Some archaeologists, botanists, and food historians believe that onions originated in central Asia, Iran and/or West Pakistan, but nobody is quite sure because onions were found growing in the Americas when the Pilgrims arrived. It is likely that our ancestors ate wild onions long before the beginning of agriculture. This simple vegetable was probably a major staple in the prehistoric diet. Research indicates that they have been cultivated for at least five thousand years, and probably much longer. They may have been simultaneously domesticated in different regions. Onions were probably one of the first domesticated crops because they are easy to grow, easy to transport, and have a long life after picking.
There are many ancient documents that describe the use of onions in art, medicine, and mummification. More than five thousand years ago, onions grew in the earliest Chinese gardens. They are mentioned in the Vedic writings from India. In Egypt, onions were in use at least five thousand years ago. There are tablets confirming that the Sumerians were growing them more than forty-five hundred years ago. Onions are also mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 11:5).
Among the Egyptians, the onion bulb was worshipped as a symbol of the universe. It was considered a sacred symbol of the mother-goddess, Isis. The layer-upon-layer structure of the onion symbolized eternity to the Egyptians, who buried onions along with their Pharaohs. In the tombs and in some of the pyramids of Egypt, onions are pictured in the hands of priests. They are shown covering altars and depicted on feasting banquet tables. Often Egyptian workers were paid in onions.
Dioscorides, a Greek physician who lived two thousand years ago, noted several medicinal uses for onions. The Greeks employed onions to strengthen athletes for the Olympic Games. Before their sporting matches, Olympic athletes would eat onions, drink onion juice, and rub onions on their bodies. The Romans ate onions and carried them on journeys to provinces throughout the empire. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder described how onions can disinfect dog bites, heal mouth sores and poor vision, induce sleep, and alleviate toothaches and dysentery.
By the Middle Ages in Europe, onions had become one of the major staple vegetables. They were prescribed to alleviate burns, flesh wounds, hair loss, headaches, parasites, snakebites, and upset stomachs. Onions were applied to the skin to quickly heal bruises—a remedy that is still used today. They were also used as rent payments and wedding gifts.
Sulfur, as we have seen, is a beautifier of the highest order because it cleanses the liver and skin, has antiseptic properties, and helps to build all connective tissue. The onion contains a considerable amount of sulfuric oils, which stimulate the mucous lining of the sinuses and digestive organs. Cutting up onions, as we know, can bring one to tears. Internally, these stimulating oils increase the flow of digestive juices, creating a greater absorption of nutrients.
The sulfuric oils in onions have antiseptic qualities. They prevent putrefaction in the intestines and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. These oils help alleviate coughs, sore throats, and congested lungs and sinuses. Mixed with honey (which tones down the sulfuric compounds), onion juice is good for hoarseness and coughs. Externally, this honey/onion juice mix can be applied to infected wounds to aid healing. Onions combine wonderfully with avocados, nuts, seeds of all different types, and almost any other type of fat or oil because fats and oils tone down the sulfuric compounds. When onions are eaten with a fat or oil, each makes the other more digestible.
Onions contain the anti-cancer, anti-microbial phytochemicals known as disulfides, trisulfides, cepaene, and vinyl dithiins—yet the most unique compound in onions is quercetin. Quercetin helps to eliminate free radicals in the body, to protect and regenerate the beauty vitamin (vitamin E), to inactivate the harmful effects of heavy metals, and to decrease capillary fragility (a useful factor in healing varicose veins). Foods from the allium family, which includes onions, chives, leeks, and of course garlic, are all good for alleviating varicose veins. They help to keep the veins and capillaries elastic and flexible.
Onions resist hybridization and are capable of reverting back to the wild state more readily than almost any other food. This means that onions have a strong vital life force that they impart upon the consumer. They are able to uptake and create minerals as well as or better than nearly any other food, making them a fantastic mineralizer. A typical onion contains more vitamin C than an orange of the same size. Onions also contain vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, sulfur (as we have noted), calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, silicon, fiber, and a high protein quality (this means they have a high ratio of milligrams of amino acids to grams of protein).
Author and lecturer Dr. David Jubb believes that onions increase the strength of orgasms due to their ability to cleanse and prepare for a parasympathetic flush of the lymphatic system. Select onions that are hard, juicy, and free from mold. I like to eat all kinds of onions, depending on my mood. For fancy dinners I choose red onions. If I am enjoying lots of rich nuts in my salad, I like strong white onions. Yellow onions are not as strong as white. Due to their mild nature, green onions go well with a lunch-time meal.
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