Hi Tasha,

I have never tried charcoal, as my son is about as sensitive as yours is.  I have always wondered.  I have chosen not to use charcoal just because my son's yeast die-off reactions are short and easy to manage (and I'm always curious to know how bad his yeast is, and the severity of the die-off is one indication), but if they were worse, I think I'd give it a shot. Here are my thoughts about it:

- Pure activated charcoal most often comes from a tree source, similar to how cellulose is derived. Magnesium stearate is also often derived from a tree source- typically cottonwood. If your child tolerates cellulose or mag stearate in supplements/medications, I would think that charcoal is a fairly safe bet.

- How severe are your son's reactions? Is the cost to trying charcoal low? Could he recover pretty quickly with little lasting effect?

I have been told that "pure" charcoal (no fillers or other ingredients) is available at any drugstore. I have not checked this out though.

If you try it, let us know how he reacts, will you? Our children are unfortunately our only laboratories, and often the response of one very sensitive child can help other parents decide whether to try the supplement with their child.

Good luck!

Suzanne

-------------- Original message from "akgazelles" <akgazelles@...>: --------------

Does anyone on this list use pure activated charcoal? My son is
hypersensitive to everything. He essentially only tolerates pure
vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. No fillers, additives or herbs.
I am hoping to find a version that has "just" activated charcoal. Any
ideas?

Thanks, Tasha