Onions Are A Great Natural Remedy For Common Illnesses. Here Are 12 Surprising Ways To Use Them
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There is no doubt that onions are a vital ingredient in salads, burgers, and side dishes such as onion rings and blooming onions. However, some people may argue that onions are more useful outside the kitchen as compared to in the kitchen. This is because they prove to be very useful in curing various health problems as well as helping out in several ways around the house.
Onions have extremely high sulfur content (1). Sulfur is a very useful antioxidant, which means that onions can be considered as a highly versatile natural remedy. The antiseptic and antibiotic agents present in onions make them useful in fighting various diseases including cancer (2).
Onions help treat arthritis, diabetes, heart-related conditions and respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and asthma, boost your immunity levels, treat diabetes, stop vomiting, and lower the levels of cholesterol in your body (3). Below are 12 ways you can use onions to help ease your life.
1. Cough
To treat a cough, peel and slice an onion. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar on top of each slice and let it get absorbed into the onion for at least an hour. By eating this 2-3 times a day, you will be able to get rid of your cough since the sulfur in onions has properties that work great to help kill microbes that cause a cough. Furthermore, sulfur also has anti-inflammatory properties that help treat symptoms such as inflammation that occur during a cough.
2. Treat Hair Loss
To curb hair loss, boil a pot of water that contains a whole onion within it. Strain this water into a pet bottle and use it to wash your hair before you shampoo it. The antimicrobial properties of this water will help fight dandruff and strengthen your hair. Furthermore, the antioxidants in this water will help reduce hair loss.
3. To Help Soothe A Colicky Baby
To help ease colic in babies, give them a tablespoon of onion tea every day. Onion tea will help strengthen their stomach, relax their muscles, and improve their digestion. To prepare onion tea, dice an onion before boiling it in water. Let the mixture cool before draining it.
4. Help Soothe Bug Bites
Cut a slice of onion and place it on top of the affected area. The anti-inflammatory properties of the onion will help reduce the inflammation, redness, and discomfort caused by the bug bite.
5. Ear Infection
To help reduce the discomfort caused by the ear infection, evenly dice up an onion and place it in a thin cloth. Place this cloth over your ear and hold it in place with a hair band. Leave the cloth on until the pain disappears.
6. Cuts
As mentioned earlier, onions have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties. This makes them a very useful home remedy to treat cuts and other wounds. Simply cut a slice of onion and place it over the wound. Its anti-inflammatory properties will help seal the wound quickly while its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties will disinfect the wound and prevent it from getting septic.
7. Easing A Sore Throat
Boil some onion skin in water and let it cool. Use this water to gargle with. You can also swallow it. If you feel that you cannot bear its taste, you can add some lemon or honey to the concoction. The anti-inflammatory properties of onion will help soothe your throat and reduce any sort of inflammation.
8. Loosen Chest Congestion
You can create a natural vapor rub at your home using onions. Simply grind up some chopped onions along with coconut oil until the paste achieves a thick consistency. Use this paste as a vapor rub and rub it on your chest. The onion vapors will help decongest the mucus build-up in your chest.
9. Vomiting
Extract some onion juice by grating an onion before squeezing it in a cheesecloth. Add two teaspoons of onion juice to lemon tea and drink until your vomiting stops.
10. Cleanse The Air
Slice up an onion and place it in your room. It will absorb bacteria and other microbes in the atmosphere, cleansing the air in the process.
11. Treat Minor Burns
By rubbing a freshly sliced onion on the area affected by the burn, you will be able to speed up the healing process and decrease pain and redness.
12. Fever
To treat the symptoms of a fever, cut some slices of onion and keep them aside. Massage your feet with some coconut oil before placing the onion slices on them. Now, cover your feet with some cling film and put on a pair of socks. The onions will help draw out bacteria, sickness, and toxins from your body. For best results, leave them on your feet overnight.
Onions can prove to be a very inexpensive yet effective remedy to treat several health conditions. The majority of the techniques mentioned above require you to slice onions. To avoid tearing up every time you work with them, you can chew some gum while slicing onions. Stay healthy!
