We all know blood is red. But not all red blood is created equal. The exact shade of your blood can actually tell you a lot about what’s happening inside your body.

Blood in diarrhea might be bright red, dark red, or even a super dark, tar-like color. The longer the blood sits inside the digestive tract, the darker it will be, as it spends more time ...

The dark color results from blood being digested as it travels through the intestinal system, creating a distinctive tar-like appearance that differs dramatically from bright red rectal bleeding.

The Silent Symptom That Could Be a Sign of Blood Clots originally appeared on Parade.