Onion Profile
Also Known As- Allium cepa and Allium spp, Garden Onion, and Common Onion.
Introduction
The familiar garden vegetable has many medicinal applications, is easy to grow and can be administered in a multitude of ways.
Constituents
Quercetin, Allicin, allyl sulfide, vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid.
Parts Used
Entire young plant except rootlets, bulb of mature plant.
Typical preparations
Added to food liberally in all its forms either chopped, diced, whole, etc.
Can be used in teas, and is very rarely found encapsulated. Onions and soy are used as a vegan alternative to chicken soup for colds.
Summary
Onion is remarkably anti-allergenic, due to its content of quercetin. In fact, an onion a day may be likely to keep you away from the doctor than an apple a day. The quercetin of onions is absorbed through the lining of the intestine in about 20 minutes, compared to 20 hours for many other foods (including apples), and stays in circulation longer than quercetin from other foods.
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.
Precautions
Avoid when there is profuse sweating.
