About Allium cepa


Botanical Name :Allium cepa.
Family : Liliaceae.

Description :----
Allium Cepa or Onions, one of the oldest vegetables known to humankind, are found in a bewildering array of recipes and preparations, spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures .Onions can be used in almost every type of food, including cooked foods and fresh salads, and as a spicy garnish. They are rarely eaten on their own but usually act as accompaniment to the main course.Onions pickled in vinegar are eaten as a snack.Usually it is used as chopped or sliced. Onions tissue are frequently used in science eduction to demonstrate microscope usage,because they have particularly large cells which are readily observed even at low magnifications.


Cultivation:----
Onions may be grown from seed or, more commonly today, from sets started from seed the previous year. Onion sets are produced by sowing seed very thickly one year, resulting in stunted plants which produce very small bulbs. These bulbs are very easy to set out and grow into mature bulbs the following year, but they have the reputation of producing a less durable bulb than onions grown directly from seed and thinned.Onion Cultivation.
In India the major onion producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab and Rajashan.

Chemical Constituents:----
It Contains essential amino acid compostion of arginine, lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, threonion, leucine and isoleucine.The bulbs on steam distillation yield and essential oil known as ONION OIL.The bulbs contain several phenolic acids, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acids.It also contants several oligo-saccharides.

Medicinal Action and Uses:----
Homeopathic practitioners consider Allium cepa a remedy for conditions that are accompanied by the same symptoms as those brought on by exposure to red onions - watering eyes and a burning, runny nose.For the homeopathic preparation, red onions are harvested in midsummer. The bulbs are pounded to a pulp and then mixed with water and alcohol through several stages of extreme dilution.Allium is used for any illness that has either burning or neuralgic pain that alternates from side to side, or a profuse, clear, watery, smarting discharge. It is especially good for colds and hay fever with watery, streaming eyes, constant sneezing, and a copious, burning nasal discharge that makes the nostrils and upper lip raw and sore. The discharge may shift from side to side, affecting only one nostril at a time. The eyelids and eyes are swollen.This remedy is also effective for shooting neuralgic pain associated with toothache in the molar teeth, in which the pain moves across the mouth, from one tooth to another. Allium is also given for the early stages of laryngitis with hoarseness and coughs.
Eye irritation - An irritating discharge that causes an urge to rub the eyes. The eyes are red, swollen, and itchy, and possibly extremely sensitive to light.
Throat and chest infections - a raw, sore throat, or a cough characterized by a splitting, tearing sensation in the throat. There may be an urge to repress the cough, as it constantly irritates the throat. Pain may extend to the ear. Symptoms may develop rapidly on exposure to cold air, or after a cold accompanied by labored, wheezy breathing.
Neuralgic pains - Sharp, burning pain on alternating sides of the body, mainly in the face, head., neck, and chest. It may be due to an earache or headaches behind the brow. Allium cepa is also used for phantom limb pains after amputation.

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