Onions don't just make us cry and garlic isn't just for vampires. Onions and garlic have been used as spices in cooking for thousands of years and they are usually the first ones thrown in to the frying pan. However, these tasty ingredients are often confined to the kitchen because few people know of the many uses of garlic and onions outside cooking. They contribute a lot to our health and are a couple of the more widely used herbs in alternative medicine.

Onion

From the early beginnings of traditional medicine, the onion has been famous for its healing powers. Onions were speculated to have antiseptic properties and were often used in wound dressings and washes to protect wounds from infection. When taken internally, as in onion soup, it is an effective expectorant for coughs, colds and even bronchitis. Slow and frequent sips of the soup were thought to relieve sore throats and sinusitis. It could also break high fevers.

Onions are thought to have diuretic properties and are good for people suffering from arthritis and gout. Onions were used as a remedy for flatulence and constipation as well as disorders of the liver. It is also considered generally as an aid in digestion by acting as a tonic to the liver thus stimulating it to produce bile.

Onions are famous for their ability to lower high blood pressure and dissolve and prevent the formation of blood clots by improving circulation. It also purifies the blood with its diuretic property. Cases of anemia have also been treated with onions.

When used externally, onions can remedy a lot of skin problems. The juice of the onion is widely used in the treatment for stings, insect bites, animal bites, cuts, boils, abscesses and even burns. Onion juice is also good for toothache, earache and warts. A poultice made of onions is known to cure chilblains. When inhaled, it can relieve headaches. Lastly, when handled correctly, onions can be a very potent aphrodisiac.

Garlic

Nowadays, garlic is mostly thought of as a culinary component. But with the recent emergence of garlic pills that are used as a health supplement for certain conditions, people are starting to realize its healing prowess. As with the onion, the use of the bulb of the garlic in herbal medicine dates back at least a thousand years and it is used in a lot of different ways. Garlic is known for its ability to prevent and cure infections. It is also well-known in treating simple to serious respiratory disorders such as asthma, influenza and sore throats, bronchitis and lung infections. Garlic is also used as a decongestant and expectorant to relieve the discomforts of asthma, cough and chest infections.

In the digestive system, garlic has been found to have a good effect on the liver and also in the intestines for it helps flush out worm infestations. It is a general cleanser of the alimentary canal and an over-all aid to digestion.

Probably the most profound of its benefits is its ability to treat certain disorders of the blood. It has the ability to lower blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels. It can also treat excessive blood clotting.

When used externally, it also has a lot of benefits. Garlic is crushed and macerated then mixed with oil or made into an ointment. This is effective in treating stings, insect and animal bites, cuts and ringworm. This mixture or ointment applied to certain areas is able to relieve the pain and inflammation of the joints in rheumatism and sprains. When rubbed into the chest, it could also lessen labored breathing and chest infections as well as earaches.