Onions are one of those things that we all typically have in our kitchens. It’s hard for me to think of a recipe that I love to cook that doesn’t involve at least one onion. What I didn’t know is that onions are basically magical. Aside from making food delicious, they have a ton of positive effects on our health and are useful for everything from repelling bugs, to treating wounds. Native American culture used onions for medicine, and even the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially verified the onion’s abilities to be used as medicine.
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Respiratory Conditions
One of the onion’s strongest medicinal uses is treating coughs and other respiratory issues. If you’ve ever dealt with chest congestion you know how annoying and even painful the constant coughing can be while your body tries to clear the fluid in your lungs. All you have to do is crush an onion up with some coconut oil and rub the mixture on your chest. The concoction works just like vapor rub to relieve chest congestion. Also, you can peel a large onion and cover the face of the slices with brown sugar. Let the slices sit for and hour, and then mash the onion slices up into a “relish”. Eat one tablespoon of the mixture every couple of hours, and your cough will disappear.
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Wound Treatment
The thin, clear skin from the outer layers of an onion can be used to not only stop bleeding, but it works as an antiseptic. Onion juice is a natural antibiotic.
Digestive Issues
By using a combination of onion juice and mint tea you can put and end to vomiting and nausea. All you have to do is grate an onion and use cheesecloth to extract the juice from the onion flesh. Make a cup of mint tea and alternate drinking 2 teaspoons of the onion juice and 2 teaspoons of the mint tea, waiting 5 minutes between each. This method for treating an upset stomach works almost instantly.
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Detox
This is one I have personally used myself, with amazing results. Tak a couple of this slices of onions and rub the face of them with coconut oil. Place them on the bottoms of your feet and wrap them in place with cling wrap. Put on a pair of thick socks and as you sleep with the onion slices on your feet the onions drain your body of toxins. It’s pretty incredible, actually.
Other Uses
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Onions are amazing for repelling bugs. You can rub an onion slice on your skin, or use boiled onion juice and water on plants to keep bugs away. Onion water also repels pesky moths. Onions can even be used to polish copper and glass in a pinch.
