Activated charcoal has been hyped a lot. It is just carbon with a huge internal surface area, which can adsorb many times its apparent volume of certain chemicals. Its amin use is in removing some kind of ingested poisons. Many poisons are not removed by activated charcoal. Enzyme tablets like Unienzyme contain activated charcoal. Its claimed use for controlling gas has proved unverifiable.
I am underweight and was prescribed unienzyme, which I have been taking for years now, unfortunately with no effect.
Here is some info from Mayo Clinic: (very limited use)
<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/charcoal-activated-oral-route/description/drg-20070087" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Charcoal, Activated (Oral Route) Description and Brand Names - Mayo Clinic</a>
I will give one instance of personal experience working with this, though 65 years back. My grandfather was an inveterate experimentalist. I was his 12 year old assistant. He decided make some special tooth powder. Rice husk has more than 40% silica. By controlled combustion he got fine silica powder from rice husk (from his farm). He added activated charcoal powder, clove oil and menthol. I was the guineapig to try it first. It was great in fact. He bottled it. The next day it was again my turn to use it.
It was totally flat No clove smell, no menthol either.
We found that the activated charcoal had completely adsorbed the two essential oils leaving no trace behind.
It seems unlikely to remove alcohol or fats.
