Báo điện tử Phật giáo online

Flu Cure - Onions

A story is around about a child in a hospital and nearly dying.  His grandmother came to the hospital and told a family member to buy a large onion and a new pair of white cotton socks.

She sliced the onion open then put a slice on the bottom of each of his feet and put the white cotton socks on him.   In the morning when he awoke they removed the socks. The slices of onion were black and his fever was gone!

And yet another recounted story.  In 1919 when the influenza pandemic killed 40 million people there was this doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their families had contracted it and many had died.  The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms  of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of  the onions, which he placed under the microscope.  She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion.   It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, another anecdote.   Several years ago many employees in a hairdressing salon were coming down with the flu, as well as many of the customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around the shop. Surprisingly none of  the staff got sick.  It must work - and no, the proprietor was not in the onion business.

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens.  These people did it last year and never got the flu.

For flu cure:
Cut both ends off an onion, put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar, placing jar next to sick patient at night.  Apparently the onion is black in the morning from the germs.

Onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.  

One more thing though, never store cut onions and consume the next day.

For more info: Powerful Healing Properties of Onions

Recently, my son came down with a nasty fever and cough. I tried my usual arsenal of herbal remedies and supplements, some of which undoubtedly helped in the interim, but ultimately, if I backed off, the cough returned with a vengeance. Frustrated, and admittedly a little scared by the possibility of H1N1 (something I think is in the back of all our minds now), I resorted to more traditional remedies. Again, these helped some but did little to relieve the actual cause, and the fever and cough continued. Then, during a conversation with my sister, I relayed my frustrations with the fact the school year had hardly begun and the casualties were already mounting to which she simply replied, "onions". Not quite sure I heard her or that she was even listening to my obvious diatribe about how being back at school also meant the inevitable sharing of every germ, virus and bacteria, known to man, I responded in kind "onions?"

"Yup", she said. "Onions and brown sugar". After she said it, that little light bulb immediately went off in my head and I thought "of course".

Onions are a member of the allium family, the same as garlic, leeks, shallots and scallions. These smelly, but powerful veggies contain literally dozens of chemical compounds (25 to be exact) that have been used for centuries for their amazing healing properties. The Chinese, East Indians, Ancient Greeks, Romans and even Egyptians revered the onion, believing it to help with infections, digestion as well as issues with the eyes and joints among other things. Today, we know the plant has potent diuretic, antibiotic and even anti-inflammatory properties. Studies also show it to be an effective expectorant, which makes it very useful in cases of infections like colds, flu and persistent coughs.

Onions and others in the allium family are high in flavonoids, powerful antioxidants known to prevent disease by attacking harmful free radicals within the body. In particular, onion is very rich in the flavonoid quercetin, a compound shown in studies to help prevent heart disease by not only preventing cholesterol from attaching to arterial walls, but also by preventing blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. In fact, one 2006 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition , shows people who consume the most quercetin-containing foods (onion soup in this study) have a reduced risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Quercetin is also shown to stop the progression of tumors, one reason this compound is often used for cancer prevention. Researchers at the University of Utah have further found that quercetin may in fact help to reduce blood pressure.

Onions are also an effective and natural way to raise good (HDL) cholesterol according to the American Heart Association. Researchers at Massachusetts' Tufts University have shown eating yellow or white onions can actually raise HDL cholesterol by as much as 30 percent over time.

Onions contain sulfur compounds that are not only responsible for its pungent smell but also the reason your eyes water when you cut them. Onion and other allium vegetables are rich in thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides and other odoriferous sulfur compounds. While cysteine sulfoxides primarily give onion its distinct flavor and eye-irritating properties, research shows thiosulfinates have powerful antimicrobial properties that are effective against numerous bacteria including bacillus subtilis, salmonella and even E. coli. All these organosulfur compounds are also proving to be a significant factor in both cancer and cardiovascular prevention. Interestingly, in central Georgia where the popular Vidalia onions are grown, statistics show the death rate from stomach cancer is almost 50 percent lower than in the rest of the United States. As well, sulfur in onions is shown to help in cases of asthma by inhibiting the allergic, inflammatory response typical in acute attacks.

Onions are also very rich in fructo-oligosaccharides, compounds shown to stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon, which may account in part for onion's role in colon cancer prevention.

Unfortunately, the beneficial effects from onions are mostly lost when cooked according to some studies, so you should try to eat onion raw whenever possible. Some researchers suggest the best way to get the maximum benefit from onions is to juice them and then mix the juice with honey, taking two-to three teaspoons daily for about three weeks when fighting a virus. According to research, the Western Yellow, New York Bold and Northern Red onion contains the highest concentration of flavonoids and antioxidant value of the 10 onions tested (the milder tasting Western White and Vidalia onions having the lowest antioxidant content). So, when buying onions a good rule of thumb, according to this study, is essentially the smellier and stronger the onion variety the better.

• < Prev
• Next >