I had an upset stomach for most of last weekend and finally agreed to take the medicine that Suzanne offered. And it worked like a charm, nausea be gone! So I had to find out: what is this stuff?

Ingredients of pepto bismol:
benzoic acid
flavor
magnesium aluminum silicate
methycellulose
colors
saccharin sodium
salycilic acid
sodium salicylate
sorbic acid
water

And then I googled benzoic acid and learned found http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad26.htm#PartNumber:2 which is from the INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY and is a CONCISE INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT NO. 26, the assessment being of BENZOIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE. They don't mention pepto bismol. Wikipedia says the active ingredient in pepto is Bismuth subsalicylate, C7H5BiO4, a salt of salicylic acid. Bismuth salicylate displays anti-inflammatory action and also acts as an antacid and mild antibiotic. It can also cause a black tongue and black stools in some pepto users, when it combines with trace amounts of sulfur in their saliva and gastrointestinal tract. This discoloration is temporary and harmless. (I eat a lot of cilantro which is high in sulfur....but my poop didn't turn black.) Children should not take medication with bismuth subsalicylate while recovering from influenza or chicken pox, as epidemiologic evidence points to an association between the use of salicylate-containing medications during certain viral infections and the onset of Reye's syndrome. REYE'S SYNDROME! What's the connection, do you think?
( anyway, I found this interestingCollapse )