Reviewed by Inspiration Medical Technology, Inc. All articles are reviewed for accuracy and brand-voice compliance by the team behind AllaQuix®. Not a substitute for medical advice from your doctor.
" } } }, "block_order": [ "c" ], "settings": { "anchor_id": "", "step_label": "", "eyebrow": "", "heading": "", "intro": "", "color_scheme": "background-1", "padding_top": 8, "padding_bottom": 8 } }, "mechanism": { "type": "aq-step-cards", "blocks": { "s1": { "type": "step", "settings": { "number": "01", "title": "Attracts", "text": "Positively-charged chitosan fibers attract negatively-charged red blood cells from the bleeding wound." } }, "s2": { "type": "step", "settings": { "number": "02", "title": "Binds", "text": "Red blood cells bind to the chitosan fibers, accumulating against the dressing surface." } }, "s3": { "type": "step", "settings": { "number": "03", "title": "Seals", "text": "The accumulated red blood cells form a physical seal over the wound. The seal is mechanical, not biochemical." } }, "s4": { "type": "step", "settings": { "number": "04", "title": "Heals", "text": "Chitosan supports a moist healing environment and is naturally antibacterial. The dressing lifts off without disturbing the seal." } } }, "block_order": [ "s1", "s2", "s3", "s4" ], "settings": { "eyebrow": "HOW IT WORKS", "heading": "Chitosan stops bleeding in four mechanical steps", "columns": 4, "color_scheme": "background-2", "card_color_scheme": "background-1", "padding_top": 56, "padding_bottom": 56 } }, "p1": { "type": "aq-article-section", "blocks": { "p1": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "Chitosan is derived from chitin, the structural material in the exoskeletons of shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster). Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth after cellulose. To produce medical-grade chitosan, chitin is deacetylated through a chemical or enzymatic process that removes acetyl groups from the molecule, converting chitin into chitosan.
" } }, "p2": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "The processing also removes animal proteins, which is why even people with mild shellfish allergies typically tolerate medical-grade chitosan without reaction. If you have a known severe shellfish allergy, always check with your doctor before using a chitosan product.
" } } }, "block_order": [ "p1", "p2" ], "settings": { "anchor_id": "p1", "step_label": "", "eyebrow": "ORIGIN", "heading": "Where chitosan comes from", "intro": "", "color_scheme": "background-1", "padding_top": 48, "padding_bottom": 16 } }, "p2": { "type": "aq-article-section", "blocks": { "p1": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "The U.S. Military adopted chitosan-based hemostats in the early 2000s after combat trauma data showed that the leading preventable cause of death on the battlefield was extremity hemorrhage. Traditional gauze required an intact clotting cascade to work, which made it less reliable for casualties who had lost large volumes of blood and whose own clotting had started to fail.
" } }, "p2": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "Chitosan solved this because it works mechanically. The mechanism is independent of the patient's clotting capacity, so it continues to function when traditional gauze fails. The same technology has been used on Air Force One, in combat zones, and now in civilian OTC products like AllaQuix® High-Performance.
" } } }, "block_order": [ "p1", "p2" ], "settings": { "anchor_id": "p2", "step_label": "", "eyebrow": "MILITARY", "heading": "Why the U.S. Military uses chitosan", "intro": "", "color_scheme": "background-1", "padding_top": 48, "padding_bottom": 16 } }, "p3": { "type": "aq-article-section", "blocks": { "p1": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "The civilian application is the same physical mechanism on a smaller scale. A kitchen knife cut, a shaving slice, a turf scrape, a post-procedure late bleed. The chitosan gauze contacts the wound, red blood cells attract to the fibers, a physical seal forms, and bleeding is controlled.
" } }, "p2": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "The civilian advantage matters most for people whose clotting cascade is partially impaired: people on blood thinners (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Pradaxa, daily aspirin), people with bleeding disorders (hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, thrombocytopenia), and older patients with reduced clotting capacity. For all of these populations, chitosan continues to work where traditional gauze may not.
" } }, "co": { "type": "callout", "settings": { "content": "Related: what is calcium alginate? · shop High-Performance
" } } }, "block_order": [ "p1", "p2", "co" ], "settings": { "anchor_id": "p3", "step_label": "", "eyebrow": "CIVILIAN", "heading": "How chitosan works for civilians", "intro": "", "color_scheme": "background-1", "padding_top": 48, "padding_bottom": 16 } }, "faq": { "type": "collapsible-content", "blocks": { "f1": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "How does chitosan stop bleeding?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "Chitosan is a positively-charged biopolymer derived from shellfish. Red blood cells are negatively charged. When a chitosan dressing contacts a bleeding wound, the chitosan fibers attract red blood cells through electrostatic attraction. The red blood cells bind to the dressing and accumulate against its surface, forming a physical seal over the wound. The seal is mechanical, not biochemical, so it forms without requiring an intact clotting cascade. That's why chitosan continues to work for people on blood thinners, with bleeding disorders, or whose clotting is otherwise impaired.
", "page": "" } }, "f2": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "Where does chitosan come from?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "Chitosan is made from chitin, the structural material in shellfish exoskeletons (shrimp, crab, lobster). Chitin is deacetylated through a chemical or enzymatic process to convert it into chitosan, which also removes the animal proteins.
", "page": "" } }, "f3": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "Is chitosan safe for people with shellfish allergies?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "Chitosan is shellfish-derived, but the deacetylation process removes the proteins responsible for allergic reactions. A study in Military Medicine found that subjects with documented shellfish allergy tolerated the chitosan dressing without reaction. Anyone with a known severe allergy should still check with their doctor first.
", "page": "" } }, "f4": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "Why does the U.S. Military use chitosan?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "Because it works mechanically, independent of the casualty's clotting status. Traditional gauze needs an intact clotting cascade; chitosan attracts and binds red blood cells to form a seal regardless, which makes it reliable even after significant blood loss. The same technology is in AllaQuix® High-Performance.
", "page": "" } }, "f5": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "What's the difference between chitosan and calcium alginate?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "Chitosan (AllaQuix® High-Performance) works mechanically — it attracts red blood cells to form a seal, independent of the clotting cascade — which makes it the pick for harder bleeds, blood thinners, and bleeding disorders. Calcium alginate (AllaQuix® Lite, Bandages, Nose Bleed) is a separate plant-derived material from seaweed that absorbs fluid and releases calcium ions to accelerate clotting; it's gentler and better for moderate drainage and sensitive skin.
", "page": "" } }, "f6": { "type": "collapsible_row", "settings": { "heading": "Which AllaQuix® products contain chitosan?", "icon": "none", "row_content": "AllaQuix® High-Performance is the chitosan line. AllaQuix® Lite, Bandages, and Nose Bleed are calcium alginate, and AllaQuix® Basic is a non-woven adhesive island dressing.
", "page": "" } } }, "block_order": [ "f1", "f2", "f3", "f4", "f5", "f6" ], "custom_css": [ ".caption,.caption-with-letter-spacing{color:#0fb0f2!important;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.12em;}", ".collapsible-content__heading{color:#1a1a1a;}" ], "settings": { "caption": "FAQ", "heading": "Common questions on this topic", "heading_size": "h2", "heading_alignment": "center", "layout": "row", "container_color_scheme": "background-2", "color_scheme": "background-1", "open_first_collapsible_row": true, "image_ratio": "adapt", "desktop_layout": "image_second", "padding_top": 64, "padding_bottom": 64 } }, "cta": { "type": "aq-cta-band", "settings": { "eyebrow": "", "heading": "Try AllaQuix® before you buy", "body": "A free sample pack ships for the cost of a stamp. No commitment.
", "button_1_label": "Claim a Free Sample", "button_1_link": "shopify://pages/general-free-sample", "button_2_label": "Shop High-Performance", "button_2_link": "shopify://collections/high-performance", "note": "Not for emergency, arterial, or severe bleeding.", "color_scheme": "background-2", "padding_top": 56, "padding_bottom": 56 } }, "related": { "type": "aq-link-cards", "blocks": { "r1": { "type": "card", "settings": { "tag": "SCIENCE", "title": "What is calcium alginate? Dual mechanism.", "text": "", "link_label": "Read →", "link": "shopify://pages/what-is-calcium-alginate" } }, "r2": { "type": "card", "settings": { "tag": "GUIDE", "title": "Chitosan vs. Kaolin Hemostatic", "text": "", "link_label": "Read →", "link": "shopify://blogs/more-information/chitosan-vs-kaolin-hemostatic" } }, "r3": { "type": "card", "settings": { "tag": "AUDIENCE", "title": "For Blood Thinner Patients", "text": "", "link_label": "Shop →", "link": "shopify://collections/for-blood-thinner-patients" } } }, "block_order": [ "r1", "r2", "r3" ], "settings": { "eyebrow": "KEEP READING", "heading": "Related guides + articles", "columns": 3, "color_scheme": "background-1", "card_color_scheme": "background-2", "padding_top": 56, "padding_bottom": 56 } }, "trustband": { "type": "aq-article-section", "blocks": { "p1": { "type": "paragraph", "settings": { "content": "About Inspiration Medical → · The science of AllaQuix® →
" } } }, "block_order": [ "p1" ], "settings": { "anchor_id": "", "step_label": "", "eyebrow": "MADE BY INSPIRATION MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.", "heading": "Saint Paul, Minnesota · Made in USA", "intro": "FDA reviewed and cleared. Nearly one million AllaQuix® sold.
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