Understanding your cough

Cough with phlegm

Understanding your cough

Cough with phlegm

Cough is an important part of your body's protective response. Also known as a productive cough, chesty cough or wet cough, a cough with phlegm is the body's way of removing excessive amounts of phlegm (also known as sputum or mucus) from the airways. In a healthy person, phlegm is usually a white or transparent gel-like liquid. It traps bacteria and particles that you inhale so that they can be expelled by the cilia which transports the phlegm out of the airways

Thick phlegm leads to difficult breathing. Illness such as a respiratory tract infection, smoking or air pollution can cause the phlegm in the airways to become too thick and sticky, so that it clogs up the airways. Breathing becomes difficult. And the excessive phlegm can make an infection worse. The body needs to clear out the phlegm, and a productive cough is the result.

Lighter, looser phlegm is easier to eliminate. The body's natural process of removing phlegm can be supported by an effective expectorant such as Mucosolvan®. Mucosolvan® helps to loosen the phlegm by liquefying the mucus, making it easier for the body to transport it out of the airways. So you can breathe freely again.