Essay on onions

Onion

The onion qualities make it a prince among vegetable and some one has said that onion is the dynamite of natural food. It is a good cleanser an healer. If is is eaten more often, it is certain that there would be fewer colds, less catarrh, less anaemia, fewer gastric ills and less insomnia.

The characteristic flavour of onion, on account of which it is considered taboo by certain section of people in India, is due to an volatile oil containing allyl propyl disulphide which is excreted through the lungs when this vegetable is eaten giving the breath a characteristic odor. The onion also contain a peculiar form of sugar to which sweet flavour of roasted onion is due. It affords a very excellent form of food iron and on this account may often be eaten freely with advantage by persons suffering from anaemia. It is regarded in antiquity as a diuretic of the first order. Onion juice is applied to burns, chilblains and bites or stings. It is believed to be very useful to cure sores and ulcers. It cures certain kind of dropsy. It is also claimed to be of value as a digestic stimulant, as an anti-fermentative and as an anti-diabetic.

Onions are useful in fever, dropsy, catarrh and chronic bronchitis and mitigate cough in phthisis. In case of breeding at the nose, an onion is cut in halves and placed on the nose. Warts also some times disappear if rubbed with cut onions. Roasted onions are applied as a poultice to indolent boils, bruises, wounds to relief heaty sensation and bring the boils to maturity. Fresh onion juice promotes perspiration, relieves constipation and bronchitis, induces sleep, is good for cases of scurvy and suffers from lead colic. Onion juice is given an antidote in tobacco poisoning.

Garlic

The recent scientific studies indicate that many constituents of garlic have different functions. However, all constituents are not present in all forms of garlic.

Antibiotic : ajoene, allicin, allylmethyl thiosulfinate, diallyl trisulfide and methyl allyl thiosulfinate

Inhibition of cancer : ajoene, allicin allixin, allyl mercaptan, allyl methyl trisulfide, diallyl disulfide, diallyl sulfide, propyline sulfide & S-allyl cystein

Detoxification : ajone, allicin, aliin, allixin, allyl methyl disulfide, diallyl disulfide, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, dipropyl disulfide, methyl ajoene & S-allyl cystein

Antioxidant : aliin, diallyl hepta; hexa; penta; tetra and tri sulfides, S allyl cysteine and selenium

Lowers blood sugar : allicin, allyl propyl disulfide

Lowers cholesterol : Ajoene, allicin, S-allyl-cysteine, diallyl disulfide

Liver protection : diallyl trisulfide

Improves immunity