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Does a Cut-Up Onion Clear Sinuses?

Sep 4, 2011 | By Carrie Cross
Does a Cut-Up Onion Clear Sinuses?
Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images

Onions have been around for 5,000 years, originating in the Middle East. For 4,000 years, the Egyptians used onions to relieve and cure more than 8,000 ailments. Today’s herbalists use raw onions for many conditions, including blocked sinuses. Your sinuses produce mucus that drains into your nose. Anything that blocks this drainage, such as a cold or allergy, causes pain, inflammation and possible infection.

Sinuses

Your sinuses, in cooperation with your nose, make approximately a liter of mucus each day, according to the Sinus Treatment Center. This mucus coats the nasal cavity and traps bacteria and debris, as well as warms and humidifies the air you breathe. There are four sinuses on each side of your face – the ethmoid, maxilliary, sphenoid and frontal. The mucus runs through very small passages in these cavities, making them easy to block.

Medicinal Properties of the Onion

A cut-up onion makes most people tear up due to the acrid smell that excites the tear glands and mucus membranes. Onions contain the antioxidant quercetin and an organosulphur compound called allium. Allium and its derived compounds are heat sensitive and lose effectiveness when exposed to high temperatures, as in cooking. Quercetin acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, and allium is antibacterial and anti-fungal.

Medicinal Application for Sinuses

Quercetin’s anti-inflammatory properties may help relieve nasal and sinus congestion, and allium’s antibacterial and anti-fungal properties may help treat cold and sinus infections that cause blocked sinuses. The tearing effect of cut-up raw onions also helps drain the sinuses. Try mixing the juice from a raw onion with ginger and honey, and take it orally. Eat an onion raw or apply onion juice to your forehead. Onions may also be slightly cooked to transparency before you eat them; however, they are most effectual in their raw state.

Precautions

Onion is a common food with no known side effects or contraindications. If you are allergic to onions or other organosulphur compounds, such as garlic, avoid onions. Raw onion and its juice may irritate and burn tender mucus membranes and eyes. Raw onions left on the skin for prolonged periods of time may also cause irritation or rash. If you have a bleeding disorder or use anticoagulants, discuss using onions with your doctor. Onions should be used as a supplemental treatment for sinus blockage and should not replace prescribed medication.

References

Article reviewed by J.A. Rist Last updated on: Sep 4, 2011

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