Do you think you've ever seen lightning like this before? Allow us to save you the effort of thinking about it; unless you've been to a very specific location in Venezuela, you haven't. This unusual sky phenomenon is known as Catatumbo lightning, because the only place in the world it happens is above the Catatumbo River in the South American country.
A perfect storm of contributing factors is responsible for the lightning happening in this way; the area is surrounded on three sides by mountains, meaning air picks up electrical charge as it climbs upwards, and then discharges it over the bogs surrounding Maracaibo Lake. The locals must be used to it; the lightning happens on an average of 150 nights each year, and when it does, it can go on for as long as ten hours, with 250 lightning strikes in each of those hours. Nowhere in the world sees more lightning more regularly than the Catatumbo River.
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.