The history of Activated Charcoal! The discovery of its uses

It’s been long since we have been hearing about the uses and magical effects of the activated charcoal. It has proved to be a blessing for us as humans. We have used activated charcoal in many ways, and it has benefited us in all. But, do you know how long it’s been the activated charcoal is being used by humans? Or, how old the activated charcoal is? Or where it was used first? We will discuss the same today.

When and where the Activated Charcoal was first used?

The first recorded use of the Charcoal dates back to the 3750 B.C. in ancient Egypt. It was used by Egyptian to reduce the presence of zinc, copper, and tin ores from the Bronze. Due to its properties of burning hotter than the woods, Charcoal became a fuel used to melt. It was the time when the Egyptians discovered the more hidden aspects of the Charcoal. After being scorched black by fire, they used the Activated charcoal for the construction along the river Nile, what they found was that it did not rot even after being buried in the wet soil. Since then, Egyptian started digging deep into its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

The Evolution of the Uses of Activated Charcoal after 3750 B.C. to the present: -

·         In 1500 B.C., the Egyptians started using Activated Charcoal to absorb Odours and unpleasant smells.

·        It was in 400 B.C. when the Hindus discovered the antiseptic properties of the charcoal and started using it to purify water.

·        It was in 50 A.D. when the medical properties of Charcoal were partially discovered. Hippocrates and Pliny used it to treat things like epilepsy, chlorosis, and vertigo.

·        The emerging Charcoal took a backseat during the years when science underwent a dark age.

·        After the 1700s, Charcoal got back and remerged, it begins to be used in the medical field with its full potential in all the forms.

·        It was in the 1900’s when activated charcoal was established as an element to be used in a majority of purposes i.e. tooth whitening, water purification, Skin Care, Edibles etc.

In the present 21^st century, Charcoal is being used in every aspect of the lifestyle. It has changed the way we used to do many things. There are still many properties of charcoal that we are discovering every day and many are still not discovered.