Benefits of Onions for Cold and Flu Symptoms

Oops!  Been a few weeks since I've been on here.  I finished my 100 Articles in 100 Days Marathon over at EzineArticles.com  !!  Whoo hoo!  I've worked really hard to finish this in time.  I finished about a week ahead of schedule.  Here is one of the articles that has had a lot of views, well over 1,000.  So I thought I would pass it along.


Benefits of Onions for Cold and Flu Symptoms
©2009 Shanna Ohmes

Most of us are aware of the powerful odor of onions. Did you know this is their secret weapon against viruses and bacteria? That pungent odor is caused by the rich sulfur compounds that promote health and well-being. Throughout history onions have been held in high regard for their culinary and medicinal qualities. They have even been used as a currency in Egypt to pay the workers who built the pyramids.

Onions have phytochemicals and quercetin which assist the body by moving and breaking up the mucus in the head and chest. The powerful odor causes the eyes to tear and the nose to run. It is this affect on your body that stimulates the immune system to fight the virus or bacterial infection. This is helping your body shed the virus and reduce the inflammation from congestion.

The onion is a warming, stimulating and penetrating herb. It is used in soups and even cough syrups. But you don’t have to eat it to experience its healing affects. Apply them externally as a poultice and inhale and feel their pungent effects. Onions bring heat to the area and this action brings the fever to that part of the body to control how far the infection spreads.

You can also cut them in slices and put them in a bowl by your bed at night or in any room in the house. It is said they absorb the viruses and bacteria from the air. A doctor during the 1918 Spanish flu discovered a farmer and his family doing this very thing and they did not catch the flu, so the story goes.

Onions are anti-bacterial, ant-viral, and anti-parasitic. They are rich in vitamin C, potassium, chromium, fiber, manganese and vitamin B6. So eat onions every day, learn to make poultices and syrups and continue a 5,000 year old remedy.

7 Health Benefits of Yogurt

Do you like yogurt? Sometimes spelled yoghurt, this fermented milk product has been around for thousands of years. In fact, it is believed that it originated in Bulgaria. From the Gaelic people to the Mongolians, yogurt has been a staple food for many traditional cultures. These cultures had no heart disease and lived on diets chiefly of fermented milk products and meats! The key was their milk was raw, not pasteurized. Pasteurization destroys many helpful enzymes in the yogurt and other cultured milk products.


Here are just a few of the health benefits you will receive from including yogurt in your daily diet:

• It’s loaded with friendly bacteria called lactobacillus acidophilus that is tolerated and assimilated better by those with allergies.

• Vitamins B and C are increased when raw milk is fermented into yogurt and other products, like kefir and raw cheeses .

• It protects you from bone loss.

• Fermenting milk breaks down difficult to digest milk proteins, so those that are lactose intolerant can usually enjoy the healthy benefits of yogurt.

• Lactase is an enzyme in fermented milk that breaks down the lactose in the digestive system, so yogurt improves your digestion.

• Yogurt is very beneficial for young nursing mothers, children, the elderly and those that are ill.

• Yogurt helps you fight infectious diseases.

Yogurt is easy to make at home and can be used in many different recipes. Smoothies are delicious when yogurt is added to the recipe. Also you can use it to make yogurt cheese, or a drink with lime juice and honey, herbal breads and dough for tart shells. Soak fresh ground wheat in water and a little yogurt overnight to neutralize the phytic acid in the wheat that inhibits digestion. It gives a wonderful sour flavor to breads!
©2009 Shanna Ohmes

Pineapple-ness

c2008 Shanna Ohmes

I love pineapple. It adds a great tangy flavor on pizza and that Christmas ham. But did you know all the health benefits of this exotic fruit?

Pineapple has sugar, Vitamin C, bromelain, potassium, calcium, manganese, and fiber. Bromelain helps break down protein and also fights infections.

The list of ailments that pineapple can help relieve is varied. I'm sure as more research is done, we'll see this is truly an amazing fruit, as most of nature's plants are.

Pineapple is an anti-inflammatory and can be taken internally or applied topically. All the properties of pineapple aid the digestion, which is the seat (pardon the pun) of our health. Other benefits are:

• helps relieve angina and clears out plaque and blood clots
• clears bronchial passages, relieving coughs and loosening mucus
• symptoms of arthritis are lessened
• use after surgery and injuries, it repairs connective tissue
• builds healthy bones- for the young and old alike-good for those with osteoporosis
• use for colds
• gum disease, which leads to heart problems
• prevents and relieves constipation
• prevents and relieves nausea

The suggested use is 200-250 ml of raw pineapple juice daily (3x day for angina).
Include raw pineapple itself for the fiber to help process the juice.

I can attest to the pain relieving benefit. I injured my elbows while pulling weeds in the garden this summer. I could not pick up a glass of water without almost dropping it. This last week I started drinking a pineapple smoothie everyday, and within a week the pain is almost gone and I can now pick things up.

This is the smoothie I made up:
1 c. pineapple juice
1 c. orange juice
1 c. milk or yogurt (I use whole raw goat's milk when available, or 1/2 c. whipping cream and 1/2 c. milk)
1/2 of a 15.25 oz can of pineapple chunks, or you can use some fresh pineapple
2 bananas
6 ice cubes

Blend on ice crush setting in your blender. This makes 2 servings.