# Why Is My Poop Green? - TMI **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164 "2006-07-12T12:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/1 "2006-07-12T12:42:50Z")
I am in Mexoco City and just took a dump. It is bright green!! It’s the color of a St Patrick’s Day card, not some dull just ate spinach kind of thing. I can’t think of anything offhand that could have done this. The only really strange thing I’ve ate was some pasta with a “Oaxcan herb related to oregano”. It did not turn the dish green. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/2 "2006-07-12T12:50:51Z")
Do you feel ok? Any discomfort before or during? Was it a different, ahem, texture from normal? Any heavy drinking sessions the night before? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/3 "2006-07-12T12:54:37Z")
Froot Loops will do it, or anything with a lot of food coloring in it (for some reason, green is the color that seems to make it through the ringer). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/4 "2006-07-12T12:58:37Z")
I had interesting coloured poo when I drank Skeleteens drinks. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/5 "2006-07-12T12:59:15Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Do you feel ok? > > Any discomfort before or during? > > Was it a different, ahem, texture from normal? > > Any heavy drinking sessions the night before? No, I feel fine. Everything was normal otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/6 "2006-07-12T13:24:05Z")
Get Pepto—NOW! You will bless me for this guidance later, young Padawan. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/7 "2006-07-12T13:33:54Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Get Pepto—NOW! > > You will bless me for this guidance later, young Padawan. “There is no trying, only pooing”. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/8 "2006-07-12T13:39:21Z")
Cheap licorice candy will do that to me (not a better brand like Twizzlers). Also used to happen if I ate chocolate-flavored popcorn from a local shop, a few years back. I’ve never heard of green poop being a health problem, but if it doesn’t “resolve” soon it certainly couldn’t hurt to check with a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/9 "2006-07-12T13:42:06Z")
I’m still wondering how corn is still in there when I poo…and sometimes peanuts, even when I haven’t eaten any peanuts… If you don’t feel sick, I wouldn’t worry about it. But I would take the Pepto just in case. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/10 "2006-07-12T14:10:21Z")
Doesn’t have to be about what you ate, might be about what you drank. Any specialty cocktails? Power Ade? Artificially coloured fruit drink? Odd brand soft drink? Perhaps even some of the flavoured ices or snow cones. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/11 "2006-07-12T14:11:40Z")
The “skin” on corn is pretty tough, and it survives the trip. That also means you didn’t get anything out of it nutritionally, though, so I’ve heard you should chew your corn pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/12 "2006-07-12T14:30:59Z")
Taken any Zirtec®? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/13 "2006-07-12T14:37:08Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > Taken any Zirtec®? Ew, that’s hideous! Try again without playing with fonts… Taken any Zirtec lately? ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/14 "2006-07-12T14:46:08Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I am in Mexoco City and just took a dump. It is bright green!! It’s the color of a St Patrick’s Day card, not some dull just ate spinach kind of thing. I can’t think of anything offhand that could have done this. The only really strange thing I’ve ate was some pasta with a “Oaxcan herb related to oregano”. It did not turn the dish green. You are… errr … Your poop is what you eat! It was either the Oxcan herb or ‘something’ in the water! PS Poop isn’t a ‘dish.’ A dish obviously is not like poop in any way and not affected by the food on it. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/15 "2006-07-12T14:48:46Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > …with a "Oaxcan herb Ah, Oaxcan herb, I remember it fondly. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/16 "2006-07-12T14:57:13Z")
Have you tried removing your sunglasses? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/17 "2006-07-12T16:46:45Z")
Several years ago, one nice October day, I bought a special “Halloween bagel” from a bagel shop. Half the bagel was orange, and half was black. Apparently, they got the black color by adding a truck load of green food coloring. I know this because my turds were a bright kelly green for the next week. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/18 "2006-07-12T16:49:06Z")
Sometimes Vitamins will cause it as well ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/19 "2006-07-13T03:29:26Z")
Green poop is caused by excess **Biliverdin** build up in your digestive track. Eventually Biliverdin is broken down to **Bilirubin** which gives the normal brownish color. Both these chemicals are form by decaying red-blood cells, and sometimes the body evacuates the poop before the process is finished. Grape flavored soda causes this too happen to me. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164/20 "2006-07-13T05:52:52Z")
Happened to me once when I had a really bad case of the flu and my liver functions that got thrown off a bit. But just once. At that point I was grateful that anything came out that was in one piece. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-poop-green-tmi/364164.md?page=2)