what is it in rehydration fluids that the body needs please?

[Twiglett]

is it as simple as sugar and salt?

would a vitamin drink with mineral salts in it do? (emergen-C)

I think so. Not a doctor, though.

Poor you. Are you still sickly?

yes twig pretty much sugar and salt

can you get to a chemists to get the real thing? ( know oyu have been ill but they are good)

I think a vitamin drink would help, but you might have to be cautious depending on what other ingredients it has.

Some products can cause diarrhoea to get worse so depends what is causing the dehydration in the first place.

This has some info.

yeah, is salts. dunno about sugars, but malnourish/dehydrated persons could no doubt benefit from sugars.

is it diarhoria (sp)? am presuming it is diarrolyte you are trying to substitute?

flat fizzy drinks (coke) and lucozade drinks got the right stuff in too i think

this has some suggestions for making at home.

Do you mean those sports rehydration drinks or the powders for children post-tummy bug?

Imagine similar contents but if latter, then copying contents off packet for you:

glucose
sodium chloride
potassium citrate
sodium citrate

so as already said, salt and sugar plus a few things to aid the flow through the digestive system (as far as I can work out - not a doctor!)

A doctor did recommended that I use a flat cocoa cola for the same purpose though when we were in the wilds of Thailand and powders weren't available - was surprised because thought caffeine would make problem worse not better - but it actually did the trick ...

yep flat coke is amazing for poorly tummys

Oh and if it's for the runs, then apparently drinking a bit of the water that rice has been cooked in, is a good home remedy ...