In a country where every household keeps a stock of basic medicines, be it blood pressure tablets, painkillers or vitamin supplements, the colours of pills are more than just eye-catching designs. From calming blue capsules to urgent-looking red tablets, the shades are chosen with purpose, not merely for marketing appeal.

Health experts explain that the primary purpose of colouring medicines is identification. In India, where patients often take multiple prescriptions including morning, evening or weekly doses, colour helps differentiate one pill from another and reduces confusion.

Studies suggest that using different colours for different medicines can lower medicine-related errors by up to 30 per cent. Pharmacists too rely on colour coding, especially when different doses of the same d

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