Should you put onions in socks?
For better results, rather than sticking onions in socks, get them on your plate instead. Raw as well as cooked onions not only add lots of flavor to recipes but also provide a wide range of nutrients, including dietary flavonoids and vitamin C, two antioxidants that support a healthy, balanced immune system. 7.
What happens if you put potatoes in your socks?
Putting raw potato on the skin can also irritate the skin. Some people may get a skin irritation called eczema by touching a potato. Potato peels can also cause a reaction. Should you try potatoes in your socks? It’s safe for most adults to try the potato remedy, even if there is no evidence that it works.
Can potatoes in your socks cure a cold?
Potatoes in your socks can’t cure a cold or other ailments, like coughs, runny noses, or sinus infections. Keep reading to learn more about this anecdotal remedy, and how you can put potatoes to better use. It’s not known where this remedy came from.
Should you put onions in your socks to break a fever?
Many people put a few slices of red or white onion in their socks before going to bed to help break a fever. The claim is that onions help to improve circulation by stimulating areas on the feet to increase blood flow which may help you recover faster.
Does a potato pull out infection?
They discovered that a substance in the potato did just that -- it prevented the bacteria from taking hold of cells. The extract inhibited the attachment of bacteria normally found in the mouth -- one associated with cavities -- to the surfaces of teeth. The extract also inhibited the adhesion of another bacteria, E.
Does onion in sock work for cough?
Many people claim that the onion in sock remedy is an effective treatment for a cold or the flu. Despite these claims, there is no scientific evidence to support this. There are no proven health benefits to this remedy, but it is not known to be harmful.
Does putting potatoes in your socks help with sickness?
Putting potatoes in your socks cannot cure a cold or other ailments. There's no medical research that shows that it works. Eating potatoes, however, may help boost your immune system and help you beat a cold or flu. Bake, steam, or boil potatoes in their skins for the most nutrition.
Is onion good for lungs?
Onion, again, is the most commonly used vegetable in every other Indian household due to its taste, micronutrients, and vitamins. Even traditionally, it has been used as an herbal remedy for cold, influenza, and bronchitis. It helps improve the lungs and its functioning with its anti-inflammatory properties.
What is the fastest way to cure a cough?
How to Calm Daytime CoughingTake an Expectorant. ... Reach for a Cough Suppressant. ... Sip a Warm Beverage. ... Step Up Your Fluid Intake. ... Suck on Hard Candy. ... Consider a Cough Medicine Formulated for Nighttime Use. ... Have Some Honey. ... Zap Your Cough With a Vaporizer.More items...•
Does onion clear congestion?
Onions are a good way to keep your nose decongested: Simply, slice an onion and smell it. The onion will act as a catalyst to secrete a liquid to clean your nose. The simplest way to get rid of a stuffy nose is to cut, peel and sniff the onion for five minutes and your nose will be clear in a jiffy.
What does putting an onion in your room do?
Summary. While many home remedies involve placing a cut onion in the room of someone who's sick, there is no evidence that this works. Onions do not have the ability to absorb germs and toxins floating around in the room. Instead, your immune system attacks any invading viruses or bacteria entering your body.
How can you stop coughing at night?
The following 10 tips may help a person reduce or ease their nighttime coughing:Try a humidifier. A humidifier machine may help if the coughing is caused by dry air. ... Decrease allergens. ... Manage GERD. ... Drink tea with honey. ... Consider over-the-counter medicine. ... Elevate the head. ... Gargle with warm salt water before bed. ... Quit smoking.More items...•
The origin of the remedy
This remedy may originate back to as early as the 1500s, according to the National Onion Association, when it was widely believed that placing raw, cut-up onion around your home could protect you from the bubonic plague. In those days, it was thought that infections were spread by miasma, or poisonous, noxious air.
What the research says
Many studies have been done to assess the ancient Chinese practice of foot reflexology. A review of foot reflexology studies showed little evidence that foot reflexology is an effective practice for treating just about any medical condition. Some research also points to foot reflexology actually making infections worse.
Health benefits of eating onions
If you want to help out your immune system, it may be a better idea to eat your onions rather than to stick them in your socks. It’s well known that eating onions, like most vegetables, is good for your health.
The bottom line
Putting onions in your socks won’t hurt you, but it probably won’t help, either. To get the full benefit from onions and to help your body recover from or prevent an illness, try eating them as part of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
VERIFY: Can sleeping with a potato or onion in your sock fight the flu?
A man posted in a YouTube video that he cured himself of the flu by sleeping with a sliced potato in his sock -- a home remedy he found on social media. Is there any science to back this up?
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Where Did the Idea for Onions in Socks Come From?
People have used this old folk remedy to battle colds and the flu for generations. 5 The premise is that you slice a red or white onion into rounds. Then place a round on the bottom of each foot and cover your feet with a pair of socks to hold the onion in place. Next, go to sleep, and in the morning, you’ll wake up feeling fine.
A Better Use of Onions
For better results, rather than sticking onions in socks, get them on your plate instead. Raw as well as cooked onions not only add lots of flavor to recipes but also provide a wide range of nutrients, including dietary flavonoids and vitamin C, two antioxidants that support a healthy, balanced immune system. 7
Onions in Your Socks: A Recap
If you or your family have been using onions in your socks for generations and you feel like it’s beneficial, then there’s nothing stopping you. There’s no harm from the practice, but there’s also likely no real benefit (other than a placebo effect).
How to Detox with Onion on Feet
Despite the lack of scientific evidence, there is anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of putting onions on your feet to detox your body. Although your liver and kidneys play an important role in getting rid of toxins from your body, studies have shown that certain toxins are eliminated through the skin. 7
Onion Slices in Sock for Curing Cold, Flu, and Congestion
There is some anecdotal evidence pointing to the fact that sliced onions can help to kill off germs that cause colds, the flu, and blocked sinuses. Some people claim that cutting onions in half and leaving them around the home can help to eliminate germs.
Onion Slices in Sock as Remedy for Fever
Many people put a few slices of red or white onion in their socks before going to bed to help break a fever. The claim is that onions help to improve circulation by stimulating areas on the feet to increase blood flow which may help you recover faster.
How to Use Onions to Draw Out Infections
Poultices have been used for centuries and are still used today to draw out infections from wound boils, or skin abscesses. Placing an onion poultice could help to draw pus out from the skin wound and also kill off harmful microbes in the process.
Onion in Socks to Pull Out Sickness – does it Work?
Claims by many people seem to indicate that there is at least some anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of using onions on feet to pull out sickness.
Other Home Remedies and Health Benefits of Using Raw Onion
There are many other ways to use onions for their therapeutic properties. The journal Phytother Research reported that onions are one of the most important crops in the world. Some of the reported health benefits include: 9
Where The Onions In Socks Folklore Began
Scientists don’t refute that onions have major health benefits when consumed as part of a balanced diet. Nutrition data shows that they’re rich in dietary fiber, potassium, manganese and vitamins C and B-6.
The Modern Day Onion Theory
Nowadays, the supposed healing power of onions is being thought of in an entirely different way than in the 1500s. The growing popularity of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has many believing that the body is made up of meridians, which are pathways from certain access points on the body to your internal organs.
The Verdict: Can Placing Onions On Feet Really Cure Infections?
The onion theory has a lot of support in the alternative medicine field, but there has been no concrete proof that onions have the ability to rid the body of infections and cure fevers, colds and flus. In fact, many experts have weighed in, further debunking the onion healing theory.
Potatoes – Health Benefits
There are many different of types of potatoes that come in all shapes and sizes. Potatoes are packed with nutrients such as potassium, thiamin and niacin as well as vitamin C, making them an ideal part of a healthy diet. They can also be used to treat various ailments, either taken internally or as a topical treatment.
Nutrients In Potato Juice
Potassium – A 1/2-cup of potato juice provides almost 27% of the daily recommended dietary intake of potassium for all adults. Read more about the importance of potassium in my article about potassium deficiency – causes, symptoms and what to do.
Home Remedies Using Raw Potato
The list of remedies using raw potatoes or their juice is virtually infinite. Although some of these remedies are simply folk remedies passed down through the generations, others have been studied empirically and are backed by hard science. Here are a few great potato remedies you may wish to try.
Detox with Potatoes on Feet
Your skin is sometimes called the third kidney because if its role in body detox. I’ve already mentioned that you can draw out toxins through your skin by taking detox baths or you can even detox your armpits.
Potato Slices in Socks as a Remedy for Fever
I’ve recently learned about a folk remedy for fever using potatoes. If you suffer from fever, all you need to do is put a slice of chilled raw potato at the bottom of your feet. Put it in your sock and leave for a 2-3 hours to break the fever.
Do Potatoes on Feet Pull Out Sickness?
There is an anecdotal evidence that potatoes can pull out sickness but I couldn’t find scientific evidence to support it. The idea of putting potatoes in your socks for sickness could be attributed to foot reflexology which can be traced back to ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations.
Do Potatoes Draw Out Infection?
A lot of people use a potato poultice to draw Infection from wounds, boils, or skin abscesses. Depending on the infection, it may help to draw out the pus within 1-3 days. According to the Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, potatoes have been used for healing burns, skin cracks, sores, and other types of skin infections.
Treatment
Origin
- This remedy may originate back to as early as the 1500s, according to the National Onion Association, when it was widely believed that placing raw, cut-up onion around your home could protect you from the bubonic plague. In those days, it was thought that infections were spread by miasma, or poisonous, noxious air. The miasma theory has since been replaced with the eviden…
Society and culture
- The general idea of putting onions in your socks may also stem from the ancient Chinese medicinal practice of foot reflexology. The nerves in the feet have been a focal point of Eastern medicine for thousands of years and are thought to act as access points to the internal organs.
Research
- Many studies have been done to assess the ancient Chinese practice of foot reflexology. A review of foot reflexology studies showed little evidence that foot reflexology is an effective practice for treating just about any medical condition. Some research also points to foot reflexology actually making infections worse. However, the overall quality of research studies on reflexology is gener…
Results
- If you have the flu and are willing to try anything to bounce back, the good news is that putting onions in your socks is unlikely to hurt you. There have been no reports of harm from this practice.
Diet
- If you want to help out your immune system, it may be a better idea to eat your onions rather than to stick them in your socks. Its well known that eating onions, like most vegetables, is good for your health.
Benefits
- For example, onions are one of the richest sources of dietary flavonoids, which may decrease your risk of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Onions are also great source of vitamin C, a vitamin that plays an important role in immune function. Regular consumption of the organosulfur compounds found in onions and garlic may also prevent the development of cardiovascular dise…
Prevention
- Putting onions in your socks wont hurt you, but it probably wont help, either. To get the full benefit from onions and to help your body recover from or prevent an illness, try eating them as part of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. To improve your odds, wash your hands, avoid contact with sick people, and consider getting a flu shot. Also, make sure you get enough sleep.