Onion Honey Tea

Growing up, I was the product of parents and grandparents who believed in a lot of natural remedies. My paternal Big Mama made everyone get a morning dose of either castor oil or cod liver oil. (I know for sure she'd made us drink one of those if we dared get constipated.)

My maternal grandmother was not alive for long past my own birth but my mother knew all the people who, like her, had grown up on home remedies. 

When I was struggling with that Flu-monia and the neverending cough, I was popping Mucinex DM and sucking on cough drops like they were candy. When I finally went to my GP for a regular checkup recently, she prescribed Albuterol and Pulmicort inhalers. Apparently, several of her patients had been suffering from this broncho-something or other ailment that's been making the rounds. With my weakened immune system, it had just hit me a little harder. The Albuterol was prescribed to help with any wheezing attacks I might have and the Pulmicort was for daily use until further notice. Here is where things get irritating...

My insurance won't cover the Pulmicort until I go to a pulmonologist (which will cost me a higher out-of-pocket office visit fee, as does any visit to a specialist). My insurance suggested ever so casually that  I could just buy the medicine myself - for the small fee of 900+ dollars. 

Pulmicort is the med my doctor wants me to take on a daily basis for a while and I cannot afford to pay for it out of pocket. However, the Albuterol for the occasional wheezing and stronger attacks is something my insurance did cover.  Two days after the appointment, they sent me 4 inhalers. Four inhalers that I would maybe only occasionally need. That makes so much sense someone ought to write a book about it... ~sigh~ Got me over here, talking in italics like a crazy woman... (I am making an appointment with the pulmonologist. As soon as I find one.)

In the meantime, thank God above, my cough has gotten lots better. Probably because I have the Pulmicort I was given to get me through for a while. The cough is only better but not gone. While I was cursing in italics about the insanity of my insurance coverage, I remembered something.

Years and years ago (when I was around 13 or 14, so many years ago), there was a woman who lived next door to my auntie. Her name was Miss Addie and she had a little house that was surrounded by her garden. And she had everything in that garden of hers. The front yard was full of trees with bushes running along the side of the fence and lining the little walkway to her door. Apples, crab apples, pecans, walnuts, and one little bush that had berries I didn't recognize. The sides and entire back of her yard were so full of herbs and berries and plants that it was tricky to navigate through them. 

Miss Addie was old (I don't know how old but I know people teasingly called her Methuselah's big sister). I do know that she was the daughter of slaves or former slaves. My mother told me that Miss Addie had learned all about the herbs and plants from her mother and grandmother before her. Whenever women in town had menstrual cramps or were going through "the change", they went to Miss Addie for remedies. She made teas, poultices, and bags of herbs for various ailments. If you had a headache, Miss Addie had something for it. If somebody's child had a fever, Miss Addie had something for that. Toothaches, muscle cramps, rashes - Miss Addie seemed to have a garden prescription for anything and everything. If someone in our part of town got sick, the church prayed and Miss Addie prescribed.

One of Miss Addie's remedies for coughs, colds, and the like, was onion tea. I do recall vaguely that she had variations of the remedy (depending on what type of cough or cold, maybe?) but I specifically remember the onion tea because of hearing Mama talk about it more than once as I grew up.

Of course, once I thought about that tea, I had to go searching for a recipe. And, what do y'all know but I made myself a jar of onion tea.  May God bless the memory of Miss Addie because I will be hotdanged if the tea doesn't seem to be helping. I've only had 2-days and 1 night's worth (one cup twice a day and I had some before bed last night) and I'm getting more sleep because the coughing isn't waking me.

You know I had to be desperate to even think of making onion tea in the first place. I can't remember if I ever had any of it when I was young so I wasn't excited to think about the taste. But I was desperate. 

I can't recommend that anyone else drink the tea (I'm not a medical pro) but I can tell you how I made mine.

The Recipe(s)

These are the ingredients I came up with after looking at several recipes and other sources:

• 1 medium to large onion quartered with the skin on. (Red is said to be more antioxidant but white or yellow will work. I had a yellow onion.)
• 5 to 10 cups of water. (I'm sure you can add more if you want.)
• 3 cinnamon sticks. (Thankfully, I keep these in my pantry.)
• Some clove buds. Recipes varied on the amount so I used 10 buds.
• (optional) Apple to sweeten the concoction. (I didn't have apples but I had some frozen fruit that had pieces of peaches which were the sweetest of the bag of strawberry, pineapple, or mango pieces.)
• Garlic is another ingredient that is recommended but I've pickled all mine so...
• Honey to sweeten or Lemon for flavoring. (I used honey.)

There are 2 fairly simple recipes I found. This is the first:

• Excluding the honey, put all the ingredients - including the skin of the onion if it's clean or organic - into a pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes or so. Then reduce this to a low simmer for up to 20 minutes. (Make sure to keep the pot covered so you aren't evaporating your water!)
• You can either cover the tea in the pot and leave it to cool before straining out the onion and skin. (I guess that the reason you don't want to leave the onion in is that it could make the tea start to taste too strong. This is why I also removed the cloves. I did leave in the cinnamon sticks.)
•  This can go into the fridge for up to 3 days (but I would keep checking to make sure it's not going rank). If you have any left and the tea is still good, you can freeze the remainder. Suggestions are to use ice cube trays to freeze before bagging or covering the cubes for storage. Personally, I immediately vac-sealed my freshly cooled tea into portions and put it in the freezer after setting aside about 10 ounces to sip on. Who the heck knows when onion tea "goes bad", and how do you tell??? Of course, as with anything, be very careful about sanitation and contamination. Use your common sense, folks. I'm just sharing a recipe!

The second method, which seemed to appear online more often than the method above (which is the one I used)  is:

• Quarter or even thinly slice your onion (with or without the skin) and steep it in a tightly sealed container for several hours or overnight. 
• When ready to drink, add any fruit or sweeteners then. 
• Storage seemed to be the same as for the first method.

this is beginning to simmer

I used the first method mostly because I wanted to be able to drink a cup of tea sooner. Also, I like the idea of heating the ingredients.

One other thing I did was to save the strained onion. I want to see what it tastes like after being steeped with the other ingredients. I haven't tried it but I need to do so soon because it's just stored in the fridge in a bit of the tea.

The Result

I should have realized when I was making the tea that it didn't stink up the kitchen. Still, I wasn't prepared for the taste. Surprisingly - stunningly - this tea is actually pretty tasty. 

Actually, when I did a taste test before adding the honey, the tea came off as super bland. I tasted cinnamon and cloves but almost none of the onion. When I added the honey, the cinnamon, cloves, and fruit flavors popped out more brightly but the onion stayed way in the background. I have a feeling that adding an apple will really jazz this up! I really like the taste of the tea as it is. Of course, I like cinnamon, cloves, and honey anyway.

this is after 20 minutes simmering

Once I thought about it more, I wasn't that surprised that onion had mellowed. I guess it's like when raw garlic is strong and kind of hot but gets all buttery and mellow when roasted.

After the first "dose", I don't know if there was much of a difference. Remember, my cough had started abating already. But I do think that after the first couple of days, something was working. I didn't wake up coughing but a couple of times (and that might have been due to the dry air). During the day now, I'm not coughing as much - hardly at all. Strangely, after the first day, my voice was still super hoarse. I thought that would go away quickly.

Overall, I am glad that I remembered the tea and looked it up. Apparently, it's good for more than a cough or cold.  Remembering that I am not any kind of medical professional and am only using the resources online, here is what I found that could be beneficial about this tea. As a matter of fact, Chat GPT listed the same things I found everywhere else and sums them up well:

"Onion tea might sound a bit unusual, but it actually comes with some surprising benefits:

1. Immune Boosting: Onions contain antioxidants like quercetin, which can help strengthen your immune system and ward off illness.

2. Digestive Health: Drinking onion tea may aid digestion and alleviate digestive discomfort, thanks to its fiber content.

3. Anti-inflammatory: The antioxidants in onions have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation in the body and alleviate conditions like arthritis.

4. Heart Health: Onion tea may help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease.

5. Respiratory Relief: Some people find relief from respiratory issues like coughs and congestion by drinking onion tea, as it can help loosen mucus and clear the airways.

6. Hydration: Like any tea, onion tea can contribute to your daily fluid intake, helping keep you hydrated.

Remember to consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns." (ChatGPT response)

When I was searching for the recipe, I found variations I might give a try. One version of the recipe called for adding garlic. I saw a recipe somewhere in a magazine that mentioned using a little vanilla in the tea. Yum! When I looked further into the use of garlic, I found recipes for "garlic fermented in honey". Since I love, love, love garlic, this sounds intriguing.

Here are some recipes from online:

• From All Recipes (I love that it's from a German mom!)
• This was my favorite (very old-school) 

These are some variations suggested (again) by ChatGPT:

"Here are some basic variations of onion tea you can try:

1.Plain Onion Tea: The simplest version involves slicing or chopping an onion, boiling it in water for about 10-15 minutes, then straining out the onion pieces. You can add a bit of honey or lemon for flavor if desired.

2. Onion-Ginger Tea: Add a few slices of fresh ginger to the boiling water along with the onion. Ginger adds a warm, spicy flavor and brings its own health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties.

3. Onion-Cinnamon Tea: Drop a cinnamon stick into the boiling water along with the onion. Cinnamon adds a sweet and aromatic flavor, and it's believed to have various health benefits, including improving blood sugar control.

4. Onion-Garlic Tea: For an extra immune boost, add a clove or two of crushed garlic to the boiling water along with the onion. Garlic is known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.

5. Onion-Honey Tea: After straining the onion tea, stir in a spoonful of honey to sweeten it naturally. Honey also provides additional health benefits and can soothe a sore throat.

6. Onion-Mint Tea: Add a few fresh mint leaves to the boiling water along with the onion. Mint adds a refreshing flavor and may help with digestion and nausea.

Feel free to experiment with these variations and adjust the ingredients to suit your taste preferences. Enjoy your onion tea!"

Again, do your due diligence. For the last time, here is some ChatGPT help regarding just some warnings:

"Onion tea is a natural remedy that some people believe can offer health benefits. However, like any herbal remedy, it's essential to be aware of potential side effects. Here are some possible side effects of drinking onion tea:

1. Digestive Issues: Some people may experience gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, gas, or upset stomach after drinking onion tea. This is because onions contain fructans, which can be difficult for some individuals to digest.

2. Bad Breath: Onions are notorious for causing bad breath due to their strong odor. Drinking onion tea can exacerbate this issue.

3. Allergic Reactions: Individuals who are allergic to onions may experience allergic reactions such as itching, hives, swelling, or difficulty breathing after consuming onion tea.

4. Blood Sugar Levels: Onion tea may affect blood sugar levels, so individuals with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar closely if consuming onion tea regularly.

5. Interaction with Medications: Onion tea may interact with certain medications, such as blood thinners, by affecting their absorption or effectiveness. It's essential to consult with a healthcare professional before consuming onion tea if you're taking any medications.

6. Skin Irritation: Applying onion tea topically to the skin may cause irritation or allergic reactions in some individuals.

As with any herbal remedy, it's essential to use onion tea in moderation and be mindful of any adverse reactions. If you experience severe or persistent side effects, discontinue use and consult with a healthcare professional.

Talk with your medical care team. Think about your own sensitivities to the ingredients. Most importantly, make sure nothing interacts badly with any of your medications. As I said, I am only sharing a recipe that I tried.

Peace

--Free