An inexpensive home-made solution is:^[1]

• sugar (table sugar): (sucrose): 8 level teaspoons (40 ml/40 g)
• salt (table salt): 1 level teaspoon
• clean drinking water: 1 liter).

Fructose (fruit sugar) or artificial sweeteners should not be substituted for the table sugar.

To add add potassium and to improve taste, you may add orange juice or banana. To each liter, add:[1]

• A half cup of orange juice or
• Half of a mashed banana

If the diarrhea is not too severe, a reduced concentration oral rehydration solution may be preferred - but beware of salt loss if the patient is not getting replacement sodium from elsewhere.

Commercial products[edit | edit source]

Sports drinks^W should be avoided: This is very important for younger children. These are not true rehydration solutions, and contain too much sugar and electrolytes.^{[verification needed]}

Commercially available products contain glucose rather than sucrose, and various minor ingredients; however the essential ingredients are sugar, salt and clean water.

References[edit | edit source]