Certain foods and medicines can cause black stool. Sometimes, black stool may even signal bleeding in the digestive tract. Learn when to see a doctor for black stool.

Black poop in the toilet can be distressing, but there are lots of reasons why black stool happens, and not all of them are serious.

Diagnosing the cause of abnormally colored stools usually involves taking a medical and symptom history, as well as blood or imaging tests. Normal stools can vary in shades of brown, mostly due to ...

But before you panic, know that poop color changes are fairly common ... it breaks down and creates a black, sticky, or tarry stool called "melena." If this happens consistently, see your provider.