Coughing Up Green Mucus

Mucus or post nasal drip in humans is a sticky, slimy secretion produced by sore throat and lots of coughing. Mucus is generally green or yellow in color but in severe cases it comes out with blood. Coughing out green mucus is often considered to be a dangerous health hazard but not in every instance. When mucus becomes jellied and visible, it is considered to be phlegm. It is pretty normal to think that coughing up green mucus is unhealthy, what most people don't know is that it is the body's natural way to throw out toxins. When unfriendly bacteria attacks the body, the immune system fights them back and mucus plays an important role in this process. When people cough out mucus lots of toxic bacteria are exited with it.

Coughing Up Green Mucus and Sore Throat

Most cases of sore throat are caused due to a viral infection which affects the throat, tonsils or our nasal passages. Sore throat usually comes with a dry cough and a light-colored mucus. This condition can be caused due to allergies or by some foreign material which has an irritating effect on the body. Strep bacteria (unfriendly bacteria) is one of the prime causes of a cough and sore throat which involves green mucus being expelled. Some viral infections can lead to various green mucus sinus problems and these issues come in the form of a sinus headache. In chronic instances, sore throat can appear red in color, some white or yellow patches or pus can also be seen in the throat. This can also happen due to the inflammation of the tonsils. Sore throat can also lead to swollen neck glands or lymph nodes, high fever in such conditions is very common. Coughing out green mucus in the morning is seen in all age groups but is very common in kids. The main cause of this condition is the attack of the common cold virus. The body naturally develops a mucus when it is hit by this virus. Whether it is an adult or a child, green nose, dry cough and a sore throat in the initial days of a cough is due to common cold virus and not due to bacterial infection. Antibiotics cannot treat such viruses as they are only helpful in fighting bacterial infections. This is a common misconception that antibiotics can treat green mucus and hence they are administered in excess. An excessive consumption of such strong medications has reportedly caused ear and skin infections in many cases. Before taking any medications, it is a good idea to consult a physician.

Coughing Up Green Mucus and Blood

Green mucus with blood in cough. Reading this sounds scary and trust me it is. Blood appearing up with mucus can happen due to a number of reasons, it can begin with the mouth, throat, nose, voice box, wind pipe (trachea), lungs and stomach. An individual who is coughing out green mucus and blood should immediately seek medical care. Sometimes, blood with mucus can appear due to a tiny scratch in the throat or even nose picking if done with full force. Smoking, dry cough, bronchitis, tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia and pulmonary embolism are few causes that can lead to coughing out green mucus with blood. Also, a red colored mucus doesn't always mean a disease. It can be due to the consumption of red colored foods such as beetroot, wines, candies and colored drinks. Patients suffering from asthma may also cough out green mucus with a slight pinkish color, this means the mucus contains a large amount of eosinophils (type of blood cells). Whatever may be the cause of a red colored mucus, don't reach to any conclusions on your own and seek a second opinion from a physician.

If you are coughing up green mucus, it means that whatever illness you had is gradually going away. To speed up the treatment process one needs to take a lot of healthy fluids, as it makes the mucus thinner and gets rid of its excess levels from the body. Another effective way of treating green mucus is to add 4 drops of eucalyptus oil to boiling water and inhale the steam. Another important thing which shouldn't be done in this situation is to swallow the green mucus. The mucus is filled with toxic substances which the body has expelled from its system, by swallowing it all these toxic substances get introduced in the body again which further complicates the problem.