Phlegm tastes bad when you're sick because infections cause mucus to trap bacteria, dead cells, and inflammatory byproducts, creating a foul taste, often described as metallic or bitter, especially with post-nasal drip from colds or sinus issues, or even trace blood from coughing, while gum issues or acid reflux can also contribute to bad tastes.
Respiratory infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, or even more severe conditions like pneumonia can cause this symptom. These infections can lead to the production of discolored, sometimes green or yellow, phlegm that carries the taste of the infection to the mouth.
Whether you spit or swallow phlegm, both are safe. Spitting can help some people feel better, especially if their cough is associated with thick phlegm that's causing distress.
Infections or illness
When you get sick (with a cold or sinus infection, for example), your taste buds may feel the effects. The sour taste should go away as you get better. Replacing that lost fluid won't just get rid of the gnarly taste in your mouth: It'll help you feel better, too!
Yellow or green phlegm might be a sign of an infection, like a cold, the flu or a chest infection. Infections often make your lung condition symptoms worse. This is why it's important to keep taking your lung condition medicines every day as prescribed to control your symptoms.
To help clear mucus, focus on warm, hydrating fluids like water, herbal teas (ginger, peppermint, thyme), and broths, which thin congestion, while avoiding dehydrating drinks like coffee and alcohol; lemon with honey in warm water is also excellent for soothing and loosening mucus. Hydration is key, as it makes mucus easier to cough up, and certain teas offer anti-inflammatory or decongestant properties, like menthol in peppermint or antioxidants in green tea, to further help.
“If you look at it, and it makes you go, 'eww,' or it has a foul taste to it, there's a good chance the cause of the phlegm is from bacterial pneumonia.
Overview
Nasal congestion and a thick, dark-colored nasal discharge are also common during a sinus infection. When the mucus drips into your throat from the back of your nose, you'll notice a foul taste, and you may get bad breath or a cough. You may temporarily lose your sense of smell or taste.
Mucus in the lungs is known as phlegm or sputum. It is a common symptom in chronic lung diseases such as COPD (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema), cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, NTM lung disease or asthma.
Use your stomach muscles to forcefully expel the air. Avoid a hacking cough or merely clearing the throat. A deep cough is less tiring and more effective in clearing mucus out of the lungs. Huff Coughing: Huff coughing, or huffing, is an alternative to deep coughing if you have trouble clearing your mucus.
If the phlegm is not expelled, it can obstruct the airway, leading to choking. Proper management of underlying conditions, staying hydrated, and knowing how to effectively clear the airway are essential to preventing choking on phlegm.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
Five common symptoms of bronchitis are a persistent cough (often producing mucus), chest soreness or tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and fatigue, often accompanied by cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, mild headache, or low-grade fever.
Viral infections like colds, flu or COVID-19 affect your sense of taste. Inflammation. Any condition that results in inflammation of your tongue can affect your taste receptors and your sense of taste.
Suck on hard candies or rinse your mouth with water after vomiting. Or you can rinse with the baking soda and salt solution above. Try to get outside for some fresh air.
Penile secretions are slightly alkaline, with a pH ranging between 7.1 and 8, which can lead to a slightly bitter taste.
Early signs of pneumonia often mimic cold or flu but worsen, including fever, chills, cough (with or without mucus), fatigue, and shortness of breath, sometimes with chest pain, rapid breathing, headache, and loss of appetite, notes Healthdirect, Better Health Channel, American Lung Association, and Mayo Clinic. In older adults, confusion or disorientation can be a key sign, while infants might show restlessness or feeding difficulties, say Healthdirect, Mayo Clinic, and WebMD.
In his chapter on lobar pneumonia, the quintessential physician and educator, Sir William Osler, wrote 'Pneumonia may well be called the friend of the aged. Taken off by it an acute, short, not often painless illness, the old man escapes those “cold gradations of decay” so distressing to himself and to his friends.
Symptoms of pneumonia can start suddenly or gradually over a few days. They include: a cough – you may cough up yellow or green mucus (phlegm)
Common symptoms include:
Active TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as:
A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer. Pain in the chest. Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm) from deep inside the lungs.
The four main types of coughs are: wet, dry, paroxysmal and croup. Most coughs do go away on their own. Home remedies and over-the-counter cough medicines can help relieve symptoms.