Onion - allium cepa

Family Onions (Alliaceae).

Botanical characteristics. The family is lily. Perennial. Leaves are basal, arched, the stem is also hollow from the inside. Onions have a round or oblong bulb, covered with brownish scales. Flowers whitish, at the top of the stem collected in a spherical umbrella. Blossoms in July-August, fruits ripen in September. From seeds sown in spring in the first year by the end of August small bulbs grow, which become adults only in the second year. The whole plant has a specific pungent smell and taste.

Spread. The plant, known since ancient times, is cultivated as a vegetable crop in the open ground and in greenhouses.

Used parts of the plant. Bulbs and aboveground part.
The irritating effect of onions on the mucous membranes is due to essential oil containing sulfur compounds. Nitrous substances, vitamins (C, B, A), sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose - up to 11%), flavonoids, traces of iodine, phytoncides were found in the bulb.

Application. It is caused by phytoncidal, bactericidal, antisclerotic properties of onions, and also by the ability to stimulate the activity of the muscles and the secretory function of the stomach and intestines.
They are used for hypertension and atherosclerosis, for asthenia and hypovitaminosis.
Onions are recommended for poor appetite, with constipation caused by intestinal atony, chronic enterocolitis and diarrhea. Ingestion of onion preparations is indicated for prostatic hypertrophy, diabetes, chronic suppuration and furunculosis, as well as general restorative for impotence. Traditional medicine considers onions and garlic as antineoplastic agents.
Onions are regularly used for epidemics of infectious diseases: influenza, cholera, childhood infections. Onion phytoncides are treated with ARD, sore throat, flu, with bronchoectatic disease, etc., for which they inhale for 10-15 minutes evaporation of freshly prepared gruel from a bulb.
Outer gruel is used for the treatment of purulent skin diseases, for rubbing the head with hair loss.
Juice of onion is used to lubricate the nasal cavity in rhinitis and for syringing with trichomonas colpitis and thrush.

Contraindications. Onions can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys. Therefore, it is included in the diet with caution, starting with small amounts.

Preparation. Fresh juice of onions are mixed with honey (1 part of juice is 2 parts of honey). Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture 3-4 times a day for 20-40 minutes before meals.
Drugstores: allylchep, allylglycer.
B.D. Yordanov, B.P. Nikolov, A. Boychinov advise: "A small onion head, eaten in the evening, is a good tool for the treatment of prostatic hypertrophy."

In Homeopathy, Allium Sulfur 3x, 3, 6 is used in diseases of the respiratory system: in the case of a common ARI with a watery eroding discharge from the nose, lacrimation and tickling in the throat; Allergic sinusitis. Allium sulfur also cures ulcers on the heels caused by friction of the shoes.