Those of you who are regular readers know that I’ve been sick with some sort of flu-like viral infection – whatever it is, it’s nasty, and it still hasn’t gone away. As a matter of fact, it came back this week for another in-home stay. I’d like to evict it, but I don’t know how.
One “nice” fringe benefit of this thing is that I get to cough a lot, and my throat hurts when I swallow. My PCP says I shouldn’t worry – thanks, doc, thanks a lot! – because it’ll go away eventually. She didn’t prescribe any medicine at all – no antibiotics, no cough medicine, nothing… So, I had to resort to finding some sort of cure, and apparently onion tea is the thing for coughing. Everyone swears it works, although they say it tastes really gross. So, after much prodding from Ligia, I caved in and decided to try it out. Boy, is it nasty! I have to drink 2-3 cups a day, and I almost vomit every time. When you look at it, it’s innocuous enough, but the taste is what kills me. Photos don’t do it justice, but I posted two of them below anyway.
I really think the only thing that would do it justice is a poem. That’s right, a poem! Let’s call it Ode to Onion Tea. I wrote it last night after drinking a cup…
You onion stew, such vile brew,
You make me sick – a nasty trick,
I know.There you are, a filthy cur,
You stand aloof, nary a spoof,
But real!I’m all grossed out, your stench
Is all about, you lout!
Anon –I’ll drink you now, I must,
I know, but I’ll wince, and pinch
My nose.I can’t complain, th’effects are known,
They’re not a bluff; you heal
My cough.But must you stink to heaven high
And taste a bit like stale lye
And when I gulp, I want to cry
Enough!You leave behind a fart-like taste –
I kid you not, the aftertaste
Is smelly.My pores now reek, right as they leak
In highest feverish pitch,
Of leek.My urine smells of onions fried,
At least that’s what I hope!
Belied!How gross you are, o how I wish
That something better did exist
To cure my ill!
Now, dear reader, after this, could you be able to drink this vile thing?
[The title of this post is a bow to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005). The song lyrics in that movie were fantastic!]
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Half a red onion diced in a tea steaper thingy,one pack of stevia boom. Tastes fantastic!
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Oh boy no no no it shouldnt be that bad, ummm the way I consume it is I actually make it into a soup, I boil 2 lbs of pork bones with 4 large onions quartered, with some salt (not alot cuz your gonna salt it again later) afterwards when tender and all about 2 hours, add 1/4 cup soy sauce. That soup tastes AMAZING and has the goodness of onion and stuff
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Nathan, that’s no longer onion tea, it’s pork soup with a bit more onion than usual 😀
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I used onion for a very bad bladder infection, my urine was so loaded with bacteria that it was white. My niece told me about onion water, so i made it by cutting one large white onion add to a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water, boil for 4 minutes poured into a soup bowl (while still very hot so be careful) add just enough salt to remove the no salt taste. Get a very large spoon and spoon up the onion water, blow on it to cool enough to drink, should be as warm as you can stand (drink all of the onion water) i like the onion water i also ate the onions. The next day my urine had turned a light yellow and not white, by late afternoon my urine was clear. Continue this treatment for twice a day for 5 days. (I was also passing blood from my bladder, this was a very bad infection)
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Onion tea with real onion? Well, that does sound nasty 😛
My mom always does onion tea, and I love it! However, the recipe is kind of different, so I’ll share it.
Here, we just take the dried peels of the onion, and boil them in the water (just like you do with other teas really). Add sugar if you want to, and BANG, tea’s ready. No actual onion touches the tea, only those dry outter peels of the onion.
I don’t know if it’s as effective, but it does help my throat and cough fits a bit.
Cheers from Portugal
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Thanks!
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This is a romanian home remedy that my grandparents used to give me when I was sick. The recipe is a bit different from the one you have posted. I cover a couple of onions with water and add a hand full of walnuts to it. It is onions and walnuts that need to be boiled until 1/3 of the water evaporates (unfortunately I estimate all these quantities since I have made it so often).
When this is done, add honey and plenty of lemon, to taste. The walnuts, honey and lemon can make it so good that you will want seconds.
Apparently the trick is not t drink too much or too fast.
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Thanks! 🙂
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Please share your recipe with us! My grandmother use to make this and I dreaded it. However, after they were able to force me to drink it, it never failed to make me feel better. She passed over 10 years ago and I haven’t been able to find the recipe. Thanks!
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It’s really simple: boil some onions with marjoram or mint, to mask that nasty onion flavor. Then sweeten it with honey to your taste.
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I’ve been sick for weeks with the worst cough you could possibly imagine. I tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the cough, but I left onion tea for last (unfortunately). I’m still sick but the annoying cough is gone. I will say, however, that I really don’t mind the taste at all, I don’t even use honey or sugar. Though, admittedly, I am an onion fanatic.
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My mom makes this onion tea for me all the time when im sick, and i absolutely hate it..i plug my nose everytime so i don’t smell it because that is even worse than the taste!!…but it really works so i’ve learned to like it.
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I grew up in Cuba, and we also use yellow onion tea for cough and congestion. My 6 month old daughter has a cold, and is coughing a lot. I give her 3-4 OZ before bed time and she is able to rest without coughing most of the night. We do add sugar to get rid of the nasty taste.
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This is a question for #4. Comment from Carolyn. Do you cook the onions and sugar? steam? boil? Boiling water soak? If they simply sit and react, how long do I wait? My 87 yr. old Mom is sick in bed with a bad cold, very congested. Thanks for your help. Linda
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This is for linda You put the onion in pot with the sugar on top and turn on the stove the sagar will caramelize and onion will liquifie it. Do not burn it just enough to get extract from the onion and syup from the sugar.
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My name is samuel george. We come from the dominican republic my mother said that onion tea builds up your immune system to fight the symtoms of the cold. You boil the onions in water. You can put nutmeg and cinnamon you can sweeten with honey since honey is natural to give taste. The Taste maybe a litle bad, but it worth it. “There is a saying every home made remedies that work and are good for you may have a bitter taste bad smell ect..
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A syrup made from yellow onions, sliced and layered with white sugar, can be taken up to 4 tablespoons a day to cure congestion in nose and chest. My grandmother taught me this recipe and I used it with my children and friends and myself, it clears up congestion like nothing I have ever seen.
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My granddaughter came to live with us at 3 days of age..as she would cry alot after eating and before eating my husband said that she needed onion tea. Gross!! But much to my amazment and daughters, we boiled some onion and added some sugar to the water. We put it in a bottle and she drank it up..She would rest all night long..It never failed, if she dried without ceasing and gave her some onion tea, she stopped and rested. Onion is known to be a relaxant and a sleeping potion..the sugar just takes the horrific taste away, I assume. LOL..All I do know is that it worked to give her a restful night of sleep and/or afternoon naps.
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I have a newborn, boy number 5 . He is a quite congested. It is the weekend, so, that means, no doctor. He has no fever, so, that means, it’s not emergency center worthy. So, I thought about my Grandma, Honey and my Aunt Freddy. Onion Tea!!! I had to take it, my older kids had to take it. Gross as it was, it always worked. I told my friend that I was going to make some Onion Tea, and after I told her what it was, she was grossed out. I asked her what did she think people did before pharmacuticals? But, for the first time in the history of my world, I have a baby that loves it!!! His rest is so much better, too. I still won’t take it, though. I’m grown. Can’t make me. Pass the NyQuil.
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I just came home from my first acupuncture appointment, and due to my chronic sinus infections, she prescribed onion tea for me as well. She also said that it was OK to put in as much honey and lemon as I wanted, so mine didn’t turn out all that horrific. I also may have made it wrong or something. I just used leftover diced white onion from dinner the other night.
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