What is the one vegetable that seems to go into every dish? Onions. Botanically known as Allium cepa, onions are one of the most consumed and grown vegetable crops in the world. This flavor-enhancing veggie is good for more than just its taste — there are also many rumored onion medical benefits. When taken in its homeopathic form, Allium cepa relieves a runny nose with clear discharge.*

Before the Kitchen

Before it is ready to eat, the onion starts as an herbaceous plant that grows 2.9 to 3.9 feet in height. This biennial herb has a stem with terminal greenish-white flowers that emerges from its underground bulb. Onions are characterized by their distinct flavor and pungency, which results from the sulfur-rich oil it contains. The release of this oil during peeling or chopping brings tears to the eyes. The bulbs vary in size, shape, color, and pungency, though warmer climates generally produce onions with a milder, sweeter flavor. Onions are hardy and can survive in a wide range of climates but are chiefly grown in temperate zones such as Hungary, China, and India (the two largest onion-producing countries in the world).

A Long History of Use

Allium cepa is a mass-cultivated vegetable that has been consumed worldwide for over 4,000 years. Onions are among the world’s oldest grown crops. They were probably known in India, China, and the Middle East before recorded history. Onions are mentioned in early cuneiform documents of Mesopotamia and their chemical traces are found in the mummies of Egyptian pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians regarded the spherical bulbs as a symbol of the universe, and concentric spheres of the Aristotelian cosmos were also likened to an onion. People have long turned to onions for their supposed healing powers, using them in folk medicine as teas for colds, syrups for coughs, and even sock-stuffers for stubborn ailments.

Onion in Homeopathy

Today, onion appears as an ingredient in many delicious dishes all over the world. However, it is still also used in the practice of healing. Homeopathic preparations of Allium cepa (preferably the red onion), like the one produced by Boiron, are indicated for runny noses with clear discharge.* Consider this homeopathic medicine when allergies flare or cold symptoms strike.

Interested in learning more about the homeopathic uses of Boiron Allium cepa? Watch this video featuring pharmacist Gary Kracoff, NMD, RPh.