# ONIONS -- Who Would've Thought?



## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

I find this hard to believe because I've watched my Mom who is 91 years old keep her unused onion in the fridge with no ill effects... I don't eat the damn things so i ain't worried about it...but ...how about some comments on this?




ONIONS -- Who Would've Thought?


In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was a Doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.


The doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the household was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.


Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... (And no, she is not in the onion business.)


The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere.. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.


If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case...Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!


Now there is a P.S. to this, for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions: Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion. Put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.


Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.


This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.


I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.


During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.


Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.


He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion.
He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.


It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at the baseball park!)


Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.


So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.


Also, dogs should never eat onions.. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.


Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.


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## Sonnyjim (Sep 17, 2009)

HozayBuck said:


> Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.


I had no idea that you couldn't do this. Red onions are big so we normally use only half at a time. Sometimes they are in the fridge for up to 1 week until we use the other half. I've been doing it for years and haven't had any complications as of yet.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Hmmm. I'd like to back this up with other research. We've been using raw onions for years, and often I only use half an onion one day, and the rest in the next few days. None of us ever get sick. Sure, maybe we've been llucky. Maybe the onion information above is true. I don't know. But I have to admit I'm a tad skeptical. 

I think I'll still be cautious with mayo until I see other evidence that it "doesn't even need to be refrigerated".

Dunno about the onion thing... :dunno: I guess I'm off to do some research!


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I don't throw anything out---ever!!

The section of unused onion goes into a ziplock and we have never gotten sick--in fact, we are the couple that never catch anything...our immune systems must be super-charged!!:dunno:

But, we do take garlic and fish oil tablets daily..but only in the last couple years..

I will say that my husband felt he was getting a cold; I cut the onion in half and the next day he didn't have a cold..but the onion wasn't colored either.

Who knows....maybe it worked!!:dunno:


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Hozay - I heard about that ages ago and have tried it. Just leaving the onion in a bowl didn't seem to do anything for me, so, I just eat-em-up. Raw, cooked, boiled, fried, steamed .... I love my onions!

Also - garlic is amazing for colds/flu - fresh is best (as always) ... :wave:


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## LadyIvy (Jan 16, 2011)

Another person who uses leftover onion. I've used it even weeks later and it's been fine. I've never had an issue. It is interesting tho about putting the onion in the room. My youngest seems to be having a rough winter and has been sick many times in the past few months. I may give this a try. I wonder how long the onion will last and how often it needs to be replaced?


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I heard similar things growing up about garlic.


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

Another email fairy tale.
Been going around for years and it is 100% BS.
But I do like onions.
If onions were a magical cure the pharmaceutical company's would be selling them with a Rx for $20 each.
I take Snops.com with a large dose of skepticism but they list it as false.

snopes.com: Onions Versus Swine Flu


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

"The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. We did it last year, and we never got the flu."

I had 2 back surgeries last year and never got the flu, so everyones needs to get cut open to avoid the flu. 

2 yrs ago I was hurt in a car crash and didn't get the flu, so everyone needs to get hit by a 75 yo man driving a truck.

3 yrs ago I stood on my head and never got the... ok forget it. You get the point.


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## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

> Antimicrobial effects
> 
> In vitro studies have shown onion to possess antibacterial (including H. pylori ), antiparasitic, and antifungal activity. Clinical applications for this activity have not been determined, and use as a food preservative is limited by the strong odor and instability of sulfur compounds.


Source:
Complete Onion information from Drugs.com

Onions placed around do nothing actually or at least hasnt been proven scientifically. Its an old wives tale. The poisonous onion leftovers is a myth. Everyone Ive known has used leftover onions and it actually seems to mellow the bite of most onions. As long as youre not cross contaminating onions with things like meat/blood or other contaminants, leftover onions are completely safe. Even if leftovers were contaminated, cooking to a proper temp. would destroy any pathogens.

This link talks about the issue:

Are Leftover Onions Poisonous? - Urban Legends


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't automatically discount Old Wives Tales. Somewhere along the the line I believe most have some basis in truth but "modern" science doesn't yet know why they work.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

well I admit I figured it was BS... but wondered .. now I have heard that plain old charcoal like from a campfire can absorb poisons from food poisoning.. that was interesting... lots of positive things written about it...


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

HozayBuck said:


> well I admit I figured it was BS... but wondered .. now I have heard that plain old charcoal like from a campfire can absorb poisons from food poisoning.. that was interesting... lots of positive things written about it...


Here's one of many sites that support using charcoal to alleviate food poisoning:
How to Use Activated Charcoal to Treat Food Poisoning | eHow.com

However, most of what I found on a google search said to use activated charcoal. One site said barbeque charcoal isn't as porous as activated charcoal and won't absorb the poisons fast enough, but then if you're not dealing with a deadly poison, treating a poisoning that just makes you sick but isn't life-threatening might do okay with barbeque charcoal:
Home health: the benefits and risks of charcoal supplements

One other site I looked at said you can use regular charcoal IF it has not been treated with lighter fluid or other chemicals.

On the other side, I did a search on whether it was dangerous to ingest charcoal and came up with a site that said people on dialysis shouldn't use charcoal (Complete Charcoal information from Drugs.com) and a site that said it "should not be used to treat the ingestion of corrosive poisons such as lye, acids, fuel oil, alcohols" (Activated Charcoal Cures)


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

I save partial onions all the time as well, and never got sick from them. I'm the only one in the house who eats them in any quantity so sometimes they're saved for quite a while in the fridge, perhaps even diced up in a plastic baggie or container.

It could just be the placebo effect making people who put onions by the bed better. Placebos are powerful things sometimes and I really think this is one example.


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## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

Yeah I wouldnt rely on campfire charcoal for serious poisoning but if its your only option its better than nothing. It is however useful for digestive upsets of all manner such as vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn/acidity, etc. Vomiting and diarrhea of course can be quite deadly quite quickly in a survival situation so knowing that campfire charcoal can alleviate it, can be life saving info.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

backlash said:


> Another email fairy tale.
> Been going around for years and it is 100% BS.
> But I do like onions.
> If onions were a magical cure the pharmaceutical company's would be selling them with a Rx for $20 each.


While this is a nice little story about the 1919 flu, it is just that, a story. It cannot possibly be true because you can't see the flu virus with an optical microscope! Even the best oil immersion compound microscopes today can only see a particle about 1/2 micron (500 nanometers) in size, and the flu virus is approximately 50-120 nanometers in diameter, that would have been a HUGE feat for emerging technology at that time. And the electron microscope, which CAN see the flu virus was only invented in 1933!

In fact, in the book *The Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history* one of the top researchers of the flu virus at that time had become an epidemiologist only because he had a microscope and most of the other medical students did not - and if you wanted to use a microscope in medical school, you had to have your own!

Also in the book, much of the stories of the several scientists working on creating a flu vaccine centered around their frenzied attempts to identify the causative agent behind the pandemic. The researchers just *knew* that it was caused by some sort of microorganism, but using all of the resources of the top universities and laboratories of the time, they could not identify it. At one point, they were able to filter out a liquid that made ferrets sick with a flu-like illness when they injected it into them. And bingo, they had the beginnings of the first flu vaccine.

But at that time, no one had actually *seen* the flu virus. Only until later during the epidemic did someone come up with an advanced staining technique that allowed the virus to be seen, but this was still a complicated hit-and-miss technique that a rural doctor with a hand-held microscope and an onion could not have POSSIBLY been able to accomplish.

Chapter 1: The Microscope - Introduction


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## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

Onions don't last long enough around here for me to check this out.

We go through 3# of fresh and ¼# of dehydrated per week (not counting pickled and canned).

We also go through a LOT of garlic.

And potatoes


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Riverdale said:


> We also go through a LOT of garlic.


And LOTS of breath mints! :lolsmash:


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## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

*No big deal...*

Dice the leftover onion, bag and freeze. Use as needed for stews, burgers, etc.


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## jebrown (Nov 7, 2008)

*Onions not poisonious*

Hozay:
Ed lied to you outright and he knew it. Why, he is trying to direct attention away from the mayonaise. It isn't the mayo, it is the onions. If it isn'y the onions it is the potato. If it isn't the potato it must be the pickle or mustard or or or?
Oniions contain sulphur. Sulpher was used by Doctors as an antibiotic until the 1950's. It was replaced by modern antibiotics.
If you leave amyonaise unrefrigerated it will break down or seperate and develop a disagreeable taste. How soon, it all depends on the temperature of the area where the mayonaise sits.
People who home can put citric acid in certains items they can to prevent spoilage.
Vinegar as we know is put in mayonaise which will help reduce bacteria growth. Yes know that is not the main reason.
Between 3 - 5 years ago food manufacturers and processers incresed the amount of sugar in their products. Sugar iss more addictive than alcohol, cocaine, meth, marijuan and heroin combined.
Last week I was grocery shopping for mayonaise. Since I am diabetic and with ther recent increses of sugar in foods I check all labels for sugar content. Two different mayonaise brands listed sugar as the first ingredient. 
Does the sugar increaset the chances of bacterial growth? I don't know, but we all know sugar provides a great medium for bacteria growth.
I have no idea of the sugar content in Mullin's Mayonaise but it is obvious that Ed is a liar.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*mayonaisse*

I recently read on a survivor site, that mayonaisse is a food that is excellent to store because, unopened, sitting on the shelf, it has an endless shelflife. I just read that, and I don't know if it is true, or not. I do think it would be great to have lots to go with my tuna for tuna salad sandwiches, and for potato and other such salads.

As for the onions, I have never had a problem with them, cutting them, using part one day and more a few days later. I think I'm not going to change my behavior when it comes to onions.


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## ashley8072 (Apr 26, 2011)

If I had never used a cut up onion from a couple days prior, I would probly keep throwing them out. BUT, we have. I will used half an onion and then throw it in the butter storage door flap and forget about it until a few days later. If it still looks like its got it's shape, I chop it up and serve. As far as I know, we've never gotten sick over something I cooked for supper. I buy the cheap white onions that come in random numbers at walmart. Now for the past month, every pkg I've bought, I've had to throw a couple out because they rotted before I could get to them. I've never had this happen before. So I'm starting to wonder what's happening to these onions now. I even tested a walmart worker and picked up a bag that had 3 out of 4 onions rotted in it, only to see if she would say something to me or not. This was not something you could overlook. She ran my first batch through and then the spoiled batch. Yeah, like I'm gonna pay 2 bucks for 3 rotten onions. lol! I pointed them out to her and she says, "So you don't want to buy these?" :dunno:

We have gotten food poisoning from carls jr and mcDs before. lol!


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> I recently read on a survivor site, that mayonaisse is a food that is excellent to store because, unopened, sitting on the shelf, it has an endless shelflife. I just read that, and I don't know if it is true, or not. I do think it would be great to have lots to go with my tuna for tuna salad sandwiches, and for potato and other such salads.
> 
> As for the onions, I have never had a problem with them, cutting them, using part one day and more a few days later. I think I'm not going to change my behavior when it comes to onions.


How about ham salad, chicken salad, turkey salad, and tuna salad?????


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

Sonnyjim said:


> I had no idea that you couldn't do this. Red onions are big so we normally use only half at a time. Sometimes they are in the fridge for up to 1 week until we use the other half. I've been doing it for years and haven't had any complications as of yet.


Me too. Never a problem.

Having said that, my cut onions are in an ait tight container. No chance for germs to get to it. I would never just cut one and leave it out or un-covered in the fridge.

JGW


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Never had a problem with leftover onions. We use a lot of onions and garlic and never have a cold or flu.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Clarice said:


> Never had a problem with leftover onions. We use a lot of onions and garlic and never have a cold or flu.


I love onions and eat alot of them. I seldom get colds or the flu, but I am an introvert and don't spend a lot of time around crowds of people and in public places. I think that helps. It seems that when I do go out to such places, I am more likely to get the sniffles. I also love a good night's sleep and do my best to get it. I think that helps with wellness.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

My grandma didn't put onions around the house, but when folks were sick she would put out lids of vinegar. I also know that when my uncle was cut very badly on his arm and infection set in, she lined his cut with onion and potatoes ( sliced) then bandaged. Every day she threw out the disgusting veggies and put fresh. He healed up nicely, the veggies were repulsive to say the least. They had drawn on the infection.


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

I remember my grandma telling me about her mom using garlic and onions as preventative during the great flu epidemic. Grandma was 7 years old at the time, and didn't remember exactly what was done. But she and I both thought that it was because the garlic eaters smelled so bad that people stayed away and they didn't get infected! Lol!


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

I seem to remember reading somewhere that doctors during the Civil War carried garlic in their bags to treat wounds in order to prevent infection.

I always slice an onion for my sandwiches, and add it to nearly every cooked dish I serve. I love onions! and Garlic! I love onions and garlic! And leeks! And chives!

OK, I think it's time for bed...or a snack.


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## emilysometimes (Oct 6, 2011)

I've always heard that onions and garlic have anti-microbial properties. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, I start eating chicken soup loaded with onion, garlic, ginger and hot sauce- usually the chili garlic sauce with the chicken on the label. I woke up today with a really sore throat and lots of sinus pressure (nothing like a summer cold) and had some of my magic soup for breakfast. Today I threw in a cardamom pod, too, because I recently read good things about cardamom. That soup woke me up, opened my sinuses, and I'm feeling nearly normal now!

I always store unused onion halves in either glass jars or ziplocs- sometimes for a couple weeks- and have never had any problems.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I love Sriracha.

http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

*Allicin in Onions and Garlic*

Allicin is an antiviral: 
http://www.herbcyclopedia.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=294&Itemid=193

As I understand it, you gotta EAT the onions to do you any good for the flu.

I read somewhere that the Roman army took garlic and honey with them to treat wounds, both being antibiotics.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

machinist said:


> As I understand it, you gotta EAT the onions to do you any good for the flu.


Or with the garlic you can do a "foot bath" (soak )


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## gam46 (Jan 24, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> I recently read on a survivor site, that mayonaisse is a food that is excellent to store because, unopened, sitting on the shelf, it has an endless shelf life.


My experience is that mayonnaise does NOT have a long shelf life. I've thrown out several quarts which had become inedible, bad smelling and tasting, just sitting on the shelf in a cool basement storeroom. They were less than a year old.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

gam46 said:


> My experience is that mayonnaise does NOT have a long shelf life. I've thrown out several quarts which had become inedible, bad smelling and tasting, just sitting on the shelf in a cool basement storeroom. They were less than a year old.


Not surprising, fresh mayo is best and oil is not the easiest thing to store but, glass jars or plastic?


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## gam46 (Jan 24, 2011)

cowboyhermit said:


> Not surprising, fresh mayo is best and oil is not the easiest thing to store but, glass jars or plastic?


 Plastic. I should have known better. Now that our biddies are busy, I do make it fresh.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

gam46 said:


> Plastic. I should have known better. Now that our biddies are busy, I do make it fresh.


Thanks for the info 
I am sure that the plastic jars they use are pretty close to "impermeable" to gasses, unlike a lot of plastic, but at least with glass you know that isn't the issue.


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