When people are sick, they like to look for quick and easy cures. However, onions are only included to a limited extent.

A chain letter claims that onions help against flu and even the new coronavirus

Supposedly, cut onions “suck” viruses and bacteria out of the body and the air.
However, this is an old health myth; onions have no “sponge ability” against germs.

A chain letter is currently circulating on social media that has an astonishing finding:
onions are said to have the incredible property of pulling all kinds of germs out of the air - including the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2!

Here are the most important excerpts from the chain letter:

In 1919, 40 million people died from the flu.
A doctor visited the many farmers to see if he could help them fight the flu.
Many of the farmers and their families were infected with the flu and many died.

However, the doctor came across a farmer whose family was perfectly healthy; no one in the house had the flu.
The doctor asked the farmer what he did that was different from the others.
The farmer's wife replied that she had simply put a peeled onion in a bowl and placed it in every room of the house.

The doctor thought this might have been the cure.
So he asked if he could have one of these onions. When he put it under the microscope, he found the flu virus in the onion. The onions apparently absorbed all the bacteria, keeping the family healthy.

[…]

*Onions ABSORB BACTERIA* and that's why they are so good at protecting us from *cold and flu*.

And this is exactly why we should NOT eat an onion that has been stored for a while after it has been *cut*.

When food poisoning is reported, the first thing officers look for is whether the “victim” ate *onions* and where those onions came from. Most likely the *onions* are the cause.

*Onions are huge magnets* for bacteria, especially uncooked ones.

[…]

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The fact check

Do onions help with illness?

Yes. As long as you eat them!
Onions are a good source of prebiotics . These build up intestinal bacteria, which in turn strengthen the immune system, which benefits the body in fighting diseases. They also ensure better sleep and stress reduction.

Do onions suck bacteria and viruses out of the air?

No. It's an onion and not a magic sponge!
One version of the chain letter is wrong right from the start when it claims

ONION kills all BACTERIA including CORONA

This is wrong in itself because, as the family name of SARS-CoV-2 already states, the Corona virus is a virus , not a bacteria! But the chain letter is also completely wrong in other respects.

Viruses are transmitted through contact. When you get sick, microscopic bacteria or viruses enter your body and multiply there. The body notices this and produces antibodies to fight the viruses and bacteria.

This struggle is then very noticeable:
When you have a cold, for example, the body produces excess mucus, which you then cough up. Fever also has a purpose, because the body intentionally increases the temperature, as many viruses and bacteria are very sensitive to heat: just two to three degrees more and they die. That's why you should only use fever-reducing drugs when the fever gets too high.

But viruses don't fly through the air! They cannot be “sucked” out of the body or out of the air by onions.

Where does faith come from?

The legend that onions have the ability to “suck” bacteria and viruses out of the body of a sick person has existed since the 16th century. At that time, pathogens were not even known; the prevailing belief was that diseases were spread through “harmful air”.

To protect against the bubonic plague, cut, raw onions were placed in the room of a sick person. Surprise: It didn't help, but it smelled more like onions than death.

Over the centuries, onions have been credited with all sorts of healing properties, as the National Onion Association reports: From the aforementioned bubonic plague to smallpox to the Spanish flu , onions were said to be able to cure pretty much everything.

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Conclusion

Onions are not a magnet for bacteria and viruses. Viruses also tend not to settle on onions because they need a living host.

It certainly won't do any harm if you still drape your apartment with sliced ​​onions. This doesn't help against the new coronavirus or against all other viruses and bacteria, but you do have a somewhat eccentric scent in the house... which in turn keeps friends away who might infect you. Problem solved.


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )