canklecat

The electrolyte powder? Sure it does. I carry DripDrop. It's made to the World Health Organization standard for Oral Rehydration Solutions. There are others, and we can mix our own -- the ingredients are common to many sports drinks, nothing secret or sketchy -- but DripDrop is convenient, palatable and inoffensive tasting (too many electrolyte mixes and sports drinks have unpleasant flavors or are too sweet), readily available and the single serving Mylar packet resists moisture and takes up very little room.

My background is in health care, including emergency medical care and field med in the military. I've seen this stuff before. Heat exhaustion and dehydration can often be remedied with an ORS drink. If the person can drink and hold it down, it'll help.

I've used it twice in summer with cyclists who were suffering heat exhaustion and dehydration exacerbated by poor choices in hydration. In the worst case the cyclist had taken salt tablets (a badly outdated practice that should have been stopped decades ago), then later couldn't hold down plain water. She passed out, fell off her bike (fortunately someone standing nearby caught her and eased her down) and was vomiting plain water. Most people can't absorb water properly with salt tablets, for the same reason we can't drink sea water. When we're dehydrated we need a little sugar to aid with osmolarity so we can absorb and digest water quickly. That's why sugar free electrolyte mixes are a terrible idea for serious use. It just results in bloating with many folks.

Same reason most old folk remedies and recipes for thirst quenchers turned out to be approximations of an oral rehydration solution, ranging from posca through switchel and others, usually containing just a little sugar of some kind because through trial and error people realized they felt better more quickly without bloating when a little honey, fermented fruit, etc., was included.

There are ORS studies published on PubMed, the NCBI/NIH site, but the DripDrop website accurately summarizes the same info.

I do buy a lot of cheaper sugar free electrolyte mixes when they're on sale, but always add a bit of sugar to avoid bloating. Lately I've added a bit of tart cherry concentrate, just because I like the flavor and it adds just enough sugar aid digestion without being too sweet. I do a lot of midday summer walking, jogging and cycling, often in temperatures above 100F, and it works for me. But heat adaptation is a whole nuther challenge in addition to appropriate hydration.