Activated carbon is a simple and cheap adsorbent for the body. It is present in almost any medicine cabinet. But many people use this drug quite rarely, and therefore, sooner or later they may find that the activated carbon expired when it became necessary to use this drug. How to be in this case?
Shelf life
The most common form of activated carbon release is 250 mg tablets, placed in individual cells. In one package is 10 pieces of tablets. Activated carbon produced in such a pack usually has a shelf life of two years. This period is indicated on the package itself with the drug. But in fact this term is conditional. With proper storage conditions, the shelf life of activated carbon is not limited.
If the integrity of the package is violated (in the place where the individual cell with the tablet is located), activated carbon gradually loses its properties, as it immediately begins to absorb substances from the environment. But even in this case, a coal tablet will not harm the body, it simply will not be able to absorb toxins and any other substances from the body.
How to store?
So that the activated carbon does not expire, but the properties of the drug are preserved for many years, the following rules must be observed:
- Activated carbon should be stored in a cool, dry place without freezing and high humidity (a freezer and a bathroom will not work);
- sunlight should not fall on the storage site of the drug;
- when stored in the refrigerator, you should place the package with activated carbon in a container or a hermetically sealed bag (the drug may absorb some substances from the refrigerator and lose its properties);
- in the refrigerator, the drug should not be stored in places with strong cooling;
- next to the drug should not be substances that easily evaporate;
- the storage area for the medicine should not be accessible to children or rodents.
The shelf life of activated carbon, subject to the above conditions, will be literally eternal.
Application
Adsorption is a property of activated carbon, which means the absorption of vapors, gases, substances or solutions. To remove harmful substances from the body, you need to drink activated carbon. Many do not know under what conditions this drug may be useful. The shelf life of activated charcoal could still be far from expiration if everyone took these pills as needed.
Activated carbon, which is sold in a pharmacy, has the following indications:
- flatulence (gases in the intestines);
- digestive upset;
- excessive secretion of mucus and gastric juice;
- fermentation and decay in the digestive tract;
- various poisonings (glycosides, food, alkaloids, chemicals, drugs);
- dysentery;
- salmonellosis;
- hepatitis (chronic or acute);
- atopic dermatitis;
- gastritis;
- bronchial asthma;
- enterocolitis;
- cholecystopancreatitis.
The medication has a lot of indications, moreover, it is practically harmless. If a drug like activated carbon has expired and there are concerns about its use, then itβs easier to buy fresh packaging at the pharmacy, especially since it costs a penny. There are many recipes for face and hair masks that use activated carbon. If you apply them in practice, then the packaging with the drug may end much earlier than its expiration date has time.