BLACK EXPECTORATION

The black discoloration of expectoration may be temporary, caused by exposure to smoke or dirt in the air, or it could be due to a respiratory infection. Black phlegm could also be caused by a more serious condition, such as lung cancer. A prompt medical evaluation is important.

CAUSES

• Irritants: Everything you inhale finds a home somewhere. Oxygen, for example, makes its way first into your lungs and then into your bloodstream, where it keeps your organs and muscles healthy. But not everything you breathe in can be put to use in a healthy way.
• Pollutants: Breathing in air pollutants can cause mucus to turn black. Particles of dirt or industrial chemicals can settle in the airways, darkening the color of mucus and phlegm. When you travel to a place with heavy pollution and poor air quality, you may see changes in your mucus. Once your exposure to airborne pollutants ends, your phlegm should soon return to its normal color.
• Smoking: The chemicals in cigarettes and other smoking implements lodge in your airways, turning mucus and phlegm dark. Smoking also causes phlegm to thicken in your lungs, triggering more coughing. One reason for this buildup is that smoking can damage or destroy the cleaning mechanism of the lungs — the hairlike cilia that line the lungs. This allows phlegm to clog your airways. Smoking is, of course, also a risk factor for lung cancer, a wide variety of other cancers, heart disease, and most other respiratory problems.
• Coal mining: The clinical term for what has long been known as “black lung disease” is pneumoconiosis. It’s a condition that’s most often associated with coal miners. However, black mucus and phlegm can also be caused by exposure to other workplace irritants, such as asbestos and silica.
• Fire: The smoke from large fires can deposit soot in your airways, turning your mucus and phlegm black. Wearing a special mask over your nose and mouth when exposed to a large fire or polluted air can help prevent irritants from settling in your airways.
• INFECTIONS: Diseases that affect your respiratory system can cause many changes in the color and thickness of your mucus. These changes are important symptoms for your doctor to review, but they’re often accompanied by other signs of illness.
• Fungal infection: For people who aren’t smokers or who aren’t exposed to harmful pollutants, black mucus is often associated with a serious fungal infectionthat settles in the lungs. You may be at greater risk of fungal infection if you have a compromised immune system. Going through cancer treatment, for example, or having an autoimmune disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections.  The types of fungus that can be breathed in and cause an infection are often found in hot climates, such as the desert Southwest or the tropics. The airway irritation caused by an infection may even cause some bleeding, which can turn mucus a reddish brown or black.

• Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis, or TB, is a highly contagious bacterial infection. It strikes most often when a person’s immune system is weak. In addition to dark phlegm, other signs of TB include a nagging cough that lasts for weeks, chest pain, weight loss, night sweats, and coughing up blood.
• Pneumonia: Pneumoniais an infection of the air sacs in the lungs, and it often leads to fluid buildup in one or both lungs. Pneumonia is a potentially fatal condition. It can be a difficult disease to treat because it may be caused by a wide range of bacteria, viruses, and other organisms. In addition to dark mucus, other signs of pneumonia include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, fever, and fatigue.
• Other causes  Black mucus or phlegm has many other possible causes. That’s why it’s important to pay close attention to other symptoms.

• Heart valve disease Blood travels from the heart, through the lungs (where it exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen), and then back to the heart to be pumped out to the rest of the body. When defective or diseased heart valves don’t allow easy passage of blood in and out of the heart, it can back up into the lungs. In heart valve disease, this backed up fluid can build up in the lungs, causing congestive heart failure. This can create frothy or blood-streaked sputum, causing phlegm to become pink, red, rust-colored, brown, or black.

• Blood thinners: Anticoagulantsand antiplatelet medications are designed to reduce the risk of developing blood clots that could potentially block an artery, leading to conditions such as heart attack or stroke. Unfortunately, these blood-thinning medications can raise the risk of internal bleeding. Coughing up blood or dark phlegm is a sign of a bleeding event and a possible signal that your medication regimen needs adjusting.

• Autoimmune disease : Some autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, such as sarcoidosis, directly affect the lungs and cause black or brown phlegm to develop. This is related to bleeding within the respiratory tract. Sarcoidosis may also affect the skin, eyes, sinuses, kidneys, and other organs. Other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can affect the lungs and other parts of the body differently.

• Lung cancer : Lung cancer is diagnosed when lung cancer cells are discovered in the lungs, lymph nodes, or other organs. Coughing up blood and having black phlegm are signs that a thorough lung exam is needed to either rule out or confirm lung cancer.

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Homoeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced all over the world. It strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels. When  is concerned there are many effective medicines available in Homoeopathy , but the selection depends upon the individuality of the patient , considering mental and physical symptoms

Few homoeopathic medicine can be thought of in the treatment of black expectoration are:

elaps, nitric acid, crocus sat., crotalus casc., etc.