Herb of the week: Onion

December 12, 2011

A short-short profile:

Latin: Allium cepa

Family: Alloideae (Alliaceae), onion family.

Parts used: Bulb.

Taste: Raw: acrid. Cooked: sweet.

4 humors: Moist, warm to hot.

Actions:

* Great for coughs, in syrups or boiled, given with hot milk or hot tea.

* Raw: great to keep the respiratory tract open.

* Baked, fried, cooked or otherwise prepared onion is great for earache.

Food uses:

* Mmmm. Caramelized onions. Y-u-m.

* Cooked onions will moisten up otherwise dry dishes.

Notes:

* Some people are sensitive to onions; some onions sensitives have been very

influential, and some of their followers are still adamantly declaring all

onions to be toxic. Disregard them, at least if you're not sensitive to

onions.

* It's a good idea to include carminative herbs (caraway seed or similar) if

a meal consists mostly of onions. This is even more important if the meal

is given to a cooped-up group of people ... else, the stench in the dorm

will be indescribable.

* Onions contain sulphur, which is necessary for a working immune system.

If you can't eat onions try to ingest sulphur in other foods.

* Some people are sensitive to the sulphur of sulphured dried fruit, but have

no problems with onions.

Experiences:

* I've put chopped-up onions in a pouch near my little one's head, in flu

times, when her nose has been plugged up. This helps keep the airways open,

which means better sleep and thus a better immune system both for her and

for her parents. It also meant easy breastfeeding, back when she was still

at the breast.

* Boiled, fried or otherwise prepared onions are a nice remedy for earaches,

when you don't have that mullein ear oil handy.

* A onion syrup is great for coughs. There are many ways to make that: do

tell your recipe!

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