How to Clear Phlegm From Your Throat

The phlegm in your throat is like the booger in your eye: You don’t really know how it got there, but removing it is kind of gross.

While we’ll save our eye booger exposé for another day, it turns out phlegm actually serves a useful purpose: The thick, sludgy substance—made up of mostly water, salt, and antibodies—is designed to help capture and clear bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms from your nose and throat, says Brett Comer, M.D., an assistant professor in the division of rhinology, sinus surgery, and allergy at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.