at least I'm not sick anymore

[sab]

Last night was day 3 of my cold, but I *beat* it with larger-than-average doses of Vicks Formula 44 (viscous, red, "delicious raspberry flavor"). After about six hours of sleep I awoke to this:






Things I ingested last night: Vicks, honey-lemon cough drops, Calm Tazo tea.

The chemist out there in LJ land who can tell me why my tongue is blue gets a big wet non-contagious kiss.

It's important also to point out that I scrubbed at this here tongue with a toothbrush and what you've got above is the after picture.

Comments

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

That is seriously disturbing:) And perhaps marketable:) Glad you're feeling better, even if you're turning blue from the inside out.

[lizlet.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's just IMPRESSIVE.

[paulisper.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_abulafia/]

... Black Books icon!

[boxmint.livejournal.com]

Because, um, um, blue is red backwards , and, um, sleeping reverses pigmentation!

[pene.livejournal.com]

falling about laughing here. you are turning into a blue tongue lizard. how monstrous!

Mystery Solved, at least partially...

[kengwen.livejournal.com]

kengwen the knowledgeable has the answer to your riddle. From the vicks website:

Inactive Ingredients:
alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, citric acid, **FD&C Blue No. 1**, FD&C Red No. 40, flavor, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate

I venture a guess that the blue is added to make the formula a more raspberry-like red, to differentiate it from the cherry-red, since that is super-critical! And, perhaps for the same reason that red clothes fade faster than blue, red food color also fades before blue? Anyone a chemistry buff that can address that?