If you knew that something you usually throw away has a lot of benefits, would you start saving it? Onion skin is known to be extremely beneficial for your health. Yes, the pungent smelling scales that you peel off and toss in the trash box can actually work wonders for your skin.
Although, onion peels aren't edible, but they are quite useful if you understand their beneficial properties. Here are some ways in which onion skin can be helpful to us.
Onion is used in almost every cousin across the world. In fact, this vegetable is one of the most used worldwide. It can be used and consumed in very different ways – raw and fresh, fried, baked…
However, almost everyone, after cleaning the onions, throw away the vegetable’s peels.
According to studies, onion peels are rich in antioxidants that can improve your overall health, and they also contain dietary fiber and flavonoids which are great for the skin. These nutrients are more concentrated in the peel than the vegetable itself.
Decreases LDL cholesterol and blood pressure
Fights allergies
Reduces inflammation
Supports muscle growth and function
Treats depression
Treats some forms of cancer, and other conditions.
The onion skin also has quercetin. It is a wonderful pigment and very powerful. It prevents clogging of arteries and reduces hypertension. It also has antibacterial, anti cancer and anti fungal properties. It also has flavonoids. These destroy free radicals since they are good antioxidants.
Thus, onion skin will improve your health and will reduce the following risks:
Obesity
Colon cancer
Type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular diseases
Gastrointestinal problems
Some people recommend a mixture of onion skins which can be used as a soothing wash for the itch of scabies and other skin problems.
Also, the onion skin infusion can be used as a beauty product. The onion broth is a popular softening and smoothing hair rinse. Use it on freshly washed hair and let it air dry.
Peel an onion and store the skins in a jar. Pour boiling hot water over the skins and leave them to soak for 15 minutes. Strain the onion skins and drink the tea every night before you go to bed. It’s best to consume it before you go to bed because quercetin is actually a mild sedative so it will help you fall asleep.
Warning: Onion skins are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Aside from making tea you can use the skins to make a soup or a stew. Since they’re not edible you should remove them before you serve the soup but you’ll still reap all the benefits.
Quercetin, which is onion peel’s main compound, is very powerful antioxidant that fights against free radicals, which are one of the reasons for cancer occurrence.
Onion peel contains high amount of dietary fiber
According to some researches, onion peel can be used as an addition to any kind of diet because it contains high amount of insoluble fiber. Insoluble fibers are useful for normal and peristaltic movements of the colon.
These insoluble fibers help in removing toxins from the intestines and they also have the ability to balance the level of the рРvalue.
