There are more than 325 varieties of onions, found all over the world.
The pungent qualities of members of this particular family are because
of the presence of sulfur on the bulbs.
Ancient medical treatises have lots of remedies using onions and onion
juices to cure and prevent several diseases ranging from baldness to
constipation. Onion is used externally to treat boils, felons, wounds
and stings, and internally to relive coughs, bronchitis, asthma,
gastro-intestinal disorders and headache.
Onion exhibited the following properties in experimental studies:
anticholesteremic, hypolipidemic, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory,
antibiotic and anticancer properties.
According to the ancient Egyptians, this spherical bulb was a symbol of
the universe and they believed that the onions kept evil spirits away.
In ancient Chinese medicine onions were used to cure colds.
Traditional uses of onion