Benefits of onions

Onions have been an indispensable part of human diet for centuries. They are eaten raw, friend, dried or roasted, and commonly used as a flavoring agent.

One of the major benefits of onion is their medicinal property. Onions are an effective treatment for coughs, colds, asthma and bacterial infections. They are also a rich source of fructo-oligosaccharides, which suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon and aid in the functioning of the liver. Onions also contain many sulphides that help lower blood pressure. Such sulphides also prevent tumor growth and thus help prevent cancer.

Onions also have a richconcentration of flavonoids and phenolics that make it antioxidant and anti-proliferative. These properties, besides having the curative properties also give onions their characteristic strong and pungent smell that repel inspects.

While onions are overall healthy to intake and no major negative consequences have been established, consuming large quantities of onions can however lead to stomach distress and gastrointestinal irritation, resulting in nausea and diarrhea.