In old times, onions were called as the “Poor Man’s Elixir”. The white onion is used as a medicine in Ayurveda, as it has a post-digestive effect or Vipaka when sweet.
Dr. Bharat Vaidya B.A.M.S., M.D.
Owner and Founder of Ayurved Sadhana
Onions are cooling in nature and nutritious for your body. It has a pungent taste when raw, but sweet when sautéed. Onion is mostly Rajasic (the food which increases the energy of the body), but also has some Tamasic properties (the food which decreases the energy of the body).
In the spiritual community, individuals avoid onions due to its Rajasic properties. Some believe that Rajasic food stimulates the central nervous system, can promote sensuality, greed, jealousy, anger, delusion and disturbs vows of celibacy. However, Ayurveda views the onion as a medicine, no ancient Ayurvedic text references that you should avoid onions due to its Rajasic properties. If you practice Yoga and want to avoid onions, it is your personal choice. However, using onions in certain diseases as an Ayurvedic medicine is a wise decision and good for your health.
Onions: Benefits and Uses
Onions are antioxidants and work as an anti-inflammatory.
Eating thinly sliced onions with your lunch or dinner every day can potentially help you avoid Cancer.
Onions remove constipation as they have natural cellulose which helps moving the food through the gut and pushing waste out of the body.
Two drops of onion juice in each nostril can stop a bloody nose.
Onion with ghee is a great rejuvenating tonic and acts as an aphrodisiac.
Onions protects your body from diseases during the cold season, such as flu and Pneumonia.
Onion detoxifies your blood. It also helps during lung diseases by penetrating and removing the obstruction of phlegm.
Onion increases breast milk production and purifies the lactation process if consumed sautéed form during postpartum period.
Onion soup at night can help achieve good night’s sleep.
Onion removes Kapha, removes vitiated Vata, and with sugar it pacifies vitiated Pitta.
Onion can be used in diarrhea, amoebic dysentery, cholera, heartburn, psychological diseases, menstruation, and earaches.
Onions with salt can be held to the nose when someone has fainted.
Onion juice can work well for the retention of urine.
Back then, people used to do a fumigation with onion skin for purifying an air system.
For an extreme Asthma case, roast an onion on a small flame with its skin on. Once it is roasted all the way around, peel the skin and eat the roasted onion during Vata time, which is from 2 pm to 6 pm. You will see a decrease in asthma attacks.
Onion mixed with fig pulp, black raisin and honey was a famous syrup in acute bronchitis where the sputum is tenacious and scanty. It was a drug of choice for chronic bronchitis associated with emphysema and spasmodic croup. This syrup helps RBCs to regenerate its strength. (Reference: Prabhuram Ayurvedic College)
In conclusion, eat onions and protect your body from many diseases!
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