An aluminium compound used as an ingredient in some antidiarrhoeal drugs. Kaolin is taken orally and increases the bulk of faeces. It is also believed to adsorb bacteria, viruses, and toxins in the intestine, transporting them through the digestive tract for excretion in the faeces.
Kaolin, or china clay, is a smooth white powder consisting of natural white aluminium silicate resulting from the decomposition of minerals containing felspar. It is used as a dusting powder for eczema (see DERMATITIS) and other forms of irritation in the skin. It is also used internally in cases of diarrhoea. Talc, French chalk and Fuller’s earth are similar silicates.
Kaolin poultice contains kaolin, boric acid, glycerin and various aromatic substances.
n. a white clay that contains aluminium and silicon and is purified and powdered for use as an adsorbent. It may be used to treat chronic diarrhoea and is also used in dusting powders and poultices.
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