Doctors love onions just as much as chefs, albeit for a different reason—their medicinal properties. They don’t prescribe it like penicillin, but when it comes to dieting suggestions, it’s one of the foods near the top of the list.
In addition to a wide variety of flavors and culinary uses, onions offer tons of various health-related benefits. The type of onion doesn’t matter, as they’re all very similar in composition. Here’s a quick rundown of the many health benefits the onion offers.
Common Cold
Onions contain a sulfur compound (allyl propyl disulphide) that can cure or prevent a variety of common cold symptoms, such as severe cough, sore throat, and earache.
Cancerous Growth
Regular intake of onions prevents the growth and quantity of precancerous tumors in many different areas of the body: colon, breast, larynx, esophagus, mouth, prostate, ovary and renal cells.
Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
Regular intake of onions also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, which, in turn, lessens the risk of heart attack and stroke
Healthy Bones
Onions contain gamma-L-glutamyl-trans-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (commonly known as GPCS), which helps maintain healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis.
Oral Health
Chewing raw onions can kill germs in the mouth, helping prevent tooth decay and oral infection.
Skin
Rubbing onion juice over facial acne or insect bites can help cure infected areas.
Miscellaneous
Onions can also aid in blood-thinning and abnormal urination and can help increase libido. The same sulfur compound mentioned earlier also lowers blood sugar levels by helping the body produce insulin.
Remember…
Onions aren’t just great for adding taste and texture to your homemade recipes. Its flexibility as a vegetable reaches other realms, and it’s a key food in a healthy diet because of its many health-related benefits.
