Homemade Rehydrater

Some British humanitarian workers discovered the sugar thing while treating dehydration (in India I think, maybe Africa) with salt water solution. At first they used the sugar to help patients deal with the taste but what they found is that the sugar helps the body absorb the electrolytes. So here is the breakdown of the recipe (also known as the homemade Pedialyte recipe):

2 quarts (liters) Water – replace lost water
5-10 Tsp. Sugar (to taste) – Helps body absorb electrolytes (sodium and potassium) – should be about 6-1 ratio with the salt
1 Tsp. Salt – Sodium (an electrolyte)
1 Tsp. Baking Soda – Another type of sodium
1/2 Tsp. Salt Substitute (Potassium Chloride) – Another electrolyte
1 Pack unsweetened drink mix (Kool Aid) optional for flavoring – Just for flavor here

I’ll add this link to a World Health Organization document on the treatment of diarrhea. It’s pretty long but you might want it on your “survival kindle” or printed out and kept with your other SHTF documents. The countries this document is designed to help are the kind of countries we’ll be living in if SHTF.

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2005/9241593180.pdf