Let's talk about your bowels Four Seasons Dietetics Dark stool vs black stool the difference can be serious. Dark brown stool is often food or iron related. Black, tarry stool may indicate internal bleeding and needs urgent medical attention. Melena an overview ScienceDirect Topics There are no 50 shades of melena, only one color: Black; and it's a color that smells bad. Otherwise it's not melena or it's derivatives (melenic, melanotic, melenatonic ) Great thread w a A change in the colour of one's stools may sometimes be due to dietary changes; though it could also reveal something about one's health. Where stool appears or , it