what causes the stool to be black(bowels)?
147202
Black Bowels is due to bleeding in the upper part of  GastroIntestinal System.  It may also be  due to taking iron tablets, bismuth or charcoal orally.
465994
Rectal bleeding has many causes including hemorrhoids, Crohn's Disease, fissures, peptic ulcer disease, polyps, amongst other reasons. Most rectal bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. The color of the blood often depends on the location of the bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. The closer the bleeding site is to the anus, the blood will be a brighter red. Bleeding from the transverse colon and the right colon tend to be dark red or maroon colored. It would be best to see your doctor to determine what the exact cause may be.
751335
this sounds nasty but its black because it goes through the stomach and takes time
52571
There can be many causes, but it's generally a bad sign.  There should not be blood in your stool.\n\nIt could be a sign of internal bleeding.
86703
I am sure there are more causes than one.....but the one I am for sure about is if:  Say you had a twist in your intestine, and after a period of time, your intestine decided it was going to burst, and letting the stool into the body....that would most definitely give you septic shock.  I know that it can make you very very very sick, and it can even cause death if it's not caught in time. Our feces are basically poisonous to our own bodies b/c they contain so much bacteria and such, that is why they are put away inside of an intestine...so that the stool can't mix with our other body systems.  That is the main one that I am FOR SURE about...I want to say that you can also get some kind of septic shock from the blood, but not sure how or if that is even accurate, sorry :(   Ummmm...how to prevent it, I am of no help on that one either...unless you are having problems with your bowels, if so, go see a gastroenterologist!!  If you are in question whether you or someone you know might be having or could have septic shock...see a doctor IMMEDIATELY!!!
143406
Mostly bile (a greenish, slimey liquid which aids in digestion) and discarded red blood cells. The combination of green and red gives poop its distinctive brown coloring.  It also contains dead or discarded cells, cellular waste, water and a coating of mucus to aid in its excretion.
139686
Ulcer:  depending where it is, could be burning, could see black in stool (go to hosp if looks black and like coffee grounds) and other than that, any pain that does not go away should be looked at by your doc.  \n\nTHe other comes once a month and can be due to inflamation somewhere.  Doc can see and help with that.  Anti-inflamatories help but sometimes nothig will help if it is bad enough.  Some people have cramps so bad they get sick, vomit, double over once a month.  THis is not good, however a good doc and a good patient can take care of it.
965011
Usually you are constipated from not eating enough fibre and DRINKING AT LEAST 2 litres of water a day...\nMy suggestion would be exercise via walking etc, eat Oranges/Apples/Bananas as they stimulate the bowels together with WATER as mentioned most important as this bulks the stools and lubricates the bowels...\nThen make sure you eat vegetables daily together with fruit, grainy breads if possible stay way from processed foods opting for fresh home cooked meals\nBelieve me when your bowels are ready you will go  a couple times....other wise  natural concentrated fruit laxatives are available over the counter...\nColoxyl & Henna is also good laxative
272618
It could be blood, something you ate, or you may be impacted and need an enema or laxative. I would go to the doctor for tests first to make sure you are all right.
101551
Why does poop stink?\n    Poop stinks as a result of the products of bacterial action. Bacteria produce smelly, sulfur- or nitrogen-rich organic compounds such as indole, skatole, and mercaptans, and the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that give farts their odor. \nWhy is poop brown?\n    The color comes mainly from bilirubin, a pigment that arises from the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver and bone marrow. The actual metabolic pathway of bilirubin and its byproducts in the body is very complicated, so we will simply say that a lot of it ends up in the intestine, where it is further modified by bacterial action. But the color itself comes from iron. Iron in hemoglobin in red blood cells gives blood its red color, and iron in the waste product bilirubin gives rise to its brown color. \nWhat other colors of poop are possible?\n    Poop is mostly shades of brown or yellow, but other colors can arise under certain circumstances. For example, someone with a bleeding ulcer might have tarry black poop from the presence of partially digested blood. Bleeding in the intestine, from an anal fissure or split, for example, can stain the poop red. Bloody poop can also be a sign of colon cancer, so you should get it checked out by a doctor if you see blood in your stool. Some illnesses in babies gives them green or even blue-green poop. But another source of blue poop in children is more innocent: it can come from eating a concentrated source of blue food coloring such as ice cream. Intense red food coloring can produce bright red poop. Sometimes brightly colored foods pass through the gut almost unchanged, and the turd may be speckled with bright red fragments such as pimentos, or bright yellow kernels of corn. \n    Poop can also be stained red if you eat beets, according to Ellen. \n    One can experience white poop after consuming a barium milkshake for the purposes of getting an x-ray of the upper gastrointestinal tract. \nWhat is the cause of yellow poop?\n    According to Michael F., one cause of this is Gilbert's Syndrome. "I have a benign condition known as Gilbert's Syndrome. It affects quite a few people, males mostly, in their teens+. It is a deficiency in the liver where red blood cells are broken down. I was informed when this was diagnosed that the broken down blood cells is what gives poop a lot of its color. People with Gilbert's Syndrome don't process as many blood cells - or not as fast - and their poop tends to be pale brown or yellow from the lower quantity of discarded red blood cell matter. This is especially true if there is less matter in your intestines (i.e., on a diet - as I have noticed) to remove the excess blood cells. Very frightening until you determine what is causing it. Gilbert's is a totally benign thing that doesn't harm anyone, although when a person is sick they can turn yellowish as if jaundiced, but it is not jaundice." \n    Another cause of yellow poop is a giardia infection. Giardia are tiny Protozoan parasites that can invade the intestines and result in severe yellow diarrhea. It is a dangerous and contagious affliction that doctors are obligated to report to the Center for Disease Control. \nWhat is the cause of green poop?\n    (Question submitted by ap, CrAzYMiC98 and several others) \n    I have consulted with a doctor, a physiologist and a microbiologist on this question, and the following summarizes their answers: \n    Healthy people can have green poop if they eat a diet rich in leafy green vegetables, or if they consume large quantities of food coloring (in ice cream, cake frosting etc.). \n    Green poop can also be caused by excess iron in the diet, from dietary supplements, for example. If the body does not absorb all the iron consumed, the iron may stain the poop green, the color of iron (II) salts. Ordinarily, the green color may be masked by the normal brown poop color, but if digestion is thrown off by illness
830432
You are constipated as  well as having hard stools.  You need to increase your liquid intake and eat more fresh fruits and veggies as well as other high fiber foods.  Go to the store and pick up some colace aka docusate to help soften your stools and a fiber supplement such as metamucil, citrucel or benefiber.  Do NOT strain on the toilet as this can cause hemorrhoids.
575244
Stool normally has an unpleasant odor, but one that is recognized as fairly common. Stools that have an extremely bad, out-of-the-ordinary odor may be associated with certain medical conditions. Foul-smelling stools also have normal causes, most notably diet.\n\nFoul smelling stools may occur in conjunction with floating stools.\n\nCommon Causes    Return to top \n\nCystic fibrosis \nGluten-induced enteropathy (sprue, celiac disease) \nMalabsorption \nIdiopathic steatorrhea (fatty stools with no known cause) \nDisaccharidase deficiency (insufficient amounts of the sugar-digesting enzymes) \nShort bowel syndrome \nCrohn's disease \nUlcerative colitis \nInfectious colitis (colon infections) \nChronic pancreatitis
493785
Blood in the stool can be bright red, maroon in color, black and tarry, or occult (not visible to the naked eye). Causes of blood in stool range from harmless, annoying conditions of the gastrointestinal tract such as hemorrhoids to serious conditions such as cancer. Blood in the stool should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. \n\nRectal bleeding (known medically as hematochezia) refers to passage of bright red blood from the anus, often mixed with stool and/or blood clots. Most rectal bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. The color of the blood during rectal bleeding often depends on the location of the bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Generally, the closer the bleeding site is to the anus, the blood will be a brighter red. Thus, bleeding from the anus, rectum, and the sigmoid colon tend to be bright red, whereas bleeding from the transverse colon and the right colon (transverse and right colon are several feet away from the anus) tend to be dark red or maroon colored. \n\nIn some patients bleeding can be black and “tarry” (sticky) and foul smelling. The black, smelly and tarry stool is called melena. Melena occurs when the blood is in the colon long enough for the bacteria in the colon to break it down into chemicals (hematin) that are black. Therefore, melena usually signifies bleeding is from the upper gastrointestinal tract (for example: bleeding from ulcers in the stomach or the duodenum or from the small intestine) because the blood usually is in the gastrointestinal tract for a longer period of time before it exits the body. Sometimes melena may occur with bleeding from the right colon. On the other hand, blood from the sigmoid colon and the rectum usually does not stay in the colon long enough for the bacteria to turn it black. Rarely, massive bleeding from the right colon, from the small intestine, or from ulcers of the stomach or duodenal can cause rapid transit of the blood through the gastrointestinal tract and result in bright red rectal bleeding. In these situations, the blood is moving through the colon so rapidly that there is not enough time for the bacteria to turn the blood black.\n\nSometimes, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract can be too slow to cause either rectal bleeding or melena. In these patients bleeding is occult (not visible to the naked eyes). The blood is found only by testing the stool for blood (fecal occult blood testing) in the laboratory. Occult bleeding has many of the same causes as rectal bleeding and may result in the same symptoms as rectal bleeding. It is often associated with anemia that is due to loss of iron along with the blood (iron deficiency anemia). For more information, please see the colon cancer screening and fecal occult blood test .Causes of Rectal Bleeding\n\nAnal Fissure \nColon Cancer \nColon Polyps \nCrohn's Disease \nDiverticulitis (Diverticulosis) \nHemorrhoids \nPeptic Ulcer \nStomach Cancer \nOther Causes of Rectal Bleeding\n\nEsophageal Varices
36060
This is actually a fair question.  First, 'poop' is brown because it is a mixture of green and rusty red.  The red comes from retired blood cells that are being excreted.  The greenish yellow is from bile, a substance present in your digestive system.  When there is significantly more bile than retired blood, the poo is more green (this is my many babies have green poo, their bodies aren't old enough to have retired enought red blood cells).  Bile 'overload' is somewhat rare, but is not a health issue.  If you experience abdominal cramping, dark/black stool or stool that is very thin (perhaps no thicker than a pencil) these can signs of very serious medical problems.  But for now, you're probably fine. Regards :)
1102925
The liver creates bile and mixes it with feces or stool and that gives it the brown color. Foods affect it a little. Eat greens with chlorophyll and that has green color. Eat lots of carrots and it is a lighter brown.
116314
It could be IBS, or "Irritable Bowel Syndrome". \n\nContact a doctor.
1103921
could be any of multiple things: crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, H pylori infection. the mucus in the stool could suggest colon cancer (scary) or bowel obstruction (also scary). you really need to have this checked out, possibly including a colonoscopy.