Enough pulverized charcoal to generously cover the area to be treated to a depth of 5-10 mm.
2. Water to mix with the charcoal to make paste
3. Mixing bowl or pot, spoon to mix and apply charcoal to toweling.
4. Paper toweling or linen of the appropriate size, or a piece of plastic backed incontinence pad or bed
protector.
5. Piece of plastic of appropriate size to cover poultice.
6. Masking tape to seal poultice edges
7. Bandage and pins, or adhesive tape like Leukosilk to hold poultice in place.
8. Ground flaxseed or other additive to aid action of charcoal or to act as holding gel.

How you do it
1. Assemble all of the items needed to make and apply the poultice
2. The amount of charcoal needed will depend upon the area to be treated. For example, an insect bite can be
satisfactorily treated by getting a charcoal tablet or lump of charcoal from a cold fire, dampening it with
water, placing it on the skin, and holding in place with a Band-Aid. But a poultice to cover the abdomen
will require about 3 Tablespoons of charcoal, 3 Tablespoons of linseed, and 1 cup of water.
3. Mix the charcoal with enough warm/hot water to make a paste.
4. If you are using linseed with the charcoal, mix approximately equal parts of linseed and charcoal, and mix
with hot water – proportions about 1T of charcoal + 1T of linseed + 1/3 cup of water. Stir until well
mixed together. The linseed will slowly congeal and the mixture will become a paste. If this does not
happen, place over low heat and mix until it thickens.
5. Spread charcoal paste over paper toweling or similar to a depth of 5-10mm. Remember to be generous
with the size of the poultice so that it covers some area around the injured site. Do not spread paste right
to the edge or it may leak out.
6. Cover with another piece of toweling or similar. This will hold the poultice ingredients together, and help
prevent leakage. The charcoal will happily draw substances through the toweling or gauze if it is kept
moist.
7. It is beneficial to use the masking tape or similar to seal around the edges to minimize leakage.
8. Place the poultice on the skin, and cover with a piece of plastic. This will act to keep the poultice moist
and prevent leakage.
9. Use bandage or Leukosilk tape to hold poultice in place.
10. Cover the area with clothing etc. to ensure that it stays warm. If a poultice is applied to relieve pain, a hot
water bottle or heating pad of some kind will aid the reaction.
11. When the poultice is in place, offer a prayer to the Great Physician, and request Him to attend to the well-
being of your patient, and to bring about the reaction He desires.
12. Leave poultice on for 6-10 hours unless otherwise indicated or if it is inconvenient.
13. If the poultice dries out, remove, add some hot water to it to moisten and reapply, or apply a new poultice.
14. The charcoal poultice may be used for up to 18 hours each day if needed. Allow the skin to dry out
between poultice changes to prevent any skin irritation. Take a break every 2 or 3 days to allow the skin
to normalize for at least 24 hours.
15. When removing a poultice, ensure that the charcoal does not leak or fall out – it makes a mess!
16. When you remove the poultice, rub the area with a cold flannel or similar.