Also called onion in the room, onions absorb flu, onion in socks
The folk belief that a cut onion left in a room soaks up germs and sickness, best known from a story set in the 1918 flu. It is a charming kitchen custom but does not prevent or cure illness.
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Take care: A cut onion does not prevent or treat flu, COVID or any infection; see a doctor for illness. Onions are toxic to dogs and cats, so keep saucers out of their reach, and do not eat onion that has sat out cut. Never give honey to a child under one year old.
A widely forwarded story claims a doctor in 1918 found one healthy farm family who kept cut onions in every room, and that the onions held the flu virus under a microscope. No record of the doctor exists, and viruses could not be seen with microscopes of that time.
Uses: cut onions
Sliced onion placed in socks overnight is said to draw out toxins or fever through the feet. There is no evidence for it, though it is harmless for most people apart from the smell.
Uses: onion slices, socks
Instead of setting the onion out, cooks layered sliced onion with honey or sugar and spooned the syrup for coughs. It is a soothing kitchen remedy and not a substitute for medical care. Do not give honey to babies under one year old.
Uses: onion, honey
Belief in the cut onion grew out of miasma theory, the long-held idea that disease spread through bad air. If sickness floated in the air, a strong-smelling bulb might draw it in. The National Onion Association, which has every reason to praise onions, says there is no evidence that a cut onion absorbs germs, and that cold and flu viruses spread mainly through people, not by drifting into vegetables.
The best-known version is a story said to come from the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed tens of millions worldwide. It describes a doctor who finds a family in good health with onions in every room. Fact checkers, including Lead Stories in 2020, found no source for it and noted that the influenza virus was not even isolated until 1933. The custom survives as gentle kitchen folklore.
An herbal vinegar tied to a legend of plague-time thieves who robbed the sick without catching the disease, now kept as a household protection and cleansing vinegar for doorways, hands and surfaces.
Hanging or carrying garlic to keep harm away, one of the most widespread protective customs in the world, from Homer's magic herb moly to the Balkan vampire lore that gave us Dracula's garlic.
A calming charm for a tension headache, drawn from ancient Greek and Anglo-Saxon headache charms and saints invoked against head pain. It pairs words with a cool cloth, water and rest. Severe, sudden or frequent headaches need a doctor.
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