Charcoal Immunity Shots
Give your gut health and over-all well-being a pick-me-up with Charcoal Immunity Shots. Fresh citrus juices and zesty ginger are combined with activated charcoal powder to make a round of detoxifying wellness shots. Makes about six 2-ounce shots.
Cold and flu season is inevitable, but having activated charcoal stocked in your medicinal arsenal is a great way to fight off those pesky germs. I’ll spare you most of the science-y stuff, but to sum things up: activated charcoal is charcoal heated at a high temperature with gas to trigger pockets and pores to form. When ingested, activated charcoal may help eliminate toxins from the body.
So what does that have to do with shots? Immunity boosting shots are typically made by extracting the juice from fruits and veggies to make a concentrate packed with vitamin C. Adding activated charcoal powder to these shots enhances the anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting benefits.
The truth is, I got sick of paying $3.99 per bottle of KOR wellness shots, but I love them, so I came up with the perfect formula for DIY charcoal immunity shots that anyone can make! Finally! Shots to cure a hangover instead of causing one.
💊 Charcoal Shot Benefits
Actived charcoal shots help keep your body from absorbing toxins, which in turn may help with a variety of ailments:
- Aid digestion
- Reduce nausea symptons
- Strengthen immunity
- Eliminate harmful toxins
🍊 Key Ingredients
- Oranges – Oranges are known for their immunity-boosting properties as they are excellent sources of vitamin C.
- Lemons – The soluble fiber in lemons may improve gut and digestive health.
- Fresh Ginger – Ginger is great for nausea and may help fight infection.
- Activated Charcoal Capsules – I used Nature’s Way Activated Charcoal, but there are dozens to choose from (NOW, Country Life, Bulletproof, Nature’s Bounty, the Vitamin Shoppe, etc.).
📖 How To Make DIY Charcoal Shots
1️⃣ Prep fruits and ginger.
Remove the peel from the oranges, and cut into quarters (or eighths). Do the same with the lemons. Slice the ginger length-wise into smaller pieces.
2️⃣ Juice fruits and ginger.
Feed the orange pieces through your juicer, one at time until all of the orange is juiced. Do the same with the lemon wedges and ginger slices.
3️⃣ Strain juices into a bottle.
Pour the juice mixture through a fine-mesh strainer (to remove any stray pieces of pulp), and into a glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid (a 16 ounce glass kombucha bottle is perfect).
4️⃣ Blend with charcoal.
Open 6 capsules of charcoal and pour the powder from each into the bottle of pressed juice. Secure the lid and vigorously shake the bottle until the citrus-ginger juices and charcoal are well-blended.
👉 Recipe Tips
- Make it spicy – If you can handle the heat, add a pinch of cayenne or turmeric.
- Shot size – Depending on the size of your fruit, this recipe will yield about 1-1/2 cups (12-ounces) total, which makes about six 2-ounce immunity shots.
- Quality matters – Do your research and buy high-quality charcoal capsules. I like Nature’s Way Activated Charcoal, but with a simple search, you’ll find there are dozens of good ones to choose from.
- Start with one a day – Start with taking one shot a day to get a feel it. Do you feel great? Awesome. Have another!
- Take before meals – Charcoal shots can act as a great digestive aid, so I like to take a shot before each meal.
🔀 Variations
Lemonade – Use the juice-charcoal mixture as a concentrate to make a rejuvenating glass of charcoal lemonade. Try mixing about 2 tablespoons of the immunity shot mixture into a glass of water and sweeten with honey or maple syrup.
Aloe Juice – Mix citrus juices and activated charcoal with aloe juice for an extra anti-oxidant boost.
Apple Cider Vinegar – ACV may help regulate blood sugar and hunger. If you’re okay with the vinegar-y taste feel free to add it in.
Sweet Shots – These shots are tart and tangy. If you prefer something sweeter, feel free to add an unrefined, natural liquid sweetener that aligns with your dietary lifestyle. Check the list below for my recommendations:
- Paleo – honey, maple syrup, or date syrup
- Vegan – maple syrup or date syrup
- Keto – monkfruit liquid sweetener, liquid stevia, allulose liquid sweetener or homemade keto simple syrup
🧊 Storage
Storing: Keep your bottle of charcoal wellness shots refrigerated and finish within 4 – 5 days. Another option is freezing the liquid in ice cube trays and popping out a cube or two as needed.
❔ FAQ
Charcoal has a VERY subtle earthy taste, but it’s essentially tasteless (especially when mixed with juice). However, it does dye the liquid it’s mixed into black and gives it a granular mouth-feel.
Absolutely, and you aren’t limited to orange, lemon, and ginger juice here. Feel free to combine the charcoal powder with fresh squeezed juice from any fruit and veggie.
There’s no guarantee, but ingesting charcoal 1 to 4 hours before consuming a toxin may keep your body from absorbing it through digestion.
More Healing Food Recipes
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Gummies
Apple Cider Vinegar Shot
Electrolyte Lemonade
Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup
Tart Cherry Gummies
Charcoal Immunity Shots
Equipment
- 1 juicer
- 1 glass bottle or jar; at least 12 ounces
Ingredients
- 2 lemons juiced
- 2 oranges juiced
- fresh ginger root 3" piece; juiced
- 6 activated charcoal capsules
Instructions
- Peel the lemon and cut it into quarters (or eigths). Do the same with the orange. Slice the ginger lengthwise into smaller pieces.
- Feed the pieces of lemon one at a time through the juicer. Then, do the same with the orange pieces, followed by the ginger.
- Pour the juice mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid to remove any stray pieces of pulp.
- Open the charcoal capsules and pour the powder into the bottle. Then, shake the bottle to blend the charcoal powder and juices thoroughly.
