What is a phlegm ball?

Answer 1

I did some research on this one to get the answer. Phlegm balls (medical term is tonsil liths [lith means "stone"]) form in the tonsils. Your tonsils are the two bags at the back of your throat. They are spongy with lots of crevices to trap impurities, bacteria, dirt, etc. so they don't enter the lungs. The tonsils have lots of spaces, like a sponge, and they are called "crypts". Mucous, especially thick, sticky mucous can get trapped in these crypts. Over time they will coagulate, (like heavy cream coagulates into cottage cheese when stirred with a fork) and in time they thicken to the point of forming balls, a lot like a small cottage cheese nugget. They are usually yellow. The darker they are, the older they are. A stimulus will pry them loose and that's when you feel the phlegm ball in your mouth. Yes, they taste and smell terrible. A strong emotional event can

cause a phlegm ball to be dislodged from your tonsils. But, that's where they come from, the tonsils. To prove this, wash your hands, look in a mirror, take a clean finger and gently press on one of your tonsils. If there

are any phlegm balls in there, chances are you can push one out of your tonsil and you will see it exit via the crypt, and into your mouth. Gargling every morning and before bed with a strong mouthwash like Listerene will help prevent them. Good luck! - gregg in Sarasota, FL