Adsorptive Remedies

in medicine—inert, insoluble adsorbents. Active carbon and karbolen, which have great adsorptive properties, are used internally in cases of poisoning from salts of heavy metals and from alkaloids, as well as in cases of food poisoning. (Adsorptive remedies absorb poisons, obstructing their assimilation.) In meteorism, these remedies are used to absorb gases formed in the intestines. Because adsorptive remedies absorb moisture, they are used externally in the form of powders, ointments, and pastes to dry the skin in case of skin injuries or the mucous membranes in inflammatory diseases.