Drinking Chinese medicine will cause black stool

Many people choose to take Chinese medicine for conditioning when they feel unwell. However, some people found that after taking Chinese medicine for a few days, their stools turned black. Everyone knows that black stool is a very abnormal phenomenon. So, is it normal to have black stools after taking Chinese medicine? Experts tell us that this situation is actually normal.

Black stool

Black indicates that there is something wrong with your digestive tract. Especially if black stools appear, it is likely caused by gastrointestinal bleeding.

Non-pathological causes of black stool

Diet-related

After recently eating certain foods such as animal blood, large amounts of beef, animal liver, bayberry and mulberry jam, the iron rich in them can combine with sulfide in the human intestine to form black iron sulfide, which can cause black stools.

Drug-related

Recent use of certain medications, such as iron supplements for blood tonic, bismuth supplements for treating stomach problems, and certain Chinese medicines, can cause black stools.

Pathological causes of black stool

Digestive tract diseases

Digestive tract diseases are the most common cause of bloody stools, including esophageal varices, esophageal foreign bodies, ulcer disease, acute gastritis, gastric mucosal prolapse, intussusception, hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis, strangulated intestinal obstruction, Meckel's diverticulum, intestinal polyps, anal fissures, etc.

Blood disorders

Blood diseases, neonatal hemorrhagic disease, hemophilia, leukemia, aplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia and allergic purpura, etc.

Other systemic infectious diseases

Other systemic infectious diseases, such as sepsis, typhoid fever, etc., newborns swallowing blood from the mother's birth canal or ruptured nipples, swallowing of bleeding from the nose, pharynx, and gums, etc.