Scientific Name

Remedy Name

Plant Part

Use

Preparation

Place used

Year used

Contributor Age

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat bronchial pneumonia

onion rubbed over the chest and cabbage leaves pinned over upper body

N. London

1936

71

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat sore throats

Cut the onion in half and put in a sock and tie around throat.

Bromley

1960s

15

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

coughs

cut into slices covered with brown sugar left until juices run out and then drunk

East London

1947+

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

bee stings

cut edge of onion bulb, direct rubbing of cut edge relieves stinging skin

Belgium, United Kingdom

since 1940's

70 - 100+

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat earache

Warm the onion and wrap in cloth and pop into ear.

Wales

1925

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

earache

place on top of coal oven to heat then wrap scarf around head to hold onion at ear

East Yorkshire

1960

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

-

-

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat sore throat

Cut up half a bulb and mix it with honey. Also put the other half in sick room to absorb the germs

Hayes

1950s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Shallot

whole plant

To treat earache

Insert into ear

Warwick

1940s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

the onion

colds/flu/sore throats

boiled and taken, and could also be used as poultice

Pembs, South Wales

handed down

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To draw a boil

Heat onion as hot as you can bear it and stick your finger into the onion and leave it in their until it draws the boil.

Brittany

1950s/60s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

slice of onion

Wasp sting

Just raw onion put on wasp's sting

Devon

1950's

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve wasp stings

Cut in half and rub onto sore skin

London, Ireland

60

Allium cepa

Shallot

bulb

cure ear ache

boiled and placed in ear

Dorset

1930

32

Allium cepa

Shallot

whole plant

To treat ear ache

Warm a shallot and insert into the ear

Pilling, Morecambe Bay

1941

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve coughs

Slice the onion and cover with sugar. Drink the syrup produced.

South London

1950s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

take odour from the fridge

cut in half

Dorset

-

32

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve coughs

Slice the bulb and sprinkle brown sugar on each slice. Then put it in the fridge until it draws liquid. Take 1 teaspoon every couple of hours.

Germany

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To cure sore throat

Cut onion up and sprinkle with brown sugar- leave overnight and use syrup for sore throats

Derbyshire

1960s

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

Bulb

To stop colds

Cut onion in half and leave in the room.

Winchester

2002

45

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve coughs

Cut up onion and cover with brown sugar and use the syrup produced.

1950s- present

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To cure cough

Put in a jar and cover with brown sugar. Leave for a few days and take a spoonful.

Cleator moor

1950s

48

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

Chesty cough

Thinly sliced, placed in a dish, sprinkled with brown sugar and left overnight. Onion sweated, mixed with dissolved sugar making a syrup. Take 2 tbsp 3 times a day.

Lewisham

1940s-50s

61

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb juice

coughs

cut and covered with brown sugar

Uxbridge

1935 onward

70 - 100+

Allium cepa

Onion

Bulb

To treat coughs and colds

Cut up an onion and pour brown sugar over and leave overnight. In the morning a thick syrup has formed and drink a teaspoon during the day.

Sydenham

72

Allium cepa

Onion

small inner part of bulb

ear ache

Placed as a plug in the ear

South Wales

1920s

82

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat earache

Cook onion and insert in ear

London

1950s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To prevent colds

Slice the onion thinly and sprinkle with sugar and drink the resulting syrup

Dartford

1950s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve colds

Boiled and eaten

present

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat sore throat, coughing

Boil the onion and drink the water afterwards. Add some honey for sweetness

Hungary

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

earache

chopped and wrapped in cloth and used to cover ear

Brockworth Gloucester

1945

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

cold

whole onion (not outer skin) boiled in milk, eaten and milk drunk

Mallaig, Scottish northwest highlands.

1960's

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

-

cough (dry or chesty)

cut onion in half. Place cut half down on saucer of sugar. Take spoonful of syrup produced.

Middlesex

1950's

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To relieve chesty cough

Cut into quarters and put in dish by pillow

Canary Islands

present

41

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

relieving colic

boil a sliced onion in water. Drink the water. Safe for babies

-

1978

50 - 70

Allium cepa

onion

bulb

To ease rashes

Slice raw onion and place on rash

Peterborough

1930s

70 - 100+

Allium cepa

Onion

section of bulb

wasp stings

just cut and rub

Surrey

1950's

62

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

earache/ toothache

Half a boiled onion was placed in a sock and held to the ear or jaw.

Preston, Lancs.

1950's

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To cure earache

Boil or bake the onion

Wales

1940-50

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

-

sore throat or cough

chop onion and leave overnight in honey. Drain off syrup and take in large spoonfuls

-

1950's-60's

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat colds

Boiled in water and liquor was drunk when cooled

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

to prevent swelling wasp stings

raw bound onto wound

London

20 yrs ago

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

whole onion

boils

Poultice- onion boiled until soft, then chopped. Bread added to water and onion. Put into cotton cloth and tied onto boil area. Applied as hot as possible.

N. London and Hertfordshire

1930's-40's

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat cough

Slice onions and cover in brown sugar

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

weekly against worms

raw

Northants

-

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

-

cough medicine

cut the onion in half, sprinkle with lots of brown sugar, leave overnight, take 2 spoonfuls of the juice in bottom off the dish

Nottingham

1960's

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

all except skin

coughs

sliced/raw. Covered in brown sugar and left overnight. Liquor used to cure coughs

London

1930's

70 - 100+

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat coughs

Chopped and boiled with sugar

Ealing

1950s

50 - 70

Allium cepa

Onion

juice

To ease pain of wasp stings

Squeezed over sting

East Coast

1950s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat bee stings

Rub the cut onion on the bee sting to reduce stinging and swelling

Zimbabwe

1980s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To ease pain of wasp sting

Extract the juice form the onion and place on the wasp sting

Guilford

present

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

fever

Smashed into pulp in a cotton sheet. Wrapped around the calves to reduce fever overnight.

Germany/ Prussia

-

35

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

to treat ear ache

Heat up a small onion and put it inside your ear

Gosbeck

1935

73

Allium cepa

Onion

juice

To sooth sore throat

The onion is peeled and slices are made through it (but it is still in one piece). Brown sugar is pushed into the sections and it is covered and put in the fridge for a few hours. Then the juice is drunk.

Devon

1998

38

Allium cepa

Onion

Bulb

To cure earache

Cut the onion up into tiny pieces and wrap in a cloth then apply to the ear and cover with a hot water bottle

Germany

As long as he can remember

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To ease coughs

Cut onion into small bits and leave to soak in honey for several hours. Take a couple of spoonfuls.

England

1998

Not given

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat colds

Whole onion boiled in milk. Eat the onion and drink the milk

1970s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To cure earache

Boil onion until soft and allow to cool and place in ear. Leave in until cold

Leicester

1950s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat tickly coughs

Slice onion and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover and allow to stand for 24 hrs and drink the syrup that is produced

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To sore throat

Slice the onion and cover with white sugar and leave overnight. In the morning a syrup would have formed. Keep adding sugar. Tastes ok and is highly effective. Tastes awful with brown sugar.

London

1960s

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

To treat coughs and colds

Drink as a tea, or inhalation

Russia

present

6

Allium cepa

Onion

bulb

ear abscesses

with bread, in poultice on ears

Fylde Coast/Lancs

1930's

30 - 50

Allium cepa

Onion

-

boosts immune system, cold, prevent cataracts

cooked or raw

England

1960-03

Not given