Will taking Chinese medicine turn your stool black?

Normal stools are yellow or dark in color, but not black. If there is black stool, everyone’s first reaction is bloody stool, such as bleeding in the digestive tract or intestinal bleeding, which can cause the stool to turn black. In addition to this, there are many other reasons for black stools, and you need to find the cause first before you can treat it.

True or false black stool

The color of normal human stool is generally yellow, light brown or dark brown. Regardless of whether the stool is thick or thin, if it is black, ranging from light ink black to tar brown black, it is called black stool. Generally speaking, the appearance of black stools indicates bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, which we call "true black stools."

However, some black stools are not caused by bleeding, such as after taking iron supplements for blood tonic, bismuth supplements and activated carbon powder (tablets) for treating stomach problems, certain Chinese medicines, and eating animal blood such as sheep blood and pig blood. These are not black stools caused by bleeding, we call them "false black stools".

How to tell

After upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the blood that flows out breaks down iron in the esophagus, stomach and intestines, and combines with sulfide produced by bacteria to form iron sulfide, which appears black. Therefore, black stools may also appear after eating animal blood or iron supplements. This is the reason. So we have to distinguish carefully.

True black stool: Especially when the amount is large, it is bright black and most like asphalt used for paving roads. Most patients have a history of illness, such as stomach pain, ulcer disease, cirrhosis, or have taken certain anti-inflammatory drugs that damage the stomach. Patients may experience symptoms such as palpitations, rapid heart rate, fainting, and pale complexion (which only occur in severe cases). However, a very small number of patients have no symptoms, such as Li Ji who fell ill as mentioned above.

Pseudomelena: The black color is mostly dark gray or dark black, and rarely shiny unless you have eaten animal blood. There is a history of taking medication or eating blood products. The duration of black stools is usually 3-4 days without any other symptoms.

What does really black stool mean?

First, it means there is bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The so-called upper gastrointestinal tract refers to the section from the esophagus to the duodenum (including the stomach). If lower gastrointestinal bleeding stays in the intestines for a long time, black stools may also occur, but this situation is extremely rare.

Second, it means that the amount of bleeding is at least 60 ml, which is no longer hidden but called overt bleeding. As for the exact amount of bleeding, it is not easy to tell, especially when black stools have not yet been discharged, even doctors are a little confused. Generally speaking, the more and thinner the black stools are, and the more frequent they occur, the more bleeding you will experience. In addition, if you experience dizziness, fainting, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, pale complexion, cold hands and feet, and little or no urine, it means that you are bleeding heavily. Of course, anemia will occur if there is excessive bleeding, but anemia is usually not discovered until later.