To dissolve the phlegm it is possible to resort to both the use of specific drugs and some natural remedies. However, since the presence of this viscous secretion in large quantities can indicate serious pathologies, it is always good to request the intervention of the doctor and avoid undertaking any type of do-it-yourself treatment without first consulting him.
they act directly on the mucus (phlegm) already formed, physically breaking the chemical bonds of the molecules that constitute it. In other words, mucolytics are able to dissolve phlegm through the degradation of the mucoproteins that compose it. Thanks to this particular mechanism of action, catarrhal secretions will be less sticky and more easily eliminated from the body. An example of an active principle with mucolytic activity is represented by N-acetylcysteine (Fluimucil Mucolitico®).
The mucoregulatory drugs, on the other hand, exert what is defined as an "indirect action on phlegm. These drugs, in fact, do not degrade the sputum already formed like mucolytics, but act on the mucipar cells by altering the secretion and the characteristics of the phlegm from them. product (for example, they can increase the aqueous component, thus reducing its viscosity), or they can act by altering its adhesiveness.
Examples of active ingredients belonging to this group of drugs are carbocysteine (Fluifort®), bromhexine (Bisolvon Linctus®), sobrerol (Sobrepin®) and ambroxol (Fluibron®).