Dark Blackish Green Stool

Find out what it means when your poop is black or dark green. Dark stool can appear as dark green stool that is almost black. Black stool can be caused by internal bleeding (called melena) or by consuming certain foods.

Also find out what you can do if you have black stool and when to see a doctor. Black or very dark green poop can be a side effect of iron pills you take for anemia, a condition that happens when you don't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body. Poop color can indicate one's health state by giving some clues about his diet and lifestyle or the presence of gastrointestinal infection.

Know when to seek help. Poop is normally brown, but it can sometimes be green, red or black. Learn what all the colors mean and when to worry.

As bile travels through your digestive tract, it is chemically altered by enzymes, changing the colors from green to brown. Ask a healthcare professional if you're concerned about your stool color. If your stool is bright red or black.

What Causes Green Stool? Understanding why you have dark green feces first requires knowing why it's normally brown in the first place. Poop is a mix of undigested food, bile, bacteria, and dead blood cells. The brown coloration happens during the stool's journey through the digestive tract where intestinal bacteria break down and feast on the leftover bile and other cell detritus it.

Causes of black poop include certain foods, iron supplements, and medications. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding can also cause stool to appear black. The color of your stools are a good indicator of your overall health.

Learn the causes of dark or black stools, including digestive conditions, and how they are diagnosed and treated. A poop color chart can help narrow the possible causes based on colors ranging from white, yellow, and orange to red, green, and black. Based on the initial findings, a gastroenterologist can order tests to help diagnose the exact cause.

Black stool Tarry, foul-smelling black stool can indicate bleeding from the stomach or upper small intestine. Stomach acid and digestive enzymes convert blood from a red color to black. This always requires immediate medical attention.

Iron supplements, bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), and activated charcoal may blacken stool.