- Mucus is a part of our body’s natural immune response.
- Green mucus appears toward the end of the illness. Yellow mucus appears toward the beginning.
- To deal with mucus, drinking plenty of water and using a hot steam vaporizer can help.
- Echinacea Astragalus and Echinacea Goldenseal Blackberry by Herbs for Kids are specially formulated for children to help deal with mucus. For adults, the best herb to boost the immune system is Astragalus Organic.
Many people are alarmed when they sneeze or cough up colored mucus. In most cases, this is completely normal. On the other side of the coin is the belief that certain colors of mucus could signify the cause of the illness and could direct treatment choices. First, let’s look at what you should do if you or a loved one is coughing up green mucus.
The Mucus Problem
While we think of mucus as a problem, it’s actually part of our body’s natural immune response. When an invader is found in our bodies, our immune system kicks into action and tries to eliminate that invader. Mucus helps do this because when the mucus is expelled from the body the invader might go with along with it. If the invader settles into the body, the immune system starts fighting back.
Your immune system is working hard to keep you healthy and to keep foreign invaders out. Sometimes, it doesn’t work as well as you may want. Along with leading a healthy lifestyle, taking natural supplements can boost your immune system to improve your overall health. Astragalus Organic has many positive effects on the immune system and can be helpful if you’re struggling with mucus.
When you see green mucus when you cough or sneeze, you are seeing a sign of where your body is at in the process. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), green mucus actually appears near the end of the illness because the healthy bacteria found in parts of the body, such as the nose, are starting to grow back and is sometimes present in the mucus being expelled from the body. On the other hand, yellow mucus tends to appear when the immune system starts fighting back against the invader by throwing its entire arsenal at the virus or bacteria. Clear mucus is most common during the first parts of the illness as your body tries to wash away the invader.
Unfortunately, many people still believe that green mucus is a sign of a bacterial infection thus they rush to the doctor and ask for antibiotics. The color of the mucus cannot provide this information and taking antibiotics for a viral infection won’t do anything except increase bacterial resistance to treatment.
From time to time, you may also see blood in mucus. While that can be a serious problem, most of the time the blood is a result of minor damage to the tissue of the sinus and nasal cavities.
Sometimes, its your child who is dealing with mucus. If you’re wary of putting them on antibiotics there are some herbs that might do the trick. Check out products like Echinacea Astragalus and Echinacea Goldenseal Blackberry by Herbs for Kids. These are specially formulated for children.
Dealing with Mucus
Although mucus can be irritating, you want to be careful about drying it up too much. Remember that mucus is part of your immune system’s efforts to make you healthy again. However, there are some ways to deal with green mucus and even yellow mucus effectively.Your immune system is important to keep up.
Drinking more fluids is a good choice. The extra fluid will make the mucus thinner so congestion will be reduced and so the phlegm can leave the body easier. Warm fluids are the best choice, including hot Lime Green Tea and chicken soup. Orange juice is a close second because the Vitamin C may be able to speed up recovery time slightly.
Using a hot steam vaporizer, especially at night, can help reduce coughing, break up mucus, and speed up healing. To make the vaporizer more effective, you should add a drop or two of eucalyptus or lavender oil to the water. These herbs are also good for breaking up congestion.
 Respiratory Problems 23 Jan 2009 |
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Thank you for the information. I always knew that colored mucus was indicative of an illness but I, probably like many people, didn’t realize that green was towards the end of the illness.
I recently came down with the H1N1 flu. It was an extremely intense virus and was one of the worst flus I have ever had. I am at the end of this flu now but I am still coughing up green phlem from my chest. My first reaction was to run to the doctor to get antibiotics because I thought this was an infection developing in my bronchial area. However, I am feeling fine now, no fever anymore, just bringing up green mucus. I was happy to read this and I feel better now that I know this is normal for the end of an illness such as the swine flu. I won’t panic now…
Amy
What were your symptoms of swine flu? I think I had a mild case but the Dr didn’t want to take blood to confirm since I was not that ill but I have been coughing up green phlegm for 10 wks!
I’ve been coughing up green phlegm an have copd I’m 20 yrs old
without any symptoms of anything i started coughing a week ago, 4 days ago thick green mucus started coming out. no fever, no congestion, no muscle pain, nothing at all. i’m healthy, non-smoker.
I’ve had a wheezing cough for over 2 weeks now its started the day after a heat wave where i sweat my balls off working in my garage i cut up and old shelf unit for garbage and i got a few whiffs of the nasty saw dust maybe….. two days before that i had some drinks with my sick bro in-law… but i’ve been noticing green and the cough is getting a little better and easier to cough up the mucus… i only treated my self with expired tusso dm a few times which is Dextromethorphan and Guaifenesin and my neti pot and gargling salt water and swimming in the ocean.
Hopefully it will be done with soon… although my sinuses r constantly filling with yellow mucus and i’m sneezing..
I caught some sort of nasty virus a few days ago. Swine Flu? The first day, I had a headache from hell, then it moved to my chest. I’m now coughing up green flem every day. I bought a ‘hydrogen peroxide healing mix’ a few months ago. I have been taking the mixture since the first day of my illness, it seems to be speeding up my healing time. I can feel that I am almost cured. maybe a few days left for the phlegm. Please read the precautions of taking 35% hydrogen peroxide internally. It works though. It oxygenates your body and super charges your immune system.
See this site: http://www.dfwx.com/h2o2.htm
I am taking the ‘Jutrian RX Blue’ mixture with the diluted peroxide:
See here for more info: http://www.dfwx.com/goediscuss.htm
I am not affliated with the Guardian of Eden website or company.
Cody
Good day to the readers.
About a week ago i started coughing thick green mucus, at night would sweat badly, during the day if any fisical activity i would start to sweat. after few days one night at 4am. back and stomach pain started so i was thinking its pheumonia comming as i had it many years ago, i remember it was party time in the winter, after some hours my lower back started hurting so badly i had to beg to go home, then doctor came i was halucinating…
but this time i rushed to doctor and got antibiotics AMOXICILLIN 21 pills. dont know if it will help, ive taken 6 pills by now every 8 hours. MAIN CONCERN is the mucus is not green any more is YELLOW WITH BIT OF BLOOD, am i getting better or worse?? i do feel much better during the day but night time is coughing time…
no temperature though.
Thanks for any comments
Edwin
You’re all fine.
ive been coughing alot and when i wake up about 3hours later is when i start to cough up alot of stuff, mostly green/yellow mucus. i smoke alot of weed and cigarettes and i was sick a week ago. dont know what to do. plz reply
“Lomatium Dissectum” is an anti-viral & anti-bacterial herb. During the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 the native American that took this herb had not one death, not one!. I had the swine flu last week, I took this herb and am fine now. Very safe herb, can cause a rash but I did not get a rash and I was eating the bark, taking the tincture and the standardized extract capsules with no problems.
Seems obvious. Cut out the weed and cigs and your lungs will start to clear up. You may have recurring bronchitis which can last 3 months out of the year and comes and goes often. You’re doing extensive damage to your lungs so why not quit the habit now and save your health?
I’ve been ill since @ 9/27. Sinusitis/brochitis/bilat otis media. Have taken an antibiotic ceph (somthing) 10 days, a steriod 6 days, augment 14 days, perscription cough syrup. Today my left ear is still plugged, last night I was coughing up (actually vomiting) yellow-green mucus (quit a bit). I am also taking mucinex and I still feel terrible and I’m worse at night. I will now try some of the recommendations above. I had also taken over a wk off from work to try resting and this still didn’t improve my condition. How much longer will this last. No chest xray-Dr said he doesn’t hear anything in my lungs.
I have exactly what u have….but ive had it since mid August. On a 21 day amox clav 875mg twice a day. I hope it helps but I sure don’t feel it. I have a nasty weezing cough and throw up sometimes too. Had a credit scan…showed clogged sinuses and fluid. Never got diagnosed with broncitis but my lungs burn. If u get better help me out too….tell me what works!
Try this home Remedy all natural every days food.
1. 6 pieces(clove) of garlic ( Lighly crushed)
2. 1″ piece of ginger ” ”
3. 1 teaspoon Cummin
4. l small onion or 1/4 of a big onion – (sliced)
5. 1 stick of cinnomon
6. 3 pods of cardamons & 2 gloves
Add the above to your cooking pot with 7 glasses of water and bring to a boil on medium or slow temperature
for about 25 minutes to reduce to 5 glasses. Turn off yr stove and allow to cool. When cool, pour only the
liquid into glass bottle or jar & store in yr fridge. discard the rest. Drink 1/4 cup of this liquid( warm) 4 to 5 times a day till yr cold clear. Do not be afraid, you will cough up a lot of mucus. Your body is getting rid of the mucus. Try this home natural ingredient, it worked every time like magic for my family, it has no side effects. It is better than any over the counter medication, as it cough out all the mucus.
But for your cough you must take cough syrup till yr cough disappears.For temporary relief from irriting cough, try chewing a whole black pepper or a little sugar/sweetner or honey added to 1/4 cup of warm water, stir and drink. It temporary relief irriting cough.. Take care.
in superstore.
i am ill. my mucus is yellowy green so how can i tel wat about clear mucus? plz tel me!
Wow I thought I was the only one w/ weird symptoms! I hardly ever come down with anything. Never had a flu shot and never have had the flu as far as I can tell (43y btw).
I came down w/ a cough almost a month ago. But nothing else, no fatigue, no sore throat, nothing. Just a dry cough that would not go away. Then after a couple of weeks stuff in my lungs started to break loose and it started kinda clear and then went to yellow. Now, a couple more, it’s finally green.
I have never had such a strange ailment. Never really felt sick at all. Just the damn annoying cough (and apparently gunk accumulating in the lungs – which I wasn’t really aware of until I started coughing it up 2 weeks later).
I figured that I just has some kind of sinus infection, but now I’m wondering if it was a strangely mild case of swine flu, or at least a case of whatever several people here have already described.
Oh well, at least I’m happy to find out that I’m actually, finally (hopefully) at the end of this.