Activated Carbon-Sorbital Composition and Adsorption-Expulsion Treatment Therewith

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a convenient, tasty composition of matter and method designed to remove undesirable materials from the gastrointestinal tract by a united adsorptive action and laxative action by combining activated carbon and sorbitol.

The highly adsorptive properties of activated carbon (particularly activated charcoal) are well known. Moreover, it has been used to remove noxious substances and gases from the gastrointestinal tract, to serve as an antidote, detoxicant and deflatulent. In fact, quantitative adsorption relationships can be worked out between activated carbon and various drugs or poisons including strychnine, digitalis, atropine, morphine, bichloride of mercury, arsenite, iodine, camphor, etc.

One difficulty, however, has been the introduction of the activated carbon, which is manufactured as a very fine powder, into the stomach because patients have difficulty in swallowing the powder or water slurry thereof. This had led to it being encapsulated, tableted and/or mixed with excipients and binders to avoid the powder. The problem generally encountered in mixing the activated carbon with other substances has been the masking of the adsorptive capacity of the carbon, thereby reducing same for the targeted undesired materials.

Sorbitol is a polyhydric alcohol having many properties of the sugars including water solubility and about 60% sweetness of sucrose. It is recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration by having been placed on the GRAS list. It is used as a sweetening agent, particularly for diabetic diets, and as a humectant to extend shelf life. It has a laxative action when consumed in large quantities (25 to 50 grams daily) which is believed related to its slow intestinal absorption.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and composition to effectively and quickly remove undesirable materials from the gastrointestinal tract.

It is a further object to do so with a nontoxic composition that can be readily available to the public as an over the counter preparation.

It is another object to provide a highly adsorptive preparation that will be expelled quickly from the GI tract.

It has been found that a composition comprising activated carbon and sorbitol provides an excellent preparation for ease of administration, effective adsorption of many undesirable materials and the quick transport of same through the GI tract, of humans and animals, to defecation.

The dosage must provide sufficient activated carbon (usual dose for adults or children is 5 to 50 grams) to adsorb the particular undesired material. A preferred dosage is 70 g. of sorbitol solution (70%), i.e., 49 g. sorbitol and 21 g. H.sub.2 O, and 30 g. activated carbon, which is considered a good adsorbing dosage for most situations. Moreover, this ratio makes a good cream-like consistency and taste for the patient to ingest, and is self-preserving.

Obviously, U.S.P. grades of material should be used, for example, Norit brand activated carbon and Pfizer brand sorbitol.

Sorbitol is freely soluble in water up to 83% and a 65% solution is the minimum self-preserving solution. The carbon is, of course, insoluble. Other excipients may be added if desired for taste, consistency, etc., but generally the three ingredients here disclosed are sufficient and may be in the following ranges by weight:

Since none of the materials are toxic, overdosage is of no concern except for the laxative effect and possible removal of desired materials from the GI tract.