Is it just me or is activated charcoal suddenly in everything? We’re joined by our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Ryan Aycock (the Emergency Room Doctor Currently Known as Cocktail MD) to talk about what activated charcoal is, what it does, and how it can deactivate birth control when it’s included in cocktails. But also how it can turn your teeth black, which is sort of another kind of birth control. Just in time for the holidays, we give you a lump-of-coal episode of Agave Road Trip!

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. It’s hosted by Lou Bank and Chava Periban. 

This episode of Agave Road Trip Lauren is brought to you by For People and Planet, a cookbook in support of the United Nations. For People and Planet features 75 international recipes from chefs, farmers, and indigenous communities, with contributions by José Andrés, Grace Ramirez, and Massimo Botturo, among others. The point of the book is to advance the UN's mission to create a more sustainable food system by creating conversations about the weaknesses in our local and global food systems, while also providing actionable ways to make change in the form of accessible and sustainable recipes. If you’ve been paying attention to our podcast recently, you’ve been hearing Chava and me talk about Dan Saladino’s book, Eating to Extinction. For People and Planet feels like a recipe guide to how to help avoid that extinction.

Notes

Activated charcoal is not a sponge. It’s adsorbent, not absorbent. That means it uses van der Waals force to get stuff (tiny stuff) to stick to it. Which doesn’t explain Spider-Man. But does explain spiders.