Leaving raw onions around your house won’t prevent illnesses
Onions left out around the house will absorb germs and will keep people in the home healthy.
Fact check;
The claim: Onions left out around the house will absorb germs and will keep people in the home healthy.
An old wives’ tale that keeping raw, unpeeled onions out will keep your family safe from illnesses such as the flu is making the rounds on Facebook.
The post has been circulating for years, regularly resurfacing during bad flu seasons.
The post says that during the flu pandemic in 1919, an unnamed doctor discovered a healthy family that had set out unpeeled onions that “absorbed the bacteria,” keeping the family healthy. The post claims that more recently, an unnamed hairdresser used unpeeled onions successfully in her shop. The post talks about a friend using onion to treat pneumonia.
“I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion, put it into an empty jar, and place the jar next to the sick patient at night,” the post says. “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.”
The post claims onions can cause food poisoning as they are a “magnet” for bacteria.
Onions as a folk remedy
The idea is that onions have the ability to absorb bacteria and viruses and will actually “pull the germs out” of the sick person. There is no truth to any of these claims
The folk remedy to keep raw onions in the room when you are sick dates back to the 1500s, according to the National Onion Association. During the bubonic plague, cut onions were placed around homes to keep people from contracting the deadly illness.
“There is no scientific evidence that a cut raw onion absorbs germs or rids the air of toxins/poisons,” the National Onion Association says on its website.
“In fact, the onion’s own juices are antimicrobial, which means they will fight bacteria rather than attract it,” the trade group says.
Health benefits of onions
Onions do have some medicinal and pharmacology uses recognized by the World Health Organization. Onion tea is listed in WHO literature as a way to help with a runny nose, as an example.
The WHO points to four scientific articles over the years in which onions were found to kill pathogens related to food poisoning, a claim that the National Onion Association makes as well.
“The Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia states that juice released from cut onion is known to kill or inhibit the growth of several types of microorganisms, including some of those capable of causing food poisoning in humans,” the trade group says.
Our rating: False
We rate the claim that raw onions can help prevent illness or keep people healthy as FALSE, based on our research. Though onions have recognized health benefits, there is no scientific evidence that an unpeeled onion can absorb germs and protect from viruses or bacteria. It’s also false that onions are a magnet for food poisoning.
A word for you
Placing an onion in the room will not treat or prevent you from getting a cold. Washing your hands regularly, avoiding crowds during flu season, using a face mask and taking care of your health by eating well, exercising, and getting ample sleep can help you stay healthy.
