Onion as an Herb

(Allium sepa)

This familiar garden vegetable has many medicinal applications, is easy to grow and can be administered in a multitude of ways.

Onions are milder in action, but provide the same health benefits as garlic.

The onion is an edible bulb. While it is a vegetable at heart, it also acts as a spice inasmuch as it can provide an aromatic undertone to various meat and vegetable dishes, without being a major ingredient.

Medicinal Uses for Onions

Onions are a valuable disinfectant. Country people hang up a string of onions as a protection against an infectious disease, and it has constantly been observed that onions will take on the disease while the people remain immune. For this reason it is important to examine onions before they are cooked, and to discard any which are imperfect.

Onions are remarkably anti-allergenic, due to the content of quercetin. Onions are used externally as an antiseptic. Internally, onions can alleviate gas pains, reduce hypertension, and reduce cholesterol.

In traditional herbal medicine, onion is a gentle herb for relieving toxicity and breaking up "clumps" of infections, that is, sores or abscesses. Onions induce perspiration to 'sweat out a cold,' and relieve abdominal pain and nasal congestion.

Onion Folklore

• Egyptians believed onions had strength producing powers.
• Alexander the Great ordered his troops to eat onions to improve their vitality. The Romans ate onions to gain strength and courage.
Roman Gladiators were rubbed down with onions to firm up their muscles.
• In ancient Greece, athletes ate large quantities of onions because they believed onions would "lighten the balance of blood".
• In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections, and breathing problems.
• Folklore credits onions as a cure for baldness and as an antidote to venomous bites. Although there is no evidence to support the baldness claim and there are many better ways to treat a snake bite, modern research suggests that onions can offer true health benefits.
• During the Middle Ages, onions were a dietary staple in Europe, where they were often eaten with bread as a main course.
• Captain James Cook also applied the onion remedy in the eighteenth century for scurvy on his voyages to the remote areas of the Pacific. At one point, Cook refused to sail until each man in his crew ate 20 pounds of onions, followed by 10 pounds two days later.
• Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, breathing problems and repel insects.
• During World War II, Russian soldiers applied Onions to battle wounds as an antiseptic.

Culinary

Onion is a basic flavoring in the kitchen. It is used as a vegetable, or as a spice to bring out the flavor of other dishes without overpowering them. It often accompanies meat - especially mince and meat dishes such as shepherds pie and meat loaf. Onion is also widely used in soups, pickles and cooked vegetable dishes, sauces, hearty casseroles, and bean and lentil dishes. It is a common ingredient in marinades, and an onion studded with cloves is often a main flavoring in stocks and bouillons.

Onions are added to food liberally in all its forms either chopped, diced, whole, etc.

Famous in India is pvaza, a dish of meat cooked with a, much as double its weight of onions. The shallot is frequently used in Mediterranean and American cookery, the rocambole in country recipes. Spring onions are common in fresh summer salads and in Chinese and Japanese cookery.

Onions can be used in teas. Onions and soy are used as a vegan alternative to chicken soup for colds.

Cautions

Nursing mothers should use onion in small amounts, as the onion in breast milk can sometimes cause colic in sensitive babies.

Avoid when there is profuse sweating.

Raw onions when cut or bruised may irritate the eyes and nose.

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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.