Black Lemonade

Black lemonade is a refreshing drink that gets its black color from activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal has many health benefits including: preventing hangovers, whitening teeth, anti-aging, and removing toxins from the body. It works by bonding to toxins which get carried out of the body through elimination. (There is a much more scientific explanation of how this works in the link above.)

*Please note that I am not a doctor so do your homework before taking activated charcoal for yourself! It can interfere with some medications.

Step 1: Best Black Lemonade Recipe

Black lemonade is a quick and simple recipe requiring just a few ingredients. You probably have most of them in your kitchen already...except the charcoal.

Black Lemonade

• juice of one lemon
• 1-2 capsules activated charcoal
• stevia or maple syrup
• water
• ice

Instructions

Cut lemon in half and squeeze it with a juicer releasing the juice. Make sure to pick out any seeds that may sneak in. Add lemon juice to a 16 ounce glass.

Break open 1-2 activated charcoal capsules (check dosage on your bottle or container), add to the lemon juice, and stir to combine.

Fill glass to the top with ice and add water. Stir in sweetener to taste. I used 5 drops of stevia. (I like it tart!)

Garnish with a slice of lemon. Drink and enjoy!

**It is important to drink enough water when taking activated charcoal. Some of you may ask 'Why not just take the capsule instead of mixing it in a drink?'. I do this simply so I know that I am consuming enough water to circulate the charcoal well enough in my system. Plus, since activated charcoal has no flavor, the lemonade is delicious!! :)

Comments

[AzureOzma]

Thanks!!! I'm serving lemonade for a Halloween party and this is absolutely perfect!! However, I like many others will use food coloring. We're an older group and everyone takes one kind of medication or another. I'm sure none of them would appreciate my neutralizing their heart, thyroid, pain, arthritis, etc meds.

[BaileyM24]

Where can I find charcoal capsules? Do they sell them at Walmart? If so, what isle would they be on?

[AzureOzma]

Most stores that sells supplements or a health food store will carry activated charcoal. It's good to have on hand to help neutralize poisons before going to the emergency room or Dr. It really does belong in the medicine cabinet instead of the kitchen. I'm going the food coloring route.

[huyyy1]

wow very clever. going to give it a try. though it looks like it will taste weird

[jorgemath]

It's perfect for halloween.

[SaraB180]

The activated charcoal that is sold in stores in NOT the same as what you would encounter as the activated charcoal in the ER. First off it's no where near the potency of ER and it depends on how it was made.
It is not used in treating poisoning. It is used in treating mild cases of gas or very mild gastroenteritis. It is used homeopathically to whiten teeth, remove stains from skin, and to remove smells/ detox when mixed with bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar from arm pits and groins.
It can interfere with a very few medications and will not help a hangover.
While I am not a doctor, I do have a certification in Homeopathic remedies. I am studying for my licensing in herbalism and in aromatherapy.
I would not suggest serving this drink to anyone that you do not have the full background information on even though the charcoal is going to bind to the acid before it is even drunk. However, if you use two full capsules and an unknown ratio of lemon juice, it would be unverifiable. You would be potentially putting someone at risk.
Webmd does have a list of medications that interact with activated charcoal and more information if you need it. Also many great books about herbalism and holistic medicine will cover activated charcoal and to be cautious when using internally.

[winneremerald12]

...

[JonH182]

Excellent answer Sara! Especially about the a.c. binding to the acids before ingestion. The first time I heard about using a.c. as a supplement was when I was traveling overseas to Asia. Apparently if you take like a 60 capsule bottle after returning from extensive travel to highly polluted cities with smog it will bind to the free radicals and remove the toxic heavy metals within your system. (especially if you have an organic Whole Foods diet and do periodic detoxing:)

[winneremerald12]

ME when clicking on Instructable: "What is that, shoe polish?"

ME after reading Instructable: "Oh."

True story.

[Ray-N-Tosca]

If you look at the source article for the supposed health benefits, you'd see that "Dr. Axe" isn't an MD.

[batcrave]

Even worse, the site gives no evidence that he's an axe, either.

(or she?)

(are axes gendered? do they use 'he' and 'she' as pronouns?)

[Str7073]

I wish there was a like button for comments. haha

[arnablue]

Don't know about Proof, but there is info about "he" with picture...

https://draxe.com/about-dr-josh-axe/

[emason]

There are Bearded axes, which admittedly could still be female if you count Dwarves (Tolkein-style).

[SeanB10]

I <3 how the comments fill out the knowledge, i.e. it also absorbs meds so be smart. (And also apparently interferes with the GI tract) I just thought it'd be a nice plot element to a story: Coke is clear in near infra red, I doubt this is. Kid "spy" googles are cheap IR viewers. I swear, you'll see it in a movie as soon as Hollywood finishes "Goodnight Moon 6"

[Patrik]

Do NOT use activated charcoal if you are a woman using birth control pills! Or are taking any kind of other medication, really... Serving this at a party to a bunch of folks whose medical history you are clueless about would be highly irresponsible, IMHO.

I accidentally discovered a fun and far safer method for producing an almost-black drink a few years ago: blueberry smoothie + spirulina! The dark purple from the blueberries plus dark green from the spirulina turn the smoothie almost completely black. And at least you won't be risking any unexpected pregnancies...

[macshout]

I'm not sure what you serve at parties, but charcoal would not be the biggest concern for 'risking unexpected pregnancies' at the ones I have been to - nudge nudge, wink wink.

[thesnowtheriver]

oh you are funny. and you are right. hahaha .

[R1Ch0]

Dont worry about the charcoal, the moment you put it in with the lemonade the benefit is completely negated. Since the benefit is derived from the massive surface area putting it with stuff immediately fills the pores.
The interaction with orally injested medicines is only really an issue for about an hour(ish) more on an empty stomach.

[MarioB137]

It is however a brilliant way to remove all those pesky vitamins that are so hopelessly overpowered by sugars in the lemonade anyway and would not stand a chance either way they tried to reach you. :P