Onions for disease prevention
Onions are a food with antibiotic properties that are no less effective than any currently available medication, including those used to treat tuberculosis.
Although there is no shortage of medicinal herbs with antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antifungal properties, to this day, pharmaceutical experts still consistently rank onions among the top in terms of antibiotic properties based on biological mechanisms, meaning they cause the fewest side effects.
Like antibiotics
After comparing the effects of hundreds of medicinal herbs according to modern pharmacological criteria, Russian doctors have concluded that onions are a food with antibiotic properties that are no less effective than any currently available medication, including those used for tuberculosis. Their antiseptic effect on the respiratory tract is even more pronounced when consumed raw or mixed with oil and vinegar.
Onions are beneficial for the respiratory system and produce healthy fats. (Photo: Hong Thanh)
Therefore, even if you're not used to eating onions, you should get used to them to take advantage of their effectiveness in preventing respiratory infections. Chewing raw onions may not be the most palatable, but it's an effective way to disinfect the throat by using the mechanism of runny nose and tearing to expel impurities clinging to the respiratory mucosa before toxins accumulate enough to cause inflammation or allergic reactions. Onions are abundant in our country, so why are sinusitis and rhinitis so rampant?
It sounds easy, but it's not easy to apply the method of eating raw onions because many people are not used to its pungent smell and spicy taste. These people should remember Sebastian Kneipp, a famous monk who was once a royal physician to the Austrian Empire. He "designed" a very simple mouthwash: finely chop an onion, soak it in honey overnight, then add filtered water in a ratio of 1 part honey to 3 parts water, and use this solution to rinse your mouth every hour if you have respiratory problems.
The nemesis of high blood cholesterol.
To praise onions solely based on their antibiotic properties is like looking at the onion through its skin. Numerous studies over the past two decades have shown that onions are a nemesis of high blood cholesterol. Unlike the typical mechanism of action of many cholesterol-lowering drugs, which passively reduce cholesterol levels—meaning they only take action after cholesterol has already taken control of the market—onions have a much more decisive effect through their direct influence on the liver's fat metabolism. In other words, instead of chasing and competing with high blood cholesterol, onions proactively gain the upper hand by promoting the synthesis of beneficial fats in the body, creating a competitive advantage. The more beneficial fats, like HDL, the less beneficial fats that cause atherosclerosis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney damage, such as LDL and triglycerides, will be. This skillful adjustment of fats avoids straining an already unhealthy liver.
The long-standing challenge for medical professionals is that while there's no shortage of harmful fat-lowering drugs, they come with numerous side effects, while methods for improving levels of beneficial fats are scarce. Unfortunately, many medical professionals overlook onions. This ingredient should be included in the diets of those with cardiovascular disease, or more broadly, in the diets of anyone who wants to proactively control their blood fat levels. Even if you have to shed tears in the kitchen while slicing onions, it's still worthwhile, because shedding tears for onions is certainly more comforting than crying over a serious illness.
According to Nguoi Lao Dong - NT
