Drs. Calvin and Agatha Thrash have taken a long, close look at medicine. Both are physicians who have seen the baleful effects of disease. In the late 60s, they reasoned cause to effect and determined that by preventative medicine, many diseases could be eliminated.

Leaving their private practices, they founded Uchee Pines Institute in 1970, a non-profit natural health education institution. There, many simple remedies are used in the practice of health recovery such as hydrotherapy, massage, diet, and, of course, charcoal. This book looks primarily at charcoal's medicinal properties, although citing a number of other applications.

The book contains extensive research and information about how charcoal works and how to use it effectively for medicinal purposes for everything from insect and reptile bites to cancer and intestinal problems.