Nature's Way Activated Charcoal, Binds Unwanted Materials and Gas in the Digestive Tract*, 560 mg per 2-Capsule Serving, 100 Capsules (Packaging May Vary)

Activated charcoal is a lifesaver. This brand is amazing and works more effectively than others, but in general, activated charcoal is something that I *always* keep on hand. I have a large family with six kids. Having a stomach bug go through the family is the WORST. But activated charcoal saves us. It works MIRACLES for any type of stomach upset.I learned about it nearly 10 years ago and have been using it with great success ever since. For nausea, diarrhea, gas/bloating you can take 2-3 capsules and within 15-30 minutes your stomach calms down, nausea goes away, diarrhea stops, stomach stops churning, etc. It's AMAZING!In an active vommitting situation, it can be a little tough to keep the charcoal down long enough for it to work, but keep at it, and it WILL work. Take 3-4 capsules right after committing, with water. As long as you can keep it down for about 15 minutes, you probably won't vomit again. Warning - don't be alarmed that if you continue to vommit it will be black. Just keep trying to get it in you and even if you commit once or twice more it will work and the vommitting will cease. You will need to take 2-3 more capsules again when you feel nausea creeping back in. During a flu bug this is usually every 2-3 hours, but as long as you stay on top of taking the charcoal, you will not start vommitting again and your nausea will be so much more manageable.*Helpful tip* if you or your child is actively vomitting, it helps to break open the capsules, put them in a small bit of water and drink it quickly with a straw so that it can work faster in your stomach before the next time you vommit. That way it starts working immediately and you have a better chance of keeping it down long enough to be effective.I can't recommend this product enough. It SAVES you and the entire family during those WORST episodes of sickness. I have had many times when multiple members of my family were vommitting all night long, yet I was diligent about taking charcoal and I got through the whole ordeal with only mild nausea in between doses. I've had even more experiences of giving it to a child that's been throwing up ever 10-15 minutes for an hour or more and once they are able to keep the charcoal down, it just stops and they are finally able to rest. Then as long as we keep up with taking it again they get through the rest of the bug without continuing to vommit.I hope this info is helpful to your families!! Activated charcoal is safe. There are no side effects. The only thing you don't want to do is take it near vitamins or medications, because it can interfere with absorbing them. You don't want to take it for more than a few days at a time because it can hinder absorbing your nutrients from your food. And if you take it, you *will* have black poo the next few days after as it goes through you, so don't be alarmed by that. Just be aware of those things and keep it on hand and you will be VERY thankful when it completely saves you during your next stomach bug!

The fine texture for maximum surface area, together with the tamper-proof and still frustration-free packaging make this one a winner. There are certain items that belong in first aid kits. This is one of them. In cases of accidental ingestion of a toxin, the poison control center will either direct you to encourage vomiting (that would require a different product) or to prevent it if doing so is likely to damage the esophagus, etc., on the way out. Sometimes Charcoal is the best option: Disclaimer: I am not an MD. In the event of poisoning contact the poison control center and provide info regarding what and how much has been ingested. If I could not do that for some reason, then I would ask a PharmD (pharmacist with a doctoral degree) if it was involving prescription medication(s). Nature's Way Charcoal Activated arrives in a plastic container that is well-suited to protect the contents. The shrink wrap around the cap and top prevent tampering. It is the best kind available- it is printed so that persons with lower vision will be aware of it, and it has perforations for you to open it like a pull strip once you find those, so there is no need for scissors. Screw open the cap to remove it from the bottle. Underneath the cap there is a second layer of protection- a solid seal that appears to be printed only on 1/2. The printed side will easily lift up and make it easy for you to remove the seal from the bottle. Replace the cap onto the bottle. Note that if there is an emergency and you need to quickly obtain many capsules, there is always the option to unscrew the cap. Otherwise, the flip top will help you to control how many of these capsules (made of gelatin) will come out at a time. The flip top is one of the nice ones that provides a ridge to pop it up so that you do not need to struggle or break a nail on it, and if you only have the use of one hand, then you will still be able to do so. After opening the product, I compared the size of the capsule to the picture on the label. The picture was an accurate representation. Next, I opened up a capsule to view the quality. This charcoal is extremely finely ground into a powder. This is of tremendous benefit as with much more surface area than a course grind, it will work as well as charcoal can to absorb impurities or toxins. I tried to show this by rubbing some on the paper towel, so if you look for the smudged area, that is where you can see that it is very fine powder. It is the same throughout (no chunks) just difficult to show that in a photo. :) (Please do not take supplements without discussing it first with your primary heath provider, and follow the directions of a qualified provider). Charcoal is a treatment that doesn't target only what you are trying to eliminate; it will absorb everything, meaning, "the good and the bad." It is not something to take regularly; it's for an "as-needed" basis. The quantity contained in the jar was as advertised. This product arrived in a padded envelope that was adequate for the shipping. I have included a picture with the dimensions so that you can take into consideration your ability to accept the product in your postal slot. These dimensions are for the single object, and the minimal size that you could expect to be delivered, only included because many mail slots would not accept this. To keep this product fresh, keep it tightly closed and stored in a cool, dry area. If your intent is to keep this in a first aid kit in a vehicle, then you may run into difficulty with capsules sticking together because of the high temperatures that can be reached in closed vehicles. The photos below may be helpful. If any of this has been helpful to you, it would be great if you could indicate that this was a helpful review.