I don't mind the taste of "bi-carb" in a bit of warm water, a teaspoon with about 200ml water is good. I use the straight Sodium bi-carbonate from the supermarket.
I have done a bit of searching on the internet as well, and have probably come up with the same pages as you have on subject. I, too, read that somehow the mixture gets through the intestine lining and into the blood stream. What I did find, though, was plenty of information on how the body metabolises sugars, esp. fructose, glucose and galactose. This interest me as I have a high fructose diet, I eat a lot fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ie. natural fructose that has not been heated above 44°C. So I can see how sugars get into the blood stream, but I can not see how sugar(in the form of maple syrup) bonding to sodium bicarbonate in the stomach and then getting through the lining.
