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There has been a lot going around the net these days about curing all sorts of things with onion, and that onion is supposedly able to pull virus' and germs out of the air in a room. Is there any truth to this? Well, actually, in my opinion, there is a lot of truth to it.  Do the research and decide for yourself.

One of the stories I was told while I was growing up, is a story of how when my mother was a little girl she came down with strep throat. This case of strep was so severe that it became systemic and spread throughout her body. The family doctor sadly told my grandparents that there was no hope, their little girl was going to die.

Well, my grandfather Schibi was a master at making all sorts of concoctions and remedies....a virtual genious before his time (He once made a formula that would take all of the hair off of a woman's arms, legs and face - and the hair never grew back!  It must have been safe because my grandmother Schibi was his guinia pig for using it, and she lived to be almost 92 years old).

Since my grandfather knew about all sorts of old remedies, he decided to try pressing the juice out of raw onions and giving it to his five year old daughter several times a day. Little by little, his sick and fragile daughter regained her strength. She had been in bed for six months total, but thanks to her daddy's love and his belief in the power of onion juice, that little girl got better and is now a beautiful 85 year old woman. Did the onion cure her? My mother swears that it did.  Nothing the doctor did seemed to be working, and she kept getting weaker until my grandfather started giving her the onion juice. So, perhaps it was the onion juice, or perhaps an act of God, or both. All I know is that I am alive because my mother survived after she was given onion juice when nothing else would work, and I am one of three very lucky children to have been blessed with her as my mother.

It is interesting that there are so many people who truly believe in the power of the onion. There is also a good article on Margie's Blog (Bottom Line Books) that refers to much of the information available about onions, and also a bit about garlic thrown in for good measure.

There is an old remedy that many people have sworn by for coughs, colds and bronchitis.

1 Onion (sliced thinly)

Honey (enough to cover the onion)

(Note:  sugar can also be used to sprinkle over the onion, which will extract the juice, but I prefer honey)

Slice an onion thinly and place it in a glass or ceramic plate or bowl (do not use metal or styrofoam).  Pour the honey over top (or sprinkle the sugar on top).  This will yield a syrup.  Take one teaspoon every 15 minutes until coughing and cold symptoms subside.

WARNING:  This syrup should only be stored for a day or two.

Be sure not to slip and tell the kids that this cough syrup is made from onions.  It's hard enough to get them to open their mouth and take cough syrup, right?

Another recipe for cough syrup made from onions can be found at EHow. 

If anyone tries these recipes, please share your results here : )