Coffee Charcoal
OTHER NAME(S): Café Arabica, Café Robusta, Caféier d'Arabie, Caféier Robusta, Carbón de Café, Charbon de Café, Coffeae Carbo, Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora, Coffea liberica, Carbón De Café, Café Carbonisé
Overview
Coffee charcoal is produced by roasting coffee beans until the outer portion is blackened or charred.
People use coffee charcoal for diarrhea and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most uses.
Coffee charcoal might help reduce swelling, and it might also have a drying (astringent) effect on the tissues.
Coffee charcoal might help reduce swelling, and it might also have a drying (astringent) effect on the tissues.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Crohn disease.
- Diarrhea.
- A long-term disorder of the large intestines that causes stomach pain (irritable bowel syndrome or IBS).
- A type of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis).
- Mouth and throat swelling (inflammation), when applied directly.
- Angina.
- Migraine.
- Infected wounds, when applied directly.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of coffee charcoal for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Coffee charcoal is POSSIBLY SAFE for most adults when taken by mouth.
When applied to the skin: Coffee charcoal is POSSIBLY SAFE for most adults when applied to the skin.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Coffee charcoal is POSSIBLY SAFE for most adults when taken by mouth.
When applied to the skin: Coffee charcoal is POSSIBLY SAFE for most adults when applied to the skin.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if coffee charcoal is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications taken by mouth (Oral drugs) interacts with Coffee CharcoalCoffee charcoal absorbs substances in the stomach and intestines. Taking coffee charcoal along with medications taken by mouth can decrease how much medicine your body absorbs, and decrease the effectiveness of your medication. To prevent this interaction, take coffee charcoal at least one hour after medications you take by mouth.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of coffee charcoal depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for coffee charcoal. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
- Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
- Langhorst J, Varnhagen I, Schneider SB, et al. Randomised clinical trial: a herbal preparation of myrrh, chamomile and coffee charcoal compared with mesalazine in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis-a double-blind, double-dummy study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2013;38(5):490-500.
- Albrecht U, Müller V, Schneider B, Stange R. Efficacy and safety of a herbal medicinal product containing myrrh, chamomile and coffee charcoal for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders: a non-interventional study. BMJ Open Gastroenterol. 2015;1(1):e000015.
- Weber L, Hammoud Mahdi D, Jankuhn S, Lipowicz B, Vissiennon C. Bioactive plant compounds in coffee charcoal (Coffeae carbo) extract inhibit cytokine release from activated human THP-1 macrophages. Molecules. 2019;24(23):4263.