Footnotes - Onion

1 “…slaves who built the pyramids were fed radishes and onions”.The origins of its name are also Roman or at least Latin. The Late Latin name unio was used to describe a species of onion resembling a single white pearl. This was later formed into the basis for the French, “oignon” and then later the English, “Onion”.

The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed onions as a diuretic, wound healer and pneumonia fighter. Likewise, Dioscorides, a Greek physician noted several medicinal uses of onions. The Greeks used onions to fortify athletes for the Olympic Games. Before competition, athletes would consume pounds of onions, drink onion juice and rub onions on their bodies.

And through the ages, there have been countless folk remedies that have ascribed their curative powers to onions, such as putting a sliced onion under your pillow to fight off insomnia.

As Americans search for low-fat, low-salt, and tasty meals, they’re eating more Onions …“almost 18 pounds per person per year, which is 50% more than a decade ago”.

The strong smell of the onion and its relatives contain thioallyl compound or alliins, and alliins are an amino acid. When cut or crushed, the alliin within the onion is converted by an enzymatic reaction into allicin, this breaks down into sulfide compounds. Sulfide compounds are aromatic and this is what gives the onion, and all the plants in the onion family, their distinctive smell. The cysteine sulphoxides occurring in the genus Allium are precursors for a large number of compounds which are responsible for the typical aroma as well as for the health value of these plants.
selfsufficientish.com/onion.htm <http://www.selfsufficientish.com/onion.htm>

2 "…entombed with onions in his eye sockets".
Some Egyptologists theorize that onions may have been used because it was believed that their strong scent and/or magical powers would prompt the dead to breathe again. Other Egyptologists believe it was because onions were known for their strong antiseptic qualities, which were construed as magical, and could be useful in the afterlife.

The onion is mentioned as a funeral offering and onions are depicted on the banquet tables of the great feasts and they were shown upon the altars of the gods. Paintings of onions appear on the inner walls of the pyramids and in the "…tombs of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom". Frequently, a priest is pictured holding onions in his hand or covering an altar with a bundle of their leaves or roots.

Onions grew in Chinese gardens as early as 5000 years ago and they are referenced in some of the oldest Vedic writings from India. There is evidence that the Sumerians were growing onions as early as 2500 B.C. One Sumerian text dated to about 2500 B.C. tells of "…someone plowing over the city governor's onion patch".

In India as early as the sixth century B.C., the famous medical treatise Charaka - Sanhita celebrates the onion as medicine “…a diuretic, good for digestion, the heart, the eyes and the joints".

It was the Romans who introduced the onion family to Europe. The Romans ate onions regularly and carried them on journeys to their provinces in England and Germany. Pliny the Elder, Roman's observer, wrote of Pompeii's onions and cabbages. Before he was overcome and killed by the volcano's heat and fumes, he catalogued the roman beliefs about the efficacy of the onion to cure vision, induce sleep, heal mouth sores, dog bites, toothaches, dysentery and lumbago. Excavators of the doomed city would later find gardens where, just as Pliny had said, onions had grown. The bulbs had left behind telltale cavities in the ground.

The Roman gourmet Apicius, credited with writing one of the first cookbooks (which dates to the eighth and ninth centuries A.D.), included many references to onions.

By the Middle Ages, the three main vegetables of European cooking were beans, cabbage and onions. In addition to serving as a "…food for both the poor and the wealthy…” onions were prescribed to alleviate headaches, snakebites and hair loss. They were also used as rent payments and wedding gifts.

The first Pilgrims brought onions with them on the Mayflower. However, they found that strains of wild onions already grew throughout North America. Native American Indians used wild onions in a variety of ways, eating them raw or cooked, as a seasoning or as a vegetable. Such onions were also used in syrups, as poultices, as an ingredient in dyes and even as toys. According to diaries of colonists, bulb onions were planted as soon as the Pilgrim farmers could clear the land in 1648.

At least 175 countries grow onions. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, there are an estimated "…6.7 million acres of onions in the world, producing 105 billion pounds of onions each year. Approximately 8 percent of this global onion production is traded internationally. Leading onion production countries are China, India, United States, Turkey and Pakistan, respectively".

U.S. farmers plant approximately 145,000 acres of onions, producing approximately 6 billion pounds of onions (excluding dehydration production) each year. The U.S. onion industry accounts for 2.4 percent of the world onion acreage and 6.5 percent of the world onion production. Onions are grown in more than 20 states, literally border-to-border and coast-to-coast. Leading U.S. onion production areas are Idaho-Eastern Oregon, Washington and California. (See U.S. onion acreage/production tables below).

Onions range in size from less than 1 inch in diameter, in cooking these are used as creamers or boilers, to more than 4.5 inches in diameter, super colossal. The most common sizes of onions sold in the United States are the medium, 2 to 3 ¼ inches in diameter and the jumbo, 3 to 3 ¾ inches in diameter.

“Antioxidants are compounds that help delay or slow the oxidative damage to cells and tissue of the body. Studies have indicated that quercetin helps to eliminate free radicals in the body, to inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation (an important reaction in the atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease), to protect and regenerate vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant) and to inactivate the harmful effects of chelate metal ions”.

In addition to quercetin, onions contain the phytochemicals known as disulfides, trisulfides, cepaene, and vinyl dithiins. These compounds have a variety of health-functional properties, including anticancer and antimicrobial activities.

Onions are also a source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and folic acid. They also contain calcium, iron and have a high protein quality, ratio of mg amino acid/gram protein.

Onions are low in sodium and contain no fat. They are low in calories with only 30 calories per serving, yet add abundant flavor to a wide variety of foods. Onions are also cholesterol free, and provide dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and other key nutrients.
National Onion Association website

3 Onions are mentioned to have been eaten by the Israelites in the Bible. In Numbers 11:5 the children of Israel lament the meager desert diet enforced by the Exodus: "We remember
the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic".
New Testament Bible Numbers 11:5

4 Major dietary sources of quercetin include tea, onions and apples. Recent studies at Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands, showed that the absorption of quercetin from onions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples. Based on studies conducted at The Queen's University at Belfast, Ireland and Wageningen Agricultural University, the “…content of quercetin in onions is estimated to be between 22.40 mg and 51.82 mg per medium-sized onion (100 gram)”. Further research at the Agricultural University on Wageningen showed that daily consumption of onions may result in increased accumulation of quercetin in the blood. Studies are in progress to determine whether the increased quercetin accumulation from eating onions translates into significant antioxidant benefit.
Wageningen Agricultural University website

5 University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found that “…the more pungent onions exhibit strong anti-platelet activity. Platelet aggregation is associated with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.” A study in progress at the University of Wisconsin is determining the extent to which onion consumption and specific onion compounds affect the in vivo aggregation of blood platelets. "Using an in vivo model, we are beginning to
investigate and, in some cases, confirm the potency of the onion as a blood thinner and platelet inhibitor. Onions may be among the vegetables that will be prized not only for their addition to our cuisine, but for their value-added health characteristics," said Irwin Goldman, Associate Professor of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
University of Wisconsin-Madison website

6 A recent study at the University of Bern in Switzerland showed that consumption of 1 g of dry onion per day for 4 weeks increased bone mineral content in rats by more than 17% and mineral density by more than 13% compared to animals fed a controlled diet. This data suggests onion consumption has the potential to decrease the incidences of osteoporosis. Several studies have shown quercetin to have beneficial effects against many diseases and disorders including cataracts, cardiovascular disease as well as cancer of the breast, colon, ovarian, gastric, lung and bladder.
University of Bern website

7 Research shows that onions may help guard against many chronic diseases. That's probably because onions contain generous amounts of the flavonoid quercetin. Studies have shown that quercetin protects against cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In addition, onions contain a variety of other naturally occurring chemicals known as organosulfur com-pounds that have been linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
www.herbs4highbloodpressure.com

8 Onions help prevent thrombosis and reduce hypertension, according to the American Heart Association.
American Heart Association website

9 The natural constituents of yellow or white onions can “…raise HDL cholesterol by 30% over time”, according to Dr. Victor Gurewich of Tufts University.
Tufts University website

10 This onion cough syrup is prepared by chopping several large onions into a double boiler. Cover the onions with honey. Boil the water beneath the double boiler. Once the honey has begun to liquefy add an ounce of horehound herb, liquorice root or cherry bark or any combination of these herbs. These herbs will magnify the expectorant properties of the cough syrup. Cover and let this concoction simmer in the double boiler for 4 to 5 hours. Strain the liquid syrup from the herb; bottle, label and refrigerate. The cough syrup will last several weeks in the refrigerator.

Another excellent formula is to be used for earaches and ear infections. And it is simple to prepare and apply. Take a medium sized onion, remove the peal and slice the onion in half. Bake the onion halves in the oven until it is between starting to become translucent and translucent. Cool the onion until the warmth of it can be tolerated on the sensitive area of the ear. It is advisable to rub some olive oil on the ear and around the ear to prevent any skin reactions. Place the warm onions on both ears, (when treating ears, always treat both at the same time) and wrap them onto the ear with a layer of plastic wrap, a bandage and secure this on the head with a nightcap. Garlic oil may also be placed in the ears before the onions are applied to fight infection.
Herbal Home Health Care page 49, 57

11 According to the USDA, to dehydrate onions you need to trim the bulb ends and remove the paper skins. Slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Onions may be cut into 3/8 to ½ inch dice, but will be slightly less pungent when dried. Dry at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 hours and then 130 degrees until dry. To tell if they are dry they should feel like paper. Dried onions readily reabsorb moisture, causing deterioration during storage, so they need to be packaged in airtight containers and kept in the freezer.
United States Department of Agriculture website