Xref: utzoo sci.bio:3951 rec.food.cooking:22544
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From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,rec.food.cooking
Subject: Re: blue urine from food
Summary: Bearberry and green urine...
Message-ID: <4187@kitty.UUCP>
Date: 22 Nov 90 20:37:14 GMT
References: <1990Oct29.161332.27997@agate.berkeley.edu> <999@ai.cs.utexas.edu>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 16

In article <999@ai.cs.utexas.edu>, throop@cs.utexas.edu (David Throop) writes:
> Bill Ellis asked about adultrants in candy that turn urine blue.
> Several other posters said that methylene blue will do this.

	Yup, it sure will.

> I have also heard that an herb called bearberry has a similar effect.
> Can anybody confirm?

	Bearberry (uva ursis - what *else* would you call it in Latin ? :-))
contains tannic acid, gallic acid and a gluco[pyrano]side called arbutin.
Arbutin and/or its metabolic decomposition product results in green urine.

Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp.  "Have you hugged your cat today?"
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