onion folklore

BEHOLD THE ONION

Posted on by vlaw759

Chances are your thoughts went to food: onions as components of soups and stews, casseroles or sandwiches. (If you eat red meat, you might try a toasted English muffin with mustard, a sausage patty, and a slice of onion. It used to be a staple at Bob Evans, and they’ll still make it on request.) You might even think of creamed onions.

from Mother Earth’s Children, 1914

For a few of you, The Onion: America’s Finest News Source might come to mind. As far as I know, this is the only (non-cooking) publication named for a vegetable. It’s a print/online parallel to late night comedy shows.

But for most of us, onions are, essentially, food.

In this blog, I want to explore other aspects of onions: the health benefits of eating onions and the symbolism of onions, and miscellaneous helpful uses.

Medicine from the Onion

Medicinal onions: although we don’t usually think of them in this way, onions have numerous health benefits.

Onions Have Many Antioxidants

They contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. They help protect cells from oxidative stress. Onions may reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer, and support immune system regulation

Onions help Regulate Blood Sugar Levels

Flavonoids in onions help stabilize glucose levels. They may improve insulin sensitivity. Onions help prevent energy crashes and spikes throughout the day. They support better metabolic control.

Onions are Loaded with Nutrients

Onions are a great source of potassium, which aids muscle function and hydration. They contain manganese to support connective tissue and bone health. Onions also help regulate metabolism and energy production, and contribute to maintaining fluid balance in the body.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

In general, anti-inflammatories are good things. Quercetin works as a natural anti-inflammatory agent, which may ease symptoms of arthritis by reducing joint stiffness and pain. Also, they have the potential to support urinary health by reducing inflammation. Indeed, they aid in fighting any systemic inflammatory condition.

Onions May Help With Cancer

Researchers have linked the organosulfur compounds in onions to anti-cancer effects, associated with reduced risk of colorectal, ovarian, and laryngeal cancers. Being rich in antioxidants helps protect DNA from damage. Overall, onions support detoxification processes in the body.

Onions May Reduce Risks of Alzheimer’s Disease

Quercetin may help protect brain cells from oxidative damage. Researchers have linked the quercetin in onions to a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases. It also supports long-term memory and cognitive function. Overall, onions are an easy dietary addition to support brain longevity.

Onions Have Antibacterial Properties

Montalba, Hilda; A Venetian Boy Onion-Seller
A Venetian Boy Onion-Seller by Hilda Montalba

They’re rich in allicin, which has antibacterial and antifungal effects. They may help protect the colon and digestive tract from harmful microbes. Onions support overall gut balance and detoxification.

Overall, onions are a natural way to reinforce the body’s defenses. So, lots of reasons to eat onions. Raw onions retain more sulfur compounds and antioxidants before cooking, making them slightly more beneficial than cooked ones. However, both have useful health benefits.

No wonder people have used them in folk medicine as congestion, cough, and cold medicine for centuries. If you have some extra onions lying around, why not whip up an old-fashioned honey and onion cough syrup?

Onion Tears

Girl Chopping Onions by Gerrit Dou
Girl Chopping Onions by Gerrit Dou

Raw or cooked, onions typically involve slicing or chopping. Which often involves tears. If onion tears are a problem for you, you might want to watch this short video.

FYI, onion tears are chemically different from emotional tears. Indeed, your body produces a myriad of tears every day. Whether triggered by onions, allergies, intense emotion or just to keep your eyes from drying out, they’re all different. I don’t want to fall into a research rabbit hole, but you might want to explore on your own.

The Onion as a Totem

Paleolith wrote the following for The Totemist.

Sculpture in Ootmarsum, Netherlands

“Common Onion (Allium cepa) unity, macrocosm and microcosm, the ability to see the multilayeredness of reality, balance between all elements, finding comfort in the earth, emotional release, the symbolism and magic of tears, needing to defend yourself in a memorable way, connection to and protection of soldiers, oaths, treasuring the “simple” joys of life.

“Onions and garlic share much of the same mythology and folklore and totemically share similar attitudes about protection and defense. 

“Onions and garlic have long been considered to bestow strength and endurance and were included in the diets of Egyptian slaves and Greek Olympians.

“The word “onion” is derived from the Latin word “unio” which means “unity” or “oneness”, and it is here that Onion’s most mystical teachings are found.  The layers of onions have been referenced often in literature as a metaphor for discovering multiple facets of something or for uncovering a truth.  Ancient Egyptians, who viewed the circles of the onion as a symbol for eternity, revered, perhaps even worshiped, onions. 

Microscopic Onion Cells
Microscopic Onion Cells

“If the ancients discovered the Macrocosm in the onion, then, in a way, we in modern times are given our first glimpses of Microcosm in the same plant.  Viewing dyed onion cells under a microscope is one of the first examples young biology students are given of the complexity of life on a microscopic level.  In an almost poetic way Onion has helped many of us view yet another layer to life.

“If you choose (or are chosen) to become a student of Onion expect to learn much more than the lessons you first sought out.  Onion is as multilayered spiritually as it is physically….  Onion is in equal measures earthy and mystical and students are likely to be asked to examine their lives in a very holistic manner that brings the two states into a harmonious union.”

Cromniomancy (Onion Divination)

The earliest written mention occurs in Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. He referred to cromniomancies as a custom of laying onions on an altar on Christmas Eve in order to divine when someone will marry.

Cromniomancy usually involves interpreting the sprouting behavior of onions, after some kind of ritual to state the topic of the divination. This often involves inscribing the onions, dedicating them on an altar or something similar. But people can also perform cromniomancy in idiosyncratic ways not involving sprouting.

Historically, people across Europe, Africa, and northern Asia have performed cromniomancy. The sphere within a sphere of the onion made it a much-revered symbol of spirituality and eternity, to the extent that the ancient Egyptians took their sacred oaths with their right hand on an onion. There are many forms of cromniomancy, from divining the weather by the thickness of the skin, to gaining inside information.

Miscellaneous Onion Uses

Cleaning and Polishing

Onion Air!

Have rusty knives lying around that you are hesitant to use? Plunge your knife into a large raw onion and this will immediately remove rust.

Dirty, grimy, grill? No problem! Chop an onion in half, and then use a fork to hold half of the onion to scrub the grill.

In fact, onions are effective for polishing most metals. Crush a raw onion and combine it with equal part water. With a cloth, dab it on the metal surface. Rub until everything is shiny and clean.

Healing and Soothing Skin

The magical onion enzymes are also effective for “removing acne.” Mix crushed onion slices with water and apply to acne. The components of the onion are harsh on zits and effectively remove them.

The calming properties of onions can help in treating minor burns. Rub an onion on top of a burn to soothe the pain.

Fix Obnoxious Odors

Is the smell of new paint keeping you up all night? Rather than purchasing expensive room freshener, place several freshly cut slices of onion in a dish with a bit of water. Leave the bowl in the newly painted room overnight, it will combat the unpleasant, and sometimes unhealthy, odors of paints and varnishes.

Overcook your rice and want to get rid of that burnt smell that seeps into every corner of your house? Place half an onion next to the stove — it’ll absorb the smell.

Around the House

Onion Skins for Easter Egg Dye

Onion skins make great dyes! It’s as simple as wrapping eggs in onion skins, tying them up in a towel to secure them, and boiling as usual. They’ll come out with a beautiful, orange tint. Red onions will create a purplish-pink dye.

Bugs hate the pungent-smelling compound allicin found in onions — making it a perfect choice for natural and organic insect repellent. And making it is simple: blend two onions and a clove of garlic with a quart of water until smooth. Use cheesecloth to filter and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. There you have it — a nature-friendly insect repellent that will keep the pesky bugs away without harming your plants.

Bottom Line: Whether food or food for thought, magical or practical, onions have something for everyone!

CONSIDER THE ONION

Posted on by vlaw759

They say inspiration comes from everywhere. Interesting details to add to your writing also come from everywhere. To flavor your work, consider the onion.

(For a laugh, consider the satirical new website The Onion, but I’m actually talking about the plant in this instance.)

Onion Lore

There is a vast array of folklore surrounding onions. Onions are part of nearly every cuisine around the world, so nearly every culture has found uses for onions beyond cooking.

  • If you stick pins into a small onion and keep it on your windowsill, it dispels bad spirits from your home—or so says folklore. (Garlic has been used for the same purpose.)
  • Onions are also thought to ward off snakes and witches.
  • American colonists hung onions outside their doors to deflect evil spirits and keep them from coming inside.
  • If you throw onion peels on the floor, you’ll throw away your luck.
  • In many prehistoric societies, onions were the symbol of eternity, fit only for the gods. Additional symbolism includes protection, memories, jealousy, envy, divine healing, and mood swings.
  • Onions in dreams may represent the layers the dreamer needs to get through to find the source of a problem or issue. Alternatively, the dreamer may need to cleanse something in order to start afresh.
  • Put an onion under your pillow if you wish to dream the identity of your future lover.
  • In Egypt, an onion held in the right hand was a sign of fealty, used to swear allegiance to Cleopatra, and were a farewell offering carved into Tutankhamen’s tomb. They have been found in the pelvic region of mummies, in the thorax, and flattened against the ears. In 1160 BCE, King Ramses IV was entombed with onions in his eye sockets.
  • In other cultures, onions were associated with the devil. In Persia, it was said that when Satan was banished from paradise, onions sprang from the print of his right foot. 
  • Romans believed that eating onions increased the quantity and vitality of sperm. Some Middle Eastern cultures considered onions an aphrodisiac.
  • In England, onions predicted the weather: a thick skin meant a bad winder ahead, a thin skin, a mild one.
  • Schoolboys used to believe that rubbing their bottoms with onion juice would numb them to the sting of disciplinary caning.
  • If you want to make a wish on Friday morning, sprinkle salt and pepper on an onion skin and toss it into the fire while thinking the wish.  Other days or times? Who knows?
  • When undecided about something important, scratch each option on a different onion and store them in the dark. The first one to sprout reveals your best choice. This applies to choosing one’s lover/husband as well!
  • In English-speaking countries, some people believe that putting onions under the bed of a sick person aids recovery. 
  • Stringing onions up around the house, especially at the entrance will guard against illness, accidents, and curses.
  • Put a slice of onion under the doormat to keep away unwanted visitors.
  • If onions sprout in your kitchen, plant them. If they grow, you will come into unexpected money.
  • The cut side of an onion has been used to relieve the effects of insect stings, and to draw poison from the bites of venomous snakes and rabid dogs.
  • Snakes hate the smell of onions, so carry one when you walk in snake territory to ward them off.
  • Get rid of warts by rubbing the edge of an onion on the warts and then throw the onion over your right shoulder without looking back.
  • Onion juice provides extra sulfur which can support strong, thick hair, thus preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth. The sulfur from onions may help collagen production which, in turn, promotes healthy skin.

Onion Medicine

Folk medicine often contains a kernel of truth, and onion medicine is no different. Modern medical researchers study onions’ palliative properties for everything from high blood pressure to cholesterol levels. 

  • Because eating onions causes one to perspire, they’ve been used in folk medicine to cure colds. 
  • Onions are low in calories yet high in nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins, and potassium. 
  • Research shows that eating onions help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, and inflammation. 
  • Red onions are rich in anthocyanins, which are powerful plant pigments that may protect against heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. 
  • Onion consumption is associated with improved bone mineral density. 
  • Onions are a rich source of prebiotics, which help boost digestive health, improve bacterial balance in your gut, and benefit your immune system. 
  • Onions have been shown to inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria like E. coli and S. aureus. 
  • Onion juice can cure colds, cough, high fever, and sore throat. (One might want to eat parsley to combat onion-breath!)

Onion Facts

Even without their miraculous fortune-telling powers or magical healing properties, onions are pretty nifty vegetables!

  • Most people cut onions before eating them, often tearfully. Chilling peeled, halved onions in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes can lessen the onion tear production.
  • FYI: onion tears are chemically different from tears caused by pain or sadness. 
  • No one knows for sure where onions first appeared. Some believe they originated in Central Asia; other say onions were first grown in Iran and West Pakistan. But onions were surely eaten long before they were cultivated, and now they are grown in 135 countries.
  • When Europeans came to the New World, they brought onions with them, only to find that Native Americans were using wild onions for food, in syrups, as poultices,  as an incident in dyes, and as toys!
  • Worldwide, people consume and average of 11 pounds of onions per year, but onion  eating varies widely by geography. Turkey has the highest consumption, with 80.7 pounds per capita per year. In the US, the figure is 18.6 pounds per person per year. 
  • WARNING: all parts of onions (and related plants, like garlic) are toxic to dogs and cats! Raw or cooked, as little as 1/4 cup can make a 20-pound dog sick. 

If that’s not enough onion-y brain fodder, check out the National Onion Association, the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and the story of The Oldest Onion in Denmark.

I like learning when I read, and I try to include bits of lesser-known information in my stories. For example, gasoline cost ten cents a gallon during the Great Depression, and around the time of the Civil War, the census’s listed the occupation of prostitutes as seamstresses. 

Bottom line: Consider adding a little onion to your writing!