Admit it: The crisp, flaky outer scales of the onions you use in soups, salads, and casseroles usually end up in the trash (or perhaps more usefully, the compost bin). But don’t toss them out before you’ve put them to use. For your health!
Recent research confirms that the outer skins of onions provide an exceptionally rich source of plant compounds called flavonoids, especially the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, quercetin.
Quercetin is under study as an agent for lowering LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, fighting allergies, reducing inflammation, enhancing muscle growth and function, treating depression, some forms of cancer, and other conditions.
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“Plants are the master chemists,” says Mary Ann Lila, who directs the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. “Because plants can’t move around, they have to manufacture what they need, not merely to grow, but to defend, protect, and heal themselves. It makes sense that the compounds plants produce in response to stress would help a human under similar circumstances.”
It also makes sense that plants would concentrate many of these protective compounds in the outer coverings—skins and peels of various roots and fruits—the point where most environmental assaults would likely occur.
To extract quercetin and other beneficial plant compounds that onions skins might contain, toss a whole onion or two, scales and all, into the pot next time you make soup, put a stew into the crock pot, or cook rice. Or, you could save the outer onion scales in a paper bag. Tie up a handful of onion skins loosely in the cut-off leg of an old pantyhose or a thin sock. You can discard the skins after the soup has simmered or the rice has cooked. Wash and save the “bag” for another use.
A nice side benefit: onion skins will impart a rich brown or deep mahogany color to your broth, depending on which color onion you use.
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Other uses for onion skins
Noted ethnobotanist James Duke recommends an infusion of onion skins as a soothing wash for the itch of scabies and other skin disorders.
Although I haven’t tried it, onion skins make gorgeous dyestuffs for natural fibers. Take a peek.
Also, if you have a surplus, an onion-skin infusion has a long reputation as a softening and smoothing hair rinse. Just run the strained onion-skin broth through freshly washed hair a few times and let it air dry. (Yes, I have tried this, with positive results. Don’t worry. There’s no residual onion odor.)
A Japanese firm has developed a fermented onion-skin “health tea” they claim concentrates the quercetin and removes the bitter aftertaste of the raw product. (The declared benefits might also derive from the fact that the tea contains nine other health-promoting herbs, including green tea and turmeric.)
Thanks, but I think I’ll stay with the soup stock.
Margaret Boyles
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I can only express a word of thanks! Nothing else. Because your topic is nice, you can add knowledge. Thank you very much for sharing this information.
My wife is a fiber artist and uses onion skins as a dye for her wool. Takes a ton of skins but dyes the wool to a beautiful brownish color. Can be used up to 3 times to dye wool with each batch a little lighter than the last.
Hi, I am doing tea from the onion skin and is very good for colds also. I never use the skins of onions as food or in food but reading what lots of people write here I will give a try next time when I gone make some soup. Thank you for the tips. Regards from the UK.
For about three months I have been grinding onion skins in a coffee grinder, then placing the powder into 00 Gel Caps taking one daily. I'm not sure it's helping with my elevated blood pressure, the real test will come in a couple of weeks when i go to the MD. I also grind oatmeal and place the powder in 00 Gel Caps taking one or two a day. Still crazy after all these years.
Do you think that if I made a yellow/red onion skin powder, that it could be used to dye hair?
I have no idea! But I don't see any risk to giving it a try, Tjarda. Let us know how it turns out.
I have used onion skins as hair tint. Put brown or red onion skins in pan with water. Simmer. Put in frig overnight. Strain and put on wet hair - leave in about 30 - 45 min. Rinse.
Hi I've been reading up on onion skin I find it very helpful for flu coughs boiling with honey and a bit of sugar at end for taste, it also helps with my breathing for asthma when I'm sick and relaxes me I've been sticking in food prosser to make into flakes and taking other tea from bags and stuffing with onion skin flakes to make my own teabags as very time consuming doing every day a full teabag would last 2 cups so I'd Hav one at night and one in morning before work to help with coughing, I really think someone should be making a teabag to sell all the skins that are thrown out could be used for something :)
"Recent research confirms that the outer skins of onions provide an exceptionally rich source of plant compounds"
Can you please cite the paper where this research was published?
The post below that mentioned the research i think your referring to says “onion trade organization” … so I did a search and the “onion trade organization” does appear to have a lot more information. You might check there for some informational information and resources.
