Onions
Health Benefits

The Health Benefits of Onions

| Modified on Jan 08, 2025
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Onions have long been revered as a natural treatment for various ailments and as a powerful support for the immune system. This humble vegetable, a staple in kitchens worldwide, offers far more than flavor enhancement. Its unique sulfur compounds and rich nutritional profile make it a potent remedy for health and wellness.

Antibiotic and Antiseptic Qualities

Like all members of the allium family, onions are rich in sulfur, which provides antibiotic and antiseptic properties. For centuries, onions have been used in natural medicine to combat infections, particularly during flu outbreaks. Many families pass down onion-based remedies as effective tools for maintaining health during cold and flu seasons.

Health Benefits of Onions

Onions are packed with nutrients and compounds that offer a wide range of health benefits:

1. Relief from Vomiting and Nausea

Onions are a powerful home remedy for severe vomiting. Drinking fresh onion juice can help soothe the stomach and stop nausea.

2. Respiratory Health

Onions are especially beneficial for respiratory conditions, including coughs and colds. Raw onions act as a natural expectorant, helping to clear mucus from the respiratory tract.

Home Remedy: Mix equal parts onion juice and honey to create a simple and effective cough syrup.

3. Heart Health

The flavonoids and sulfur compounds in onions support heart health by lowering cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, and improving circulation. Regular consumption of onions may reduce the risk of heart disease.

4. Diabetes Management

Onions help regulate blood sugar levels due to their high content of sulfur compounds and antioxidants. Including onions in your diet may benefit individuals managing diabetes.

5. Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The sulfur content in onions helps reduce inflammation, making them a natural choice for managing conditions like arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.

6. Antioxidant Powerhouse

Rich in antioxidants, onions help combat free radicals in the body. This not only reduces oxidative stress but also lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer.

Traditional and Modern Uses

Onions are versatile and can be used both internally and externally in natural remedies:

  • For Colds and Flu: Place sliced onions in socks or around the home to absorb toxins and combat airborne illnesses. This age-old practice is said to purify the air and aid recovery.
  • For Ear Infections: Warm an onion, extract its juice, and use it as a natural ear drop to reduce pain and infection.
  • For Skin Health: Apply onion juice to insect bites, stings, or minor wounds for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

How to Incorporate Onions into Your Diet

Adding onions to your meals is a simple way to boost your health:

  • Eat raw onions in salads or as a topping for sandwiches.
  • Add onions to soups, stews, and stir-fries for added flavor and health benefits.
  • Blend onions into homemade dips or sauces for a nutrient-rich addition.

Precautions and Considerations

While onions are generally safe, some individuals may experience discomfort, such as heartburn or bloating, when consuming them in large quantities. Additionally, raw onions may cause irritation for those with sensitive digestive systems. If you have concerns, consult a healthcare professional before using onions medicinally.


The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.

Best Remedy to Stop Throwing Up

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Posted by Susan (USA)
★★★★★

Our friend Gail from Santa Monica, CA gave us this recipe a few years ago. It's an old Yogi remedy that will stop severe vomiting within minutes.

Recipe:

1. Prepare peppermint tea and allow to cool.

2. Grate an onion and squeeze the pulp through a cheese cloth (if desperate, just use a paper towel). Make 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Onion Juice.

3. Hold your nose and swallow the onion juice.

4. Follow with just 1 Tablespoon of peppermint tea. Wait ten minutes. Take another Tablespoon of peppermint tea. Wait 15 minutes.

This remedy should stop vomiting within 15 minutes, according to Gail. The peppermint tea helps to rehydrate you.

Replied by Joy
(Regina, Sk, Canada)
01/03/2012
★★★★★

WOW, does that remedy ever work. I wasn't throwing up but I had the chills and was constantly running to the bathroom thinking that I would be sick. Within half hour of this remedy, I quit sweating and my stomach is better! THANKS!


Brain Clarity

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Posted by Omar (Bloomield NJ) on 02/19/2022
★★★★★

Instant brain relief : Eat raw onion or add it on top of a stew or salad with good amount of onions.

Chewing a raw ginger works as well but does not last as the onion trick. I have had good experience with onions every time. My sight gets clear immediately and my brain clarity takes over the fog in an instant.


Broad Benefits

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Posted by Mike (Losangels, Celifornia, Usa) on 08/29/2012
★★★★★

In addition to being our best home remedy to relieve severe vomiting, onions are revered as a natural cure for a wide variety of disorders and as a general antibiotic that can back up the body's own immune system. Natural Cures: In particular, onions are recommended for respiratory conditions, including coughs and colds. Taken raw it can be a good expectorant. Onion juice mixed equally with honey is a popular cough syrup. Their flavonoids and sulfur compounds make onions beneficial for the heart, cholesterol levels, diabetes, arthritis, and generally as an antioxidant. so Onion Cures is best for our body.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Mcgyver (Little Rock, Arkansas, Usa) on 07/23/2011
★★★★★

Onion pack is what I have always called this. The correct term is a poultice. This works well for boils, bites, infections and I even used this successfully one time cellulitis of the elbow.

Cut one whole onion into small pieces. With a mortar and pestle, mash the onion into skin and juice. Mash until all juice has been removed; however it is important the skin remain. (Perhaps a blender would work. However, this method is the way my grandmother taught me 50 years ago and I have never tried a blender.)

In a bowl, add the mashed onion. Then add flour, in very small increments, until a paste has been formed, about a medium texture. Not too dry... not too wet.

Cover the boil with a thick layer of the paste and surrounding the boil. It is not necessary to puncture the boil and recommended not to do this.

Cover the paste with a cotton (must breathe) rag, wash cloth, dish rag, gauze, etc. (depending where the boil is located) and secure with tape if necessary.

Allow the paste to completely dry. It usually takes a few hours. It will dry to a very semi hard or firm pack.

As the paste hardens, it will form suction on the boil, drawing out all of the puss. Depending on the size of the boil it may take 2 or 3 applications but usually you will see results on the first. The onion also acts as a natural antibiotic to prevent infection.

Be patient. And don't be too active or you will break the seal. Do not remove the pack prematurely. When you do, you will see the puss in a pocket on the underside of the pack. Where your boil was, there will be a small hole where the puss came through. Put antibiotic ointment over the skin and a band aide. That's it!

During this process you will feel the onion pack working. You may feel some discomfort when the skin breaks, but not for long. Again, I have used this onion pack over the years for boils, infections, bites and even cellulites of the elbow. It has never failed.

Side effects: It smells like onion and it might make you cry. :-)

Replied by Katzie
(Cancun, Mexico)
03/09/2024

FYI: A blender does not work, not for one onion anyways. Most fell under the whirley-thingy. Not having a mortar & pestle on-hand I simply used a large spoon and mashed away! It took awhile but the job did get done.

Replied by Katzie
(Cancun, Mexico)
03/11/2024

Here I am updating my own post to add my experience with an Onion Poultice. I had fallen when walking my rescues and it bled a little, but was mostly scrapes on my lower right leg (shin). When we returned I made the mistake of not cleaning it with hot soapy water that night and I did not wrap it either. I don't know what I was thinking as here in the hot climate infections can get out control quickly. It was the type where it was a little red and hard around it.After kicking myself for my stupid, I wanted to try something new and give a new cure a chance. I found this post and wanted to see if it would work. I also found that on my 2nd try at it, I used a Cheese Grater (or box grater) on the smallest holes and it worked great! I had a nice, juicy onion mash, and it took very little flour to make the paste. The poultice was pretty soothing! Left it on for approx 4hrs, wrapped in a gauze bandage. When I removed it there was a small pocket of green puss and the wound was doing better. I am glad I investigated this cure and gave it a chance. I never post on here without having tried something in my own body first. This poultice is worth your time. Be well every body!!


Broad Benefits
Posted by Wilma (Venice, Ca) on 04/06/2010
★★★★★

My son was stung by a bee and a friend told me to slice an onion and put it on top of the sting. Immediately, the swelling went down. She theorizes that it pulls the venom out. It also works for mosquito bites.

Raw onion also works for burns. I burned myself once by grabbing the cast iron handle. I immediately put a slice of raw onion on for about 2 minutes and then whipped egg whites until they became stiff. I applied it onto the burn and it dried and created a egg white skin on top of the burn. Wrapped a bandage around it and went to bed. The next morning, there was no pain and no blister.

For fevers, you will need to juice a raw onion and drink about a teaspoon every hour. Also, soak a couple of egg whites around a cloth and wrap around your feet and cover with socks. Reapply as egg white becomes crusty around feet. You can also paint Lugol's iodine solution on the chest and throat. My daughter's 104.7 fever came down within half a day using this method.

Onion works with vomiting from stomach flu symptoms as well, but you will alternate one teaspoon of onion juice with teaspoon of spearmint tea every hour.

Replied by Kima
(Los Angeles, Ca)
02/15/2012

I can confirm that onion pulls out the stingers and venom of bee stings.


Bronchitis

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Posted by Sharon (Victoria, Australia) on 11/15/2005
★★★★★

I have stumbled across a remedy for coughs and bronchitis. slice an onion and place in bowl layer with pure honey, leave sit for an hour or so, this will yield a syrup. Have a teaspoon every 15 minutes until coughing chest soreness subsides.


Cancer

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Posted by Gabriela (Pahoa, HI) on 04/23/2009
★★★★★

Onion Juice for Cancer:

"Onion Juice Therapy for Cancer is a concentrated method for absorbing as much of the beneficial elements from onions as possible, specifically for the treatment of various forms of cancer. While supported by widely recognized scholars in the Sufi tradition and practiced for centuries contemporary scientific evidence is limited outside of new studies that have proven certain varieties of onions to be much more effective than others in fighting cancer. These studies are spawning new interest in how to increase the consumption of onions in your diet and how best to administer onions in fighting cancer. The medicinal use of juices is common in {juice fasting} which is recommended for a wide variety of illnesses."

Source: http://curezone.org/forums/fmp.asp?i=1371688

Replied by Solomon
(Whitefield, Bury, England)
01/07/2012

An Excerpt from Prophetic Medicines: "Last year I was in New York, and brought to me was this lady with a tumour in her head; she had a child.

I told her to drink onion juice. I also read surat al-fatiha (the first chapter of the Qur'an) 7 times onto some water on behalf of Shaykh Nazim and God, telling her to drink it.

A week later she had an x-ray at the hospital and the tumour was gone. It's not because I read (the surah on behalf of Shaykh Nazim and God) or the onion juice, it's because she believed that it could happen. She believed in God and his Prophet (SAW).

A year later I saw her again, and she had been cancer free for the whole time with no operation and no chemotherapy.

My recommendation for people with this problem is to take onion juice and to read surat al-fatiha seven times on water, or coffee for example, and drink it. They could alternatively read fatiha seven times and blow on themselves. If they are not able, someone else can read fatiha for them."

Replied by Maria
(Ma)
12/04/2015

Does the onion have to be raw or made as in juice? Mixed with water or some other juice? Please let me know! Thanks!


Colds

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Posted by Sb (Sc Mtns, Ca) on 01/23/2013
★★★★★

I used to get colds/flu, brochitis, ammonia etc.. ALL the time- every year like clockwork.. A turning point in my life was when RAW onions became a fav. EXTRA onions on everything, everyday- I eat alot of onions. I never get sick anymore... In fact right now, everyone I know is dropping like flies with the flu/cold and I just ate a sandwhich with half an onion on it- feeling GREAT;)


Colds
Posted by Gabriela (Pahoa, USA) on 02/01/2008
★★★★★

When I had a cold or the flu in the past, my body could never get rid of it. I always got bronchitis and always had to take anti-biotics to finally stop it all. One day I said to myself with TOTAL determination: I will not allow to get a cold again, because my body can't fight it. Since then I have had only one cold (in 10 years). That one I cured with the juice of one large organic onion per day(made in the Champion juicer) and mixed with fresh orange juice. I had to drink this for 2 days only and was fine again. I regard onion juice as a natural anti-biotic.


Colic

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Posted by Tricia (Cambridge, Massachusetts) on 11/20/2007
★★★★★

I tried out the yellow onion remedy for colic. It works, I recommend this remedy to anyone with a baby suffering from colic.


Colic
Posted by Sandy (Walnut Creek, CA) on 02/08/2007
★★★★★

Boil a small amount of yellow onions in water. Cool and strain. A sort of onion tea. Feed to colicy infant. Cherokee Indian recipe


Coughs

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Posted by Asmaa (Kuwait) on 01/06/2010
★★★★★

Cough

i tried this recipe from a friend's mom and it worked wonders. Peel Red Onions and make thick slices (may be say 3 or 4). Keep the slice in a bowl and put 1 tbsp sugar, then put another slice and again put 1 tbsp sugar, repeat the process until all slices are covered with sugar. Do this in the night and keep it until morning. In the morning there will be some juice in the bowl. Squeeze the onion with your hands to extract some more juice and drink it. Do it for 3 days. i got relief immediately after the first try.

Replied by Bris
(Santa Ana, California)
04/09/2016
★★★★★

Red or white onion juice, coconut oil, honey and lemon are a better syrup for a cough.


Coughs
Posted by Wendy (Sylmar, CA) on 12/29/2007
★★★★★

Slice up a brown or yellow onion and place it in a breathable bag such as a linen bag. Put it is bed near the face of the sufferer and it will stop the coughing within minutes. If the sufferer is awake, tie the bag around the neck and lie down on the couch with eyes closed. I thank God for the wonderful herbs He gives us to help our sicknesses!


Coughs
Posted by Seema (UK) on 01/22/2006
★★★★★

peel one large onion and cut in in half, put a half a tablespoon of brown sugar on to each half of the onion, and cover it, let it stand for an hour. The syrup relish should be taken at least twice a day. It works wonders.


Coughs
Posted by Sharon (Victoria, Australia) on 11/15/2005
★★★★★

I have stumbled across a remedy for coughs and bronchitis. slice an onion and place in bowl layer with pure honey, leave sit for an hour or so, this will yield a syrup. Have a teaspoon every 15 minutes until coughing chest soreness subsides.



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