Onion Juice: Its Benefits And Medicinal Uses

Cooked or raw, onions are super healthy. They are loaded with various nutrients that are beneficial for our health. Aside from adding flavor to whatever we eat, onions possess medicinal properties that are used to treat ailments. It has beneficial sulfur compounds, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, flavonoids, and other antioxidant compounds.

One of the most effective and simplest ways to use onion is to consume it in juice form.

May Help Manage Diabetes

Extract from the onion bulb may be beneficial for people with diabetes as it may help in lowering blood glucose levels.

According to a study, onion is low in calories and can also increase our metabolic rate, and this can help manage diabetes symptoms(1).

Moreover, the result of another study showed that intake of onion extract may be effective in lowering plasma glucose levels (2).

Helps Boost Immunity

Since immune-boosting properties are present in onion juice, it can help our immune system fight off disease, bacteria, infections, and viruses. It contains selenium, an essential micronutrient that affects various aspects of human health, including optimal immune responses (3). Immune cells are vulnerable to more oxidation if they are deficient in selenium (4).

Studies revealed that onion juice may also help fight inflammations, allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments (5,6).

This flavourful bulb is a rich source of quercetin, a type of antioxidant flavonoid that boosts metabolism.

In a study published in the American Journal of Physiology, results showed that quercetin can help relax the airway muscles and provide relief of asthma symptoms (7).

For a stronger immunity, peel and chop one onion and soak them in a glass of drinking water overnight. Have a couple of sips of this water in the morning and continue sipping on it throughout the day after an hour or two hours break (8).

Good For The Eyes

Onions are loaded with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and reduces inflammation in the eyes. It also has a good amount of vitamin B, which lowers the risk of developing pink eyes, sulfur compounds that make the lens stronger, durable, and thereby improve the eyesight, and quercetin which is an antidote for eye inflammation and relieves eye irritation too (9).

In a rat study, results showed that instilling onion juice prevented selenite-induced cataract formation (10).

Experiments done on rabbits found that the juice could have an inhibitory effect on the growth of eye flora (11).

For sore eyes, simply mix onion juice with cold water and apply the solution over the eyes using cotton balls. Leave it for ten minutes and rinse with water.

For cataracts, we can mix onion juice and ginger juice in equal amounts with honey five times more in quantity. Put two drops of this mixture in the eyes. If the eyes have undergone any surgery, then don’t use this.

Helps Fight inflammation

The flavonoid quercetin in onion juice has been shown to inhibit inflammation-causing leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and histamines in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (12).

Aside from this, consumption of the juice can also help prevent bone disorders associated with inflammation. It was found to boost bone mineral density in postmenopausal women (13).