It’s a killer. It’s a saviour. It’s also a trickster. It’s one of the most important substances ever discovered. It’s charcoal! …around 4000 BC man discovered that when naturally occurring ores of copper, zinc and tin oxides are heated with charcoal, the carbon strips away the oxygen leaving the pure metal behind. …In the ninth century, a Chinese alchemist discovered that blending charcoal with saltpeter (potassium nitrate) and sulphur resulted in a mixture that would combust readily — “Gunpowder”. …Around 1500 BC, Egyptians used charcoal to eliminate bad smells from wounds. By 400 BC, Phoenicians were storing water in charred barrels on trading ships to improve its taste. …Later, it was determined that impregnation with chemicals such as zinc chloride or phosphoric acid prior to heating improved the adsorption properties. Today a variety of activated carbon products are available for use in various applications. …Inventive marketers have absorbed this information and have started to roll out various foods and beverages containing activated carbon with promises of “detoxing.”