# Survival guide says to eat ashes...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-guide-says-to-eat-ashes/676504>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 16, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-guide-says-to-eat-ashes/676504 "2013-12-16T22:04:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-guide-says-to-eat-ashes/676504/1 "2013-12-16T22:04:44Z")

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Never heard of this before, but there’s a matter-of-fact comment in passing in a pocket survival guide about building a survival fire, commenting on the useful nature: “white ashes can be consumed to overcome constipation, the black ashes to stop diarrhea.”

Calling all doctor or survival people to explain WT-everloving F?

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-guide-says-to-eat-ashes/676504/2 "2013-12-16T22:12:49Z")

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well chunks of black burned through material are mostly carbon, which would help if you were poisoned…but other than that…I got nothin.

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**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-guide-says-to-eat-ashes/676504/3 "2013-12-17T03:32:02Z")

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According to the Mayo Clinic, [activated charcoal is not useful to treat diarrhea](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR602267).