I used to believe that turning green due to nausea was something created by cartoonists. I changed my opinion after seeing, on two separate occasions, the same person suddenly turn a colour very reminiscent of foliage. On both occasions the chap was probably very near (or at) the point of alcohol poisoning, and he began throwing up immediately thereafter.
I have done some Internet based searches, but I have been unable to find any information on what the mechanism involved is? What other than large amounts of alcohol will trigger this colour change?
On a related note- I have also seen someone burn their eyebrows off by throwing kerosene in a fire (ok so I have some self-destructive friends) His eyebrows were instantly reduced to ash, but they hung on his brow for just an instant- just like in the cartoons. Are/were cartoonist just more observant of things that actually occur in real life than I thought?
A stab at the green thing:
Check out some part of your body where there are large blood vessles close to the surface: the inside of your arm. The blood vessles (both arteries and viens, as it turns out) look kind of blue-green. This is due to the way light passes through the thicker walls of the blood vessel. (I read this in some science magazine eons ago, but I can try to hunt up a cite if yo like.)
The healty pink of caucasian skin comes from blood in capillaries just under the skin’s surface. They have thinner walls, allowing the blood’s natural red color to show through. Any number of things can cause those capillaries to contract, decreasing the amount of red blood you can see at the surface of the skin. Perhaps it’s the bluer color of the deeper blood vessels showing through that causes the green tint you refer to.
hmmm… a newbie’s 1st thread and only 1 response IIRC someone, somewhere is really happy about this 
Liver diseases can cause the skin to turn yellowish-green. Nausea is often an associated symptom.
So is it possible that alcohol poisoning causes a reaction similar to jaundice? Possibly this is related to the liver being overwhelmed by the alcohol?
I don’t know, Beltane, I doubt that the yelowish skin of jaundice will develop in only the few hours of an alcoholic bender.
I saw a person’s face turn a greenish hue after they drank too much. First and only time I’ve seen that.
Thanks MOLE; I was beginning to wonder if my friend was just a freak of nature.
Has anyone else seen this phenomenon? Has anyone seen it in any circumstances other that someone on (over?) the edge of alcohol poisoning?
At a blood drive during college I saw a big fella (football player), far too tough to accept the nurses’ warning to lie down for a few minutes, turn pale green and face plant the gym floor after giving blood. They tell you not to stand up right away FOR A DARN GOOD REASON, tough guy!
Earlier posts are on the right track… Low blood pressure can cause fainting, and lots of things (sickness, way too much alcohol, donating a pint of blood) can cause low blood pressure. Low blood pressure is also a factor in the “greening” of skin (Podkayne had it right…): less blood in surface capillaries lessens white people’s “pink” complexion.