# Green Excrement

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705 "2003-01-15T07:30:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nishroch\_Order](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Nishroch\_Order](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nishroch_Order)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/1 "2003-01-15T07:30:16Z")

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Does anybody know exactly why is it that babies who get very frightened produce greenish excrement_or is this a myth_? and how often does an average adult do that? why? :dubious:

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**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/2 "2003-01-15T07:34:48Z")

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I produce green excrement every time I drink Jagged Ice Powerade (it’s a very dark blue). Certain other blue beverages give my shit a greenish tinge sometime, but that Jagged Ice Powerade makes it BRIGHT green.

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**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/3 "2003-01-15T10:53:11Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Nishroch Order \*  
> \*\*Does anybody know exactly why is it that babies who get very frightened produce greenish excrement_or is this a myth\*? and how often does an average adult do that? why? :dubious: \*\*

It’s a myth. **Very** young babies produce a greenish excrement which is the contents of their intestines while they were in mommy before they were eating. Maybe that’s how it got started?

PC

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**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/4 "2003-01-15T11:08:16Z")

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What PC refers to is meconium.

Infants will pass a thick, green-black stool (meconium) in the first 24 to 36 hours of life. As feedings become established, the stool becomes more yellow-green.

Don’t think it has anything to do with being frightened.

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**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/5 "2003-01-15T14:18:01Z")

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Babies who have colic will sometimes produce green excrement or vomit due to excess bile in their digestive tracts.

As babies who suffer from colic get stomach spasms and will suddenly cry out in anguish, it’s possible the reaction is confused with them being frightened.

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**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-excrement/148705/6 "2003-01-15T14:37:34Z")

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I get it from eating too much Soylent Green. 😃