Colonic absorption of three major unconjugated bile acids--cholate, chenodeoxycholate, and deoxycholate--was measured under steady-state conditions using a technique of colonic perfusion in healthy volunteers. Aqueous solutions at pH 8.0 and varying in concentration from 1 mM to 10 mM were used. The rate of chenodeoxycholate absorption averaged nine times that of cholate absorption; deoxycholate absorption was somewhat less than that of chenodeoxycholate absorption, averaging six times that of cholate. At concentrations below 5 mM, the rate of absorption of bile acids was directly proportional to concentration, so that "clearance" could be calculated. Clearance values for a 1-mM solution (ml/min/colon, mean +/- SE) were: chenodeoxycholate, 9.84 +/- 1.0; deoxycholate, 7.0 +/- 1; and cholate, 0.82 +/- 0.10. Since absorption was proportional to concentration in the lumen, and was more rapid for the dihydroxy acids, the major mechanism of absorption was thought to be passive nonionic diffusion. Maximal rates of bile acid absorption were calculated from a 1-mM solution and found to be as high as 4.2 g/day for chenodeoxycholate, 3.2 g/day for deoxycholate, and 0.5 g/day for cholate, and the rate would be still greater for more concentrated solutions. Colonic absorption may contribute significantly to conservation of the dihydroxy bile acid pool, especially in conditions of bile acid malabsorption.