Activated Charcoal and dyspepsia

What 2 graded rows on activated charcoal agree on for dyspepsia, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.

Consensus finder Rows from the Activated Charcoal page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides

What the rows agree on

Each block and row is one graded row from the Activated Charcoal page, with its PubMed record.

Supplement

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2 rows · 408 people

They agree: both rows found an improvement.

No difference

Improved

Each block is one evidence row, sized by how many people it enrolled, with its grade inside.

From the rows

The best-graded row, grade C, is a randomized trial of 276 people (2011) and found an improvement.

The rows run from 132 to 276 people, published from 2009 to 2011: 2 single studies.

2 improved

Grade CFunctional dyspepsia symptoms (charcoal, simethicone and magnesium oxide) · Improved
RCT · n 276 · 2011 · Adults aged 18–49 with functional dyspepsia (Rome III) seen in general practice (France)
Dose not stated in the abstract · 1 month
Overall dyspepsia symptom intensity was lower than with placebo (P=0.01), with less post-meal fullness, upper-abdominal pain, burning and bloating; 7 people needed treating for one to reach a 70% symptom drop.
Row on the Activated Charcoal page · PubMed 21478070 (opens PubMed)
Grade CDyspepsia symptoms (charcoal plus simethicone) · Improved
RCT · n 132 · 2009 · Adults with dyspepsia seen in general practice (France)
Dose not stated in the abstract · 3 months
More patients improved by at least two points than with placebo (P=0.043); abdominal fullness, bloating and slow digestion eased.
Row on the Activated Charcoal page · PubMed 19349130 (opens PubMed)