The Benefits Of Eating Onions
Origin And General Information
Onions are native to Asia and The Middle East. Onion is the most cultivated species of the genus Allium and the cultivation goes back to over 5000 years.
Ancient Eygyptians not only used them as currency but worshipped them as they believed that onions gave eternal life. They placed onions in the tombs of Kings who died believing the dead would take them along to their after life..
There is a lot of folklore with respect to the placing of onions with the dead right from believing that the dead could come back to life to the onion being handy in the after life due to its many antiseptic qualities.
Onions find mention in ancient texts of the Romans, Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Chinese, Sumerians and has mention even in The Bible ( Numbers 11:5 ).
Uses Of Onions
Onions are primarily used as a food source, in cooking as the start off ingredient in Indian and other Asian cooking, in making onion soups and chutneys, raw in salads and as pickles in vinegar.
They are used in microscopic demonstrations in the laboratory in colleges as the onion cells are quite large even under low magnification and hence easier for study of the cell.
Onion skins have been used in dyeing.
Onions are used as odour remover, insect repeller, metal polisher to remove rust from metals, eliminator of new paint smell, as a smelling salt, for training one's pets etc.
In Ayurveda and herbal therapy, onions are being used for treatment of many ailments.
Varieties Of Onions
Onions are commonly available in the following varieties:
Yellow Onions
These are the sweetest in taste with golden coloured outer skins and pale yellow coloured inner flesh. They are the best for cooking. They are used in onion soups.
Red Onions
They are the most pungent of all the varieties having a red outer skin and red white inner flesh. They cannot be stored for a long time. They are used in salads and sandwiches in traditional cooking.
White Onions
They have white outer skins with the inner flesh too, being white. They are the mildest in flavour. They can be eaten raw or cooked. They are more used in Mexican cooking.
Green Onions/ Spring Onions
The green onions normally available are basically immature onions. They are also eaten raw.
Nutritional Components Of Onions
Onions are rich in the strong sulphur containing compounds which are the primary cause of their strong smell and healing properties. They contain high levels of flavonoids particularly Quercetin which is also an anti oxidant. Onions are a good source of vitamins B6, C, biotin, K, folic acid, chromium, calcium and fiber.
Health Benefits Of Onions
Onions are more beneficical when eaten raw. Also when not cut nor dipped in water they maintain higher nutrient levels. However, cooked onions still retain sufficient nutrients to be beneficial to health.
Some of the many benefits of onions are listed below:
Remove worms, act as an antibiotic and have antiseptic properties.
Alleviate pains, inflammations and spasms.
Are diuretic, digestive, fungicidal, a tonic and a stimulant.
Lower cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease & stroke.
Protect against tumour growths and a wide range of cancers.
Prevents gastric ulcers, stimulates the peristaltic movement of the intestines, removes flatulence & indigestion.
Relieves respiratory problems like cough, cold, flu, bronchitis and remove phlegm.
Are antiallergenic, lower blood sugar levels, maintain strong bones,prevent anaemia and tooth decay and oral infections.
Make the blood thin and retard blood clotting.
Uses Of Onions In Specific Health Conditions
In Insomnia
Drink juice of red onions whether they are raw, boiled or steamed. Take 4 tsp at night.
For Eyes
Regular use improves vision.
In Dog Bites
Crush onions finely. Add honey & apply on the bite. It removes the poison.
Also drink onion juice.
In Warts
Applying onion juice on warts destroys them.
To Increase Mother's Milk
Eat raw onion with meals.
In Fits
3 ounces of onion juice mixed with a little water taken eal\rly morning regularly relieves fits. Take this for atleast 40 days.
Making a person who is in a fit smell onion juice brings him back to conciousness.
In Heat Stroke/ Sunstroke
Apply onion juice to temples and chest and massage. Also drink onion juice. Eat raw onions daily with meals and keeping one in the pocket prevents sunstroke.
In Ear Problems
Putting 5-6 drops of warm onion juice in the ear gives relief from pain, pus and whistling sounds.
In Baldness
Apply onion juice and massage on the bald areas regularly. It is reported to grow new hair and stop hair loss.
In Digestion Problems
Onion consumption increases appetite and helps in digesting food. It also improves the functioning of liver and spleen, removes accumulated wind and relieves pain and bloating of stomach.
Heat an onion bulb in fire and take out its juice. Add some salt and drink for relief.
In Hiccups
Cut raw onion. Wash it with water. Add salt and eat. It relieves hiccups. Continue for few days.
In Constipation
Eat 1 raw onion everyday with food.
In Worms
1 tsp onion juice taken every 2 hours kills worms and relieves indigestion.
In Acidity
Mix 60 gms white onion cut in small pieces in 30 gms curd. Eat this 3 times daily for a week for relief.
In Dyspepsia
Cut red onion. Squeeze some lime juice on this and eat with meals for relief.
In children give 5 drops of onion juice to drink.
In Dysentery
In mucus & bloody stools, add 1 onion cut finely cut, to fresh curd made of cow's milk. Wash onion pieces in water before adding to curd.
In Diarrhoea
Grind onion and apply on the navel for control of loose motions.
In Nausea
Eat onion with a little salt.
In Jaundice
A. Cut onions in half and put in vinegar or lemon juice in a jar. Add some salt & black pepper to this. Eat 1 onion daily in morning & evening to get relief.
B. Take 1/2 cup juice of white onion. Add little jaggery & ground turmeric. Mix and drink in morning and evening.
In Bloody Piles
Add 50 gms sugar in 100 gms onion juice and drink.
In Urinary Problems
Put 50 gms onion pieces in 1 litre of water. Boil and strain this water. Add honey. Drink 3 times daily. it brings on urine without pain. It also relieves the problem of frequent urination and helps in bringing on urine in cases of retention of urine.
In cases of burning sensation during urination make the following:
Add 50 gms of finely cut onion to 1/2 litre water and boil till half the water remains. Drink this for relief.
For black hair
Grind onions and apply in hair. It turns hair black.
In Renal Stones
A. Add sugar to onion juice and make a syrup.drinking this breaks the stones and removes them.
B. Take 50 gms onion juice in the morning on empty stomach daily.It breaks the stones and removes them.
In Asthma
Crush onions and inhale the vapours for relief in cough, throat and respiratory diseases and lung affections..
Add honey to onion juice and lick this for relief in asthmatic cough.
In Gout
Massage a mixture of onion juice & mustard oil for relief.
In Abscess
In boils which are ripe and painful do the following:
Grind onions. Add turmeric, wheat flour, water, pure ghee and cook on fire for sometime. Make a poultice and tie it when warm on the boils. It opens up the boil and relieves.
In Headaches & Headaches Due To Sunstroke
Grind onions and apply on the soles of the feet.
In Cholera
A. Add mint juice to onion juice and take 1 tsp every 10 minutes.
B. A mixture of 1 part lemon juice, 1/2 part mint juice and 1/2 part onion juice when taken relieves.
C. Taking warm onion juice also helps.
Protection From Cholera
Take 25 ml onion juice, 1 cup water, juice of 1 lemon, little salt and black pepper powder and little ginger juice. Drink this 4 times a day.
To Protect Teeth
Eat raw onions. It kills harmful bacteria and stops bad breath.
To Protect Against Heart Failure
Researchers at The Royal Victoria Infirmary Institute, UK, have found that if one consumes a plateful of boiled or fried onion pieces in breakfast everyday, it helps in preventing heart attack. The onions prevent formation of blood clots in the coronary arteries.
For Increased Heartbeat & Heart Diseases
Eat 1 raw onion daily with food. Onion helps in regulating blood circulation.
In Intoxication
Onion juice consumption helps in reducing the effects of intoxicating drinks.
In Corns
Apply onion juice 3 times daily to soften corns. cut corns when soft.
As Strength Giver
Take 1 tsp onion juice mixed with 2 tsp honey daily.
For Snake Bite
Mix onion juice 15 ml with 15 ml mustard oil. make the person who is bitten drink this. This is one dose. Take 2 more doses like this , each after a gap of 30 minutes from the earlier dose. This removes the poison.
In Dropsy
Eating raw onion frequently during the day increases urine output & benefits.
In Cold & Cough
Eating raw onion relieves sneezing & running nose.
3 to 4 tsp of onion juice taken with honey in equal measure controls cold, cough & flu symptoms.
Also, Homeopathic medicine Allium cepa 30, 8 pills taken every 3 hours, 5 times a day, for about 2 days relieves frequent sneezing, watery running nose and shoe bite too.
In skin Diseases
Eating raw or cooked onions is beneficial in sick looking & pale skin. It improves the colour of the skin.
Tying a poultice made of warm roasted and crushed to pulp onions on boils which though ripe do not break open, will break open the boils and remove the pus. this will give relief and heal the skin and protect the wound against infections.
Washing of pus infected wounds with a solution made up of 1 part of onion juice & 4 parts of water and tying a bandage dipped in this solution on the wound, heals it.
In Nosebleed
Put onion juice in the affected nostril. It also prevents and relieves nose & throat infection.
In Tuberculosis
Onion juice inactivates the TB bacteria in the body. Eating raw onions has the same effect. Eating onions with salt is more beneficial.
In Anaemia
Onion juice or raw onions increases haemoglobin due to the high content of Iron in it. Eating onions improves strength.
In Bites By Poisonous Insects
Tying a poultice made of ground onions and eating raw onions with salt helps in cases of bites due to honey bees, poisonous insects, scorpions etc.
In Vomiting
Mix equal parts of onion juice and ginger juice. Take 2 tsp of this to stop vomiting.
In Toothaches & Gum Aches
Keep a piece of onion at the affected tooth for relief.
In Blood Disorders
Add 10 gms of candy sugar & 1 gm roasted white cumin seeds in 50 gms onion juice and drink.
Origin And General Information
Onions are native to Asia and The Middle East. Onion is the most cultivated species of the genus Allium and the cultivation goes back to over 5000 years.
Ancient Eygyptians not only used them as currency but worshipped them as they believed that onions gave eternal life. They placed onions in the tombs of Kings who died believing the dead would take them along to their after life..
There is a lot of folklore with respect to the placing of onions with the dead right from believing that the dead could come back to life to the onion being handy in the after life due to its many antiseptic qualities.
Onions find mention in ancient texts of the Romans, Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Chinese, Sumerians and has mention even in The Bible ( Numbers 11:5 ).
Uses Of Onions
Onions are primarily used as a food source, in cooking as the start off ingredient in Indian and other Asian cooking, in making onion soups and chutneys, raw in salads and as pickles in vinegar.
They are used in microscopic demonstrations in the laboratory in colleges as the onion cells are quite large even under low magnification and hence easier for study of the cell.
Onion skins have been used in dyeing.
Onions are used as odour remover, insect repeller, metal polisher to remove rust from metals, eliminator of new paint smell, as a smelling salt, for training one's pets etc.
In Ayurveda and herbal therapy, onions are being used for treatment of many ailments.
Varieties Of Onions
Onions are commonly available in the following varieties:
Yellow Onions
These are the sweetest in taste with golden coloured outer skins and pale yellow coloured inner flesh. They are the best for cooking. They are used in onion soups.
Red Onions
They are the most pungent of all the varieties having a red outer skin and red white inner flesh. They cannot be stored for a long time. They are used in salads and sandwiches in traditional cooking.
White Onions
They have white outer skins with the inner flesh too, being white. They are the mildest in flavour. They can be eaten raw or cooked. They are more used in Mexican cooking.
Green Onions/ Spring Onions
The green onions normally available are basically immature onions. They are also eaten raw.
Nutritional Components Of Onions
Onions are rich in the strong sulphur containing compounds which are the primary cause of their strong smell and healing properties. They contain high levels of flavonoids particularly Quercetin which is also an anti oxidant. Onions are a good source of vitamins B6, C, biotin, K, folic acid, chromium, calcium and fiber.
Health Benefits Of Onions
Onions are more beneficical when eaten raw. Also when not cut nor dipped in water they maintain higher nutrient levels. However, cooked onions still retain sufficient nutrients to be beneficial to health.
Some of the many benefits of onions are listed below:
Remove worms, act as an antibiotic and have antiseptic properties.
Alleviate pains, inflammations and spasms.
Are diuretic, digestive, fungicidal, a tonic and a stimulant.
Lower cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease & stroke.
Protect against tumour growths and a wide range of cancers.
Prevents gastric ulcers, stimulates the peristaltic movement of the intestines, removes flatulence & indigestion.
Relieves respiratory problems like cough, cold, flu, bronchitis and remove phlegm.
Are antiallergenic, lower blood sugar levels, maintain strong bones,prevent anaemia and tooth decay and oral infections.
Make the blood thin and retard blood clotting.
Uses Of Onions In Specific Health Conditions
In Insomnia
Drink juice of red onions whether they are raw, boiled or steamed. Take 4 tsp at night.
For Eyes
Regular use improves vision.
In Dog Bites
Crush onions finely. Add honey & apply on the bite. It removes the poison.
Also drink onion juice.
In Warts
Applying onion juice on warts destroys them.
To Increase Mother's Milk
Eat raw onion with meals.
In Fits
3 ounces of onion juice mixed with a little water taken eal\rly morning regularly relieves fits. Take this for atleast 40 days.
Making a person who is in a fit smell onion juice brings him back to conciousness.
In Heat Stroke/ Sunstroke
Apply onion juice to temples and chest and massage. Also drink onion juice. Eat raw onions daily with meals and keeping one in the pocket prevents sunstroke.
In Ear Problems
Putting 5-6 drops of warm onion juice in the ear gives relief from pain, pus and whistling sounds.
In Baldness
Apply onion juice and massage on the bald areas regularly. It is reported to grow new hair and stop hair loss.
In Digestion Problems
Onion consumption increases appetite and helps in digesting food. It also improves the functioning of liver and spleen, removes accumulated wind and relieves pain and bloating of stomach.
Heat an onion bulb in fire and take out its juice. Add some salt and drink for relief.
In Hiccups
Cut raw onion. Wash it with water. Add salt and eat. It relieves hiccups. Continue for few days.
In Constipation
Eat 1 raw onion everyday with food.
In Worms
1 tsp onion juice taken every 2 hours kills worms and relieves indigestion.
In Acidity
Mix 60 gms white onion cut in small pieces in 30 gms curd. Eat this 3 times daily for a week for relief.
In Dyspepsia
Cut red onion. Squeeze some lime juice on this and eat with meals for relief.
In children give 5 drops of onion juice to drink.
In Dysentery
In mucus & bloody stools, add 1 onion cut finely cut, to fresh curd made of cow's milk. Wash onion pieces in water before adding to curd.
In Diarrhoea
Grind onion and apply on the navel for control of loose motions.
In Nausea
Eat onion with a little salt.
In Jaundice
A. Cut onions in half and put in vinegar or lemon juice in a jar. Add some salt & black pepper to this. Eat 1 onion daily in morning & evening to get relief.
B. Take 1/2 cup juice of white onion. Add little jaggery & ground turmeric. Mix and drink in morning and evening.
In Bloody Piles
Add 50 gms sugar in 100 gms onion juice and drink.
In Urinary Problems
Put 50 gms onion pieces in 1 litre of water. Boil and strain this water. Add honey. Drink 3 times daily. it brings on urine without pain. It also relieves the problem of frequent urination and helps in bringing on urine in cases of retention of urine.
In cases of burning sensation during urination make the following:
Add 50 gms of finely cut onion to 1/2 litre water and boil till half the water remains. Drink this for relief.
For black hair
Grind onions and apply in hair. It turns hair black.
In Renal Stones
A. Add sugar to onion juice and make a syrup.drinking this breaks the stones and removes them.
B. Take 50 gms onion juice in the morning on empty stomach daily.It breaks the stones and removes them.
In Asthma
Crush onions and inhale the vapours for relief in cough, throat and respiratory diseases and lung affections..
Add honey to onion juice and lick this for relief in asthmatic cough.
In Gout
Massage a mixture of onion juice & mustard oil for relief.
In Abscess
In boils which are ripe and painful do the following:
Grind onions. Add turmeric, wheat flour, water, pure ghee and cook on fire for sometime. Make a poultice and tie it when warm on the boils. It opens up the boil and relieves.
In Headaches & Headaches Due To Sunstroke
Grind onions and apply on the soles of the feet.
In Cholera
A. Add mint juice to onion juice and take 1 tsp every 10 minutes.
B. A mixture of 1 part lemon juice, 1/2 part mint juice and 1/2 part onion juice when taken relieves.
C. Taking warm onion juice also helps.
Protection From Cholera
Take 25 ml onion juice, 1 cup water, juice of 1 lemon, little salt and black pepper powder and little ginger juice. Drink this 4 times a day.
To Protect Teeth
Eat raw onions. It kills harmful bacteria and stops bad breath.
To Protect Against Heart Failure
Researchers at The Royal Victoria Infirmary Institute, UK, have found that if one consumes a plateful of boiled or fried onion pieces in breakfast everyday, it helps in preventing heart attack. The onions prevent formation of blood clots in the coronary arteries.
For Increased Heartbeat & Heart Diseases
Eat 1 raw onion daily with food. Onion helps in regulating blood circulation.
In Intoxication
Onion juice consumption helps in reducing the effects of intoxicating drinks.
In Corns
Apply onion juice 3 times daily to soften corns. cut corns when soft.
As Strength Giver
Take 1 tsp onion juice mixed with 2 tsp honey daily.
For Snake Bite
Mix onion juice 15 ml with 15 ml mustard oil. make the person who is bitten drink this. This is one dose. Take 2 more doses like this , each after a gap of 30 minutes from the earlier dose. This removes the poison.
In Dropsy
Eating raw onion frequently during the day increases urine output & benefits.
In Cold & Cough
Eating raw onion relieves sneezing & running nose.
3 to 4 tsp of onion juice taken with honey in equal measure controls cold, cough & flu symptoms.
Also, Homeopathic medicine Allium cepa 30, 8 pills taken every 3 hours, 5 times a day, for about 2 days relieves frequent sneezing, watery running nose and shoe bite too.
In skin Diseases
Eating raw or cooked onions is beneficial in sick looking & pale skin. It improves the colour of the skin.
Tying a poultice made of warm roasted and crushed to pulp onions on boils which though ripe do not break open, will break open the boils and remove the pus. this will give relief and heal the skin and protect the wound against infections.
Washing of pus infected wounds with a solution made up of 1 part of onion juice & 4 parts of water and tying a bandage dipped in this solution on the wound, heals it.
In Nosebleed
Put onion juice in the affected nostril. It also prevents and relieves nose & throat infection.
In Tuberculosis
Onion juice inactivates the TB bacteria in the body. Eating raw onions has the same effect. Eating onions with salt is more beneficial.
In Anaemia
Onion juice or raw onions increases haemoglobin due to the high content of Iron in it. Eating onions improves strength.
In Bites By Poisonous Insects
Tying a poultice made of ground onions and eating raw onions with salt helps in cases of bites due to honey bees, poisonous insects, scorpions etc.
In Vomiting
Mix equal parts of onion juice and ginger juice. Take 2 tsp of this to stop vomiting.
In Toothaches & Gum Aches
Keep a piece of onion at the affected tooth for relief.
In Blood Disorders
Add 10 gms of candy sugar & 1 gm roasted white cumin seeds in 50 gms onion juice and drink.
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