Question-of-the-day: "Can I have my salad with Italian dressing if I am taking an antibiotic?" This stumped me so I asked why she was asking me that particular question. She said that her drug info said to "avoid grapefruit". I am still puzzled. :-/.

Why is Pepto-Bismol pink?

Ok Target, thanks for the tv ad that has forced me to answer this question-of-the-day.

Pepto is pink because of the main ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, AKA pink bismuth. This is the same ingredient that turns your tongue black. Pink bismuth reacts with the tiny amounts of sulfur in your saliva and forms bismuth sulfide, which is black, and it can coat your tongue after you take Pepto.

And no, you should not give Pepto to kids because that active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, is a derivative of salicylic acid, AKA aspirin.

Next question?