Health Articles 101

Coughing up green phlegm is a sure sign of a bacterial infection in the bronchi or lungs, but it could also indicate post nasal drip caused by a sinus infection. In case of a viral infection or allergic irritation of upper respiratory organs, you are more likely to experience clear mucus.

Excessive mucus production is your body’s defense mechanisms to ward off viruses, bacteria and allergens and expelling them from your body with the means of cough. It’s crucial to not take any cough suppressing medications as doing so, might cause mucus build up in lungs and pneumonia.

If you are coughing up green phlegm, there are a few major steps you can take to make you feel better and help your body heal itself faster:

1. Avoid any dairy products in the acute stage of your illness like milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

2. Limit sugar and starchy foods like pasta, bread, rice.

3. Limit meat and meat products as these foods cause excessive mucus production that you want to avoid.

4. Enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables and vegetable juices like carrot, celery and garlic.

5. Drink plenty of purified water or herbal teas like thyme, ginger sweetened with honey.

6. Eat foods spiced with garlic and hot peppers to facilitate blood circulation in the lungs and help break up throat mucus if you are coughing up yellow mucus in addition to green phlegm.

7. Take hot showers a couple of times daily if you are coughing up green phlegm to help loosen it up.

8. Indulge yourself in a massage to increase circulation and help with the healing process.

If you take at least a couple of mentioned above measures it will help you with coughing up green phlegm and eventually removing it from your body. Make sure to not swallow it back as it may reintroduce unnecessary waste products back into your body.

Color of phlegm is a very important indicator of a possible more serious health problem that should be brought up with your doctor.

---