Expectorant vs. Decongestant

Expectorantnoun

(medicine) An agent or drug used to cause or induce the expulsion of phlegm from the lungs.

Expectorantadjective

(medicine) Causing or assisting the expulsion of phlegm.

Expectorantadjective

Tending to facilitate expectoration or to promote discharges of mucus, etc., from the lungs or throat.

Expectorantnoun

a medicine promoting expectoration

Decongestantnoun

A drug that relieves congestion, e.g. pseudoephedrine.

Decongestantnoun

a drug that decreases pulmonary congestion

Decongestant

A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter of which has disputed effectiveness).