Green phlegm usually means your immune system is actively fighting an infection. Most often that is a common cold or flu virus, not a bacterial one. On its own, green does not mean you need antibiotics. It typically clears in 1–2 weeks alongside the rest of a cold. What matters more than the colour is how you feel: green phlegm with a high fever, breathlessness, or symptoms lasting past three weeks is the signal to see a doctor.

A chesty cough is your body clearing mucus from the lungs and airways, usually caused by a cold, flu, or chest infection. Most chesty coughs clear in 1–3 weeks. The fastest way to feel better is to thin the mucus with hydration, steam, and an expectorant cough syrup. Avoid suppressants. They trap mucus and prolong the cough. See a doctor if the cough lasts past 3 weeks or you cough up blood.

The fastest way to get rid of phlegm is to thin it so your body can clear it naturally. Drink warm fluids, inhale steam, gargle salt water, and - for stubborn or chesty mucus - use an expectorant like ivy leaf extract. Most phlegm clears within 7–10 days. See a doctor if it lasts more than 3 weeks, contains blood, or comes with high fever.

Cough syrup helps relieve cough symptoms by either loosening mucus (expectorants) or quieting the cough reflex (suppressants). For a wet or chesty cough with phlegm, you want an expectorant — natural ivy leaf extract has clinical evidence behind it and is found in Hedervy syrups. For a dry cough, a suppressant or demulcent works better. Most coughs clear within 1–2 weeks with the right syrup, hydration, and rest.

The black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) plant has been used in traditional medicine for many years and is known for its therapeutic benefits.¹