You couldn't have picked a more pleasant, genteel place than Porton Down to harbor a league of hostile extra-terrestrials. Based in the southwest of England, near the tiny country town of Porton and the slightly bigger city of Salisbury, Porton Down is one of those places where you couldn't imagine doing more than sipping hot cups of tea and complaining about the rain.
But there's one other thing at Porton Down: a military science facility owned and operated by the UK government. If that wasn't slightly dodgy enough, Porton Down has one other claim to fame. Back in 1974, it was the site of England's very own Area 51 cover-up. And like Area 51, the controversy, lies, and misdirection surrounding the incident have never quite blown over.
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.