Interference by tannic acid with the effectiveness of activated charcoal in "universal antidote"

Evidence is presented to show that tannic acid is responsible for the reduced effectiveness of "universal antidote" as compared with activated charcoal alone. Adsorption isotherm data indicate that tannic acid binds strongly to charcoal and hence uses up part of the adsorption capacity that would otherwise be available for binding of a drug or poison. Data on sodium salicylate adsorption from simulated gastric fluid, both with and without the presence of tannic acid, are presented that illustrate clearly that tannic acid interferes significantly with the adsorption of salicylate. Magnesium oxide, another component of "universal antidote," was found to offer no interference to salicylate adsorption, presumably because it does not adsorb to charcoal to any significant extent.