Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. This vibrantly colored chemical was originally created for use as a fabric dye. Kittisak Kaewchalun via iStock/Getty Images Plus ...

Methylene blue was developed in the 1800s as a cobalt blue synthetic dye for textiles, but it also has some medicinal uses. It's approved to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.

The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue that is being sold as a health supplement. Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as ...