Onion and the Rings of Life

Commentary by user d. chedwick bryant, creator of Tangled Up in L'Heure Bleue, reminded me of an old saying, "An onion a day keeps strokes away." He also pointed out the benefits of using it for colds and coughs.

This started me thinking about onions and their history. There is little doubt that onions have been used as food and medicine since our earliest days. The first evidence of onion as a known food source comes from Bronze Age archaeological digs dating back to 5000 B.C. There is evidence to suggest onions were being cultivated as early as 2000 B.C. by Egyptians, who worshiped them. Ancient Egyptians, looking at the circular shape and concentric rings, associated the venerable onion with eternal life. Slices of onion were often placed over the eyes of the dead where it was supposed to bring back their breath once they crossed into the afterlife.

Other historic uses have included rubbing on the body to tone muscles and as a blood tonic for athletes. Doctors in the 16Th century prescribed onion to treat infertility in women as well as cattle and other livestock. It has been used as a staple in many culture's diets due in part to being so easily grown and of such great benefit health wise.

Onions contain thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides, and other sulfur compounds and have shown effectiveness against many bacteria including Salmonella, and E. coli. They are known to be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti cholesterol and anticancer due to containing Quercetin, an extremely beneficial flavinoid. Check out the link for a bit of scientific information on this flavinol that is proving to have remarkable anti-tumor properties and is being used in the successful treatment of skin and prostate cancers when used topically and combined with ultra-sound.

If you were to receive a bunch of onions as a gift today it would probably be thought offensive. Historically there is evidence that a gift of onions was considered to be a gift of love. Science is showing us that a gift of onions just might be one of the most beneficial and thoughtful gifts you could wrap up! Imagine that!