Onions can be used as an effective home remedy to cure cough.
Highlights
- Onions are low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients
- Onions are packed with immune-boosting nutrients
- Onions are great for curing puffy nose
We invariably have onions in our kitchens, because almost all our dishes are incomplete without them. It is more of a compulsion, because we believe our dish is incomplete if we do not add golden brown sauteed onions in it. But did you know that apart from enhancing the flavours, onions do a lot more to your health. This layered vegetable are a part of the allium family of vegetables and herbs, which also includes chives, garlic, scallions and leeks. Allium vegetables are well known for their characteristic, pungent flavours and medicinal properties. Onions can vary in size, shape, colour and flavour. The most common types of onions are red, yellow and white onions. Onions can be sweet and juicy, spicy and pungent, often depending on the season in which they are grown and consumed. They are low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They also contain small amounts of iron, potassium, calcium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and the antioxidants quercetin and sulfur.
Health expert Luke Coutinho in his recent Instagram post shared the several health benefits of onions. According to the health expert, onions can cure cold, cough, high fever, sore throat and boosts immunity. All you need to do is cut some onion and soak it in drinking water for about six to eight hours. You can drink three to four tablespoon of this water thrice a day for better health. Luke Coutinho in his post also gives credit to our ancestors who used food as medicine.
Also read: What To Eat When You Have A Cold And Flu - Celebrity Nutritionist Nmami Suggests
Top 5 health benefits of onions:
1. Boosts Immunity:
Onions have certain phytochemicals that act as stimulants for vitamin C within the body. Vitamin C boosts your immune system by fighting against toxins that can lead to numerous diseases and chronic illness. Onions are packed with immune-boosting nutrients like selenium, sulfur compounds, zinc, and vitamin C. In addition, they are one of the best sources of quercetin, a potent flavonoid, and antioxidant that has antiviral properties as well as histamine regulating effects.
2. Curing cough:
Onions can be used as an effective home remedy to cure cough. For this you need to slice an onion and keep it in a bowl. Add some drinking water to it. You can have three to four teaspoon of the mixture thrice a day. But make sure you must consume it fresh. Onion juice can help vanish your cough within no time.
3. Sore throat:
As mentioned above, onions contain sulfur compounds that help fight mucus and promote the expulsion of mucus from your airways. Onion is considered to be the most powerful natural antibiotics, which can fight off both viral and bacterial infections, and ease the symptoms of sore throat.
Also read: 5 Best Ways To Deal With Sore Throat At Home
4. High fever:
Onion is an age old common and versatile ingredient of Indian home remedies for treating chronic fever. It helps lower body temperature and relieves body ache which is caused by fever. You can simply shop an onion into small pieces and put in a large bowl. Add some drinking water and keep it for six to seven hours. Drink this mixture three to four times a day. This drink will help treating high fever and boosting the overall immunity.
5. Cold and flu:
You might not know this, but onions are great for curing puffy nose as well. A spoon of onion juice which has strong antioxidants will relieve you from severe cold. You can also add onions into your salads and food for maximum benefits.
Also read: 6 Things You Should Not Do When You Have A Cold
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.