Royal D

This is an electrolyte drink in powder form, packed in 25 g sachets and made by Fancy World. According to the product information it suits people who lose a lot of sweat, whether they are athletes, people who exercise or people who do hard physical work. The brand says on its website that it started with a powder to mix into water.

The brand's website lists three flavours of its electrolyte powder: original, grape and strawberry. We sell the original flavour only, which the sachet describes as Natural Orange Flavour.

It is sold as a box of 50 sachets, and each sachet is mixed into one large glass of drinking water. The small sachets are easy to carry in a gym bag or a work bag, so one box lasts for many servings.

The product lists four key components. The figures per 100 ml of mixed drink are in the facts section at the top of this page, so this section explains what each component is.

• Glucose — a simple sugar. It provides energy and gives the drink its sweet taste.
• Sodium — the main mineral here and the largest of the minerals in this product.
• Potassium — another mineral, present in a smaller amount than sodium.
• Citrate — a salt of citric acid, found in many such drinks.

All of the powder is packed in a single sachet. Once dissolved in water it makes a lightly orange-flavoured drink that is ready to drink straight away, with nothing else to add.

Electrolytes are minerals dissolved in the body's fluids, such as sodium and potassium. An electrolyte drink is therefore a drink that combines these minerals with sugar and water.

Thai Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 195 (B.E. 2543) sets electrolyte drinks as a food with a quality standard. They must contain sodium and glucose or fructose at no less than 2 per cent by weight, and the notification also covers the dry, powder form. A sachet of electrolyte powder therefore sits in the same food group as a ready-to-drink beverage.

When you sweat heavily your body loses water. The NHS lists heavy sweating after exercise as one cause of dehydration and says water is the first-choice way for most people to replace lost fluid. A sachet electrolyte powder for exercise is therefore an extra option for people who really do lose a lot of sweat, not a drink that everyone needs every day.

The product information says it is made for people who lose a lot of sweat, which falls into three main groups.

• Athletes — people who train or compete until they sweat heavily.
• People who exercise — people who use a sachet electrolyte drink for exercise as a top-up, for example after a run, a sport or a gym session.
• Hard workers — people who work outdoors or in hot places and sweat a lot.

If you are not sweating much, for example when sitting at a desk in an air-conditioned room or after light exercise for a short time, you do not need an electrolyte drink yet.

This product is not made for people who have diarrhoea. The difference from ORS is explained further down.

Follow these steps to mix a sachet.

1. Pour 400 ml of drinking water, about one large glass, into a glass or a shaker bottle.
2. Tear open a sachet and pour in the powder from 1 sachet.
3. Stir or shake until the powder has dissolved completely, then drink straight away.

Mix one sachet at a time with the amount of water given on the label. Do not change the amount of water yourself, because that changes the strength of the drink from the formula on the label. Always use clean drinking water. A sachet and a shaker bottle fit in a bag, so you can mix a drink anywhere there is clean drinking water.

Mix a fresh drink each time you want one, wash a shaker bottle before the next mix, and keep unused sachets as the product instructions advise.

Can Royal D be used for diarrhoea? No, because this powder is an electrolyte drink registered as a food, for people who lose sweat through exercise or hard work. ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) is an electrolyte powder designed to replace the water and salts lost in diarrhoea. The two cannot be used in place of each other.

• The sweat-loss electrolyte powder — per 100 ml of mixed drink: sodium 2.0–4.0 mEq and glucose at least 2.0 g.
• WHO/UNICEF ORS formula — sodium 75 mEq per litre (7.5 mEq per 100 ml), glucose 75 mmol per litre and a total osmolarity of 245 mOsm per litre.

The Faculty of Pharmacy at Mahidol University says that electrolyte powders for people who sweat during exercise usually contain more sugar than ORS and may make loose stools worse in someone with diarrhoea. People with diarrhoea should therefore drink only fluid mixed from ORS.

If you have diarrhoea, especially a child or an older adult, or there is blood in the stool, a high fever or any sign of dehydration, use ORS and speak to a pharmacist or doctor. Related products are in the antidiarrheal collection.

In short: this powder is for heavy sweating. For diarrhoea, use ORS and speak to a pharmacist or doctor.

Three warnings are given for this product.

• It is for sweat lost through exercise.
• Do not drink more than 4 sachets a day.
• It is not suitable for young children and infants.

The information we checked from the maker and sellers lists no side effects beyond the warnings above. If you feel unwell after drinking it, stop and ask a pharmacist.

If you sweat heavily and have any of these signs, the NHS advises seeing a doctor: dizziness on standing that does not go away, dark yellow urine or passing urine less often, a fast heart rate or fast breathing, and unusual tiredness. Children and older adults are at higher risk of dehydration than other people.

Where can I buy Royal D?

Order online at Intimo Life, with delivery across Thailand in 1-3 working days. Orders are packed discreetly for privacy, and the product name is not shown on the parcel.