A WORD FOR THE ONION.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 7266, 14 October 1891, Page 4

A WORD FOR THE ON ION.

May T sav n word for the onion 1 — ihsit much despised nnd so-c tiled vulgar vegetable. It is much under valued by the people nt large, and yefc I know (says a physician in Health) tow vegetables which nre raoro worthy of being frequon'ly used, ancl of being utilised not merely as nn adjunct) to health, but also an nn aid to the correction of certain diseased conditions. The onion belongs to the lily tribo of jilmtt, and bus as its neat neighbors t\ o lock, «h i) ot, garlic, and chive It contains « certain volatile oil of somewhat net id properties, while it also has u large proportion of sulphur in its oniposi ion, with jjotnsb and othei min"r. is i need hardly remnik on j the va mo of potash as nn e k aenfia! element in the composition of tho Mood. Tot 1 . click of potihh, freurvy is dm-, nnd whih> <l>o ciuciferous planth (c.dihige, cross, and tlio like) are highly v.ilncd «8 onti-Mcojbutics or scurvy pievemcia I should 8iy tho fresh p.inisu onion, atewed or roasted, would prove a cure for this disease of equal merit Tho stewed en on should bp far more frequently used as a dinner vegetable ; while the pickled onion is also valuable, although. I ndmit it requires n fairly strong digestion lor its due assirailat'on, nnd this on account possibly, nnd simply of iia being a pickled vegetable. Tho value of onions in any form, I think, is that they are blood-p\iri6er8 — L use the conventional term here — and contribute in this sense to the purer constitution of tho blood, especially by adding potash to that fluid. 'I he sulphur in the onicn is also a valuable element, nnd aids in tho preservation of a good complexion. A. diet in which atewed onions foims a prominent, or even occasional feature, will tend to remove skin-b'otches and to impart a healthy tone to the integument Kc-gni'ded from ft medic.il point o* view, I recommend the onion to the not>ce of tboso who MiiYei from cona'ipition. Jt is in itself a vahuble mediciuo in this je»pect, and w.ll icpl co tho pills and draughts 10 \vh c'i HiO'ciors erroneousty t\y tor the relief that is not satisfying, and thai in any c-ise, can never be of a permanent character. Li ver-t roubles, I find, are much benefited by tlio fiee use of stewed onions I should not like to dogmatise regarding the rationale of the onion cure of bilious troubles ; but [ suspect the volatile oil of the onion possesses an action on the liver itsolf, and possibly its influence ou the inteStino h»8 also to be taken into account in relieving the liver. A patient tells me that since I recom raondod him to try onions more frequently as a vogetuble he has been able to use cheese as an aiticle of diet, a p oceeding which, without, onion«, ! i would have resulted in his c.ise in a severe bilious at'iick. Cheese and pickled cnions rany bo n ' vulgar mixdue'; I can only My it is a lationnl one in i'a respect of its harnile$>snens to mo3t peoplo. and in regard to its dietetic advantages. I thcroforo say I to peoplo who a-o well. ' Add tho onion to your list of dinner vegotab'es ;' and I say to thono who nre ailing in the matter of Hvcr-uifmcntg and constipation, 'Try the onion, and you may find your troubles to d s.ippear without the aid of drugs at Hi].'