Onions—Medicine to Cry For!

These days, the ordinary onion is touted far and wide as a “nutriceutical,” meaning a nutritious food that also has powerful medicinal and health-promoting properties. And does it ever! But did you know that some health issues are more convenient to treat using onion juice rather than the bulbs themselves? Here are juicy remedies for a handful of common problems:

Athlete’s foot. Massage the juice into your tootsies. Wait 10 minutes or so, rinse your feet in lukewarm water, and dry them thoroughly before you put on any footwear. Repeat the procedure three times a day until the fungus is no longer among us.

Heat exhaustion. All you Southern Californians who are dealing with a late season heat wave, listen up! First, get out of the sun. Then massage the juice onto your chest and behind your ears. You (or the victim!) should start perking up almost immediately.

Laryngitis. Mix 2 parts onion juice with 1 part raw honey in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Take 3 teaspoons of the mixture every three hours until you’re warbling normally again.

Tinnitus. Put 2 drops of onion juice in each ear three times a week until the bells stop ringing.

As you can see, onion juice is a powerful and versatile healer. You can buy it in health-food stores and online, but it’ll cost you a small fortune. Besides, the fresher it is, the better, and it’s a snap to make your own supply, even if you don’t have a juicing machine.

Here’s what you need to do: Just grate a raw onion, or chop it finely in a food processor, squeeze the pieces through cheesecloth, and pour the liquid into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. Just remember, the juice does lose its potency quickly, so for best results, make only as much as you’ll use within a day or two.