Onions: A Remedy For Many Ailments- Dietician





A Dietician at the Garki Hospital, Abuja, Miss Yemisi Olowookere, on Monday recommended the consumption of onions as a remedy for many ailments.

Olowookere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that consumption of onions was important because of its therapeutic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and other beneficial properties.

According to her, onions is a vegetable that gives an excellent taste to dishes and can be found in different colours such as yellow, red and white.

Olowookere said: "It also has low calorie, while proteins are present in small portions with negligible fat content.

"Onions help prevent thrombosis, a formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system.

"This is because they have anti-platelet adhesiveness both in fresh onions as well as cooked onions.' said that onions had been found to be very good for people suffering from high blood pressure, adding that onions were diuretic as they could increase secretion of urine, as well as alkalise foods.

"They help reduce inflammation and are beneficial for those suffering from neuritis; vertigo and bronchitis as regular consumption of onions also prevents colon cancer.

"They contain essential oils that are responsible for onions typical odour,'' she said.

Olowookere explained that the vegetable fibre diminished the absorption of cholesterol and anti-diabetic action which delayed the passage of sugar into the blood stream.

She said onions were also good for people who had diabetes and would improve the hair, finger, toe nails and the eyes.

"They have anti-allergy properties; they are slight laxatives and help the body in destroying worms and other parasites. Researchers have revealed that onions prolong longevity," she said.

The dietician said that extracts from onions were rich in a variety of sulphides and provided some protection against tumour growth.

She said that onions stimulated the detoxifying function of the liver as well as improved the activity of other digestive juice producing glands.

Olowookere, however, said that studies had shown that people, who eat onions and garlic, had much lower risk of developing stomach cancer.

"Therefore, abundant onions consumption is fully justified as a cancer preventive and as a complement to the treatment of certain type of cancer such as that of the stomach and the colon.

"Eating raw onions can stop or relieve an asthma crisis because of its anti-allergic and broncho-dilator properties which effects can last up to twelve hours.

She said that inhaling the essential oil in onions was beneficial and more appropriate for children.




NAN