When you cough up phlehm, is it your body getting rid of the good or bad stuff from your lungs?

Answer 1

It's the bad stuff - surely you don't think your body is going to get rid of anything good!

Answer 2

It is usually something the body is trying to expel. So when you have a chest infection the phlehm (not sure how to spell that...) goes green from the virus in your body. That is why you should cough and get rid of it!

Answer 3

Coughing is indeed a defence system to rid your lungs of debris of all sorts and keep the breathing tubes clear.

When we encounter toxic material from smoking or pollution, the lungs secrete more mucus as protection which envelops the particles and make it easier to cough them up and remove them.

When we get infections the body also pours lots of white bloods cells in as well as mucous and again we need to cough this out.

In asthma the bodies defence system works too well. The irritability and mucous production are pathologically and inappropriately activated, bronchial hyper reactivity, and the body's defence system actually works against us.

Answer 4

Phelgm is a mixture of all sorts of things including dust, dead bacteria and sometimes lung lining. The gooeyness of it comes from the secretion of the cells in the lungs which helps keep them damp for breathing, and also helps to trap unwanted objects that get into them (such as bacteria, viruses etc) so it's a mechanism that helps prevent "bad" things getting too far into the lung and causing illness and the "good" is the part that traps all the nastys and makes you cough them back out :o)

Hope this helps!

Xx~xX

Answer 5

Yes and No.

Phlegm may be of several different colors.

"Healthy" phlegm is normally clear or white.

Yellow phlegm is normally a sign of an infection, or a case of the common cold. The initial state of the common flu when the phlegm is still clear is the most infectious period. When the phlegm turns into yellow, the body is already taking care of the infection.

Greenish or brownish phlegm is nearly always a sign of infection. Greenish or rusty phlegm or phlegm with rusty spots can also be a sign of pneumonia and/or internal micro-bleedings.

Coughing up brown phlegm is also a common symptom of smoking. This is due to resin sticking to the viscous texture of the phlegm and being ejected by the body.

Another type of phlegm often associated with smoking is brownish gray in color. This variant is encased in clear saliva. When spread out, the brown-gray "core" is shown to be grainy in composition, as opposed to holding together. This is simply dust and other foreign matter and may be caused by damage to the cilia, as in COPD patients.

Answer 6

Most likely the bad stuff. I have coughed up some pretty strange looking stuff.

Answer 7

Anything your body tries to get rid of by coughing, sneezing, vomiting, urinating etc. is something it doesn't want. Spit it out.

Answer 8

its ur body getting rid of bad stuff to make u feel good

Answer 9

Phlegm may be of several different colors.

"Healthy" phlegm is normally clear or white.
Yellow phlegm is normally a sign of an infection, or a case of the common cold. The initial state of the common flu when the phlegm is still clear is the most infectious period. When the phlegm turns into yellow, the body is already taking care of the infection.
Greenish or brownish phlegm is nearly always a sign of infection. Greenish or rusty phlegm or phlegm with rusty spots can also be a sign of pneumonia and/or internal micro-bleedings.
Coughing up brown phlegm is also a common symptom of smoking. This is due to resin sticking to the viscous texture of the phlegm and being ejected by the body.
Another type of phlegm often associated with smoking is brownish gray in color. This variant is encased in clear saliva. When spread out, the brown-gray "core" is shown to be grainy in composition, as opposed to holding together. This is simply dust and other foreign matter and may be caused by damage to the cilia, as in COPD patients.

Phlegm may be a carrier of larvae of intestinal parasites (hookworm). Bloody sputum can be a symptom of serious disease (such as tuberculosis), but can also be a relatively benign symptom of a minor disease (such as bronchitis). In the latter case, the sputum is normally lightly streaked with blood. Coughing up any significant quantity of blood is always a serious medical condition, and any person who experiences this should seek medical attention.


Sputum is matter that is coughed up from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phlegm, mixed with saliva and then expectorated from the mouth. It can also contain pus, blood, fibrin, bacterial products or other foreign matter.

A sputum sample is the name given to the mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways. It is usually used for microbiological investigations of respiratory infections.

The best sputum samples contain very little saliva, as this contaminates the sample with oral bacteria.

When a sputum specimen is plated out, it is best to get the portion of the sample that most looks like pus onto the swab. If there is any blood in the sputum, this should also be on the swab.

Microbiological sputum samples are usually used to look for infections by Branhamella catarrhalis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Other pathogens can also be found.

Mucus is a slippery secretion of the lining of various membranes in the body (mucous membranes). It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozyme) and immunoglobulins. Mucus is produced by goblet cells in the mucous membranes that cover the surfaces of the membranes. It is made up of mucins and inorganic salts suspended in water. Phlegm is a type of mucus that is restricted to the respiratory tract, while the term mucus refers to secretions of the nasal passages as well.

Answer 10

When your body is coughing up phlem, it's a natural defence to the toxins that you are pumping in to it.

It when you dont cough it up that you should be worried.