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Topic: Sliced onion... can it kill germs?
no photo
Tue 02/21/12 03:06 PM


The onion turning black is not an indication of it "absorbing" bacteria from the air, or anything like that.

HOWEVER it remains unclear to me if the onion is putting out vapors that contain the anti-bacteria agents, that to me would need a targeted study to answer.



With things like this, there is always a question of degree.

My house has two bathrooms on two floors. When I spray an airborne bacteriocide in one bathroom, there is a non-zero chance that a few particles of the active ingredient will make their way t other bathroom - but that doesn't mean that spraying one bathroom is an effective means of treating the other.

<speculation>
I would wager that the onion is releasing an airborne bacteriocide, but I'd also wager that its pretty much useless (edit: as an airborn bateriocide) in real-world terms.

I'd give better odds to the vapors stimulating the human to better protect themselves from airborn pathogens. Any small increase in the production of mucous (we all know how onions can make us cry) could reduce our risk of an airborn pathogen making its way to our throat or lungs.

</speculation>

Edit: Ultimately, though, this is all speculation and I agree that what we need are proper studies. Also, I kept saying bacteria when I meant 'bacteria or viruses or mold'.


I agree, and the studies we do have tend to show that the anti-bacterial effect of onions and spices tend to be small (and target only specific bacterium), which makes sense in the evolutionary scale of things.

Onions only need to protect themselves from bacteria until they can reproduce, slowing down bacterial growth long enough to reproduce is enough, no need to wipe it out.




no photo
Tue 02/21/12 04:39 PM
I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?

Optomistic69's photo
Tue 02/21/12 04:50 PM

I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


That's my project sorted for spring/summer

A Herb Garden

no photo
Tue 02/21/12 04:56 PM


I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


That's my project sorted for spring/summer

A Herb Garden


I have giant garlic. The bulbs are as big as a small onion.

Optomistic69's photo
Tue 02/21/12 05:04 PM



I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


That's my project sorted for spring/summer

A Herb Garden


I have giant garlic. The bulbs are as big as a small onion.


Is that what is known as elephant garlic...one bulb as opposed to cloves?

no photo
Tue 02/21/12 05:27 PM




I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


That's my project sorted for spring/summer

A Herb Garden


I have giant garlic. The bulbs are as big as a small onion.


Is that what is known as elephant garlic...one bulb as opposed to cloves?


Yes it is elephant garlic, but it has cloves. They are very large.

no photo
Tue 02/21/12 05:28 PM
The individual cloves are about as big as my thumb.

no photo
Tue 02/21/12 05:56 PM
Edited by massagetrade on Tue 02/21/12 05:58 PM

I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


Well for one, most airborne bacterium have virtual no ability to influence their direction of motion.

And for bacteria that have landed on a surface - I'm trying to think of a short way to say this... the main reasons have to do with scale and mobility. Maybe (?) you could put a drop of onion juice in a petri dish, and over several hours you would see that certain bacteria will move a few inches away from the drop. But bacteria are not even equipped to detect the location and direction of sources of airborne substances on the same scale that insects are. Many bacteria are great at detecting the direction (though not the distance) of a source of a food or toxin in a liquid solution, but are not as good with the air.

Edited: In short, the bacteria are likely to not even know that the onion is in the room unless they are very close to it, and even if they are able to detect it, they are limited in the mobility (when on a surface) and limited in their control of their direction of motion when airborne.


no photo
Tue 02/21/12 06:12 PM


I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


Well for one, most airborne bacterium have virtual no ability to influence their direction of motion.

And for bacteria that have landed on a surface - I'm trying to think of a short way to say this... the main reasons have to do with scale and mobility. Maybe (?) you could put a drop of onion juice in a petri dish, and over several hours you would see that certain bacteria will move a few inches away from the drop. But bacteria are not even equipped to detect the location and direction of sources of airborne substances on the same scale that insects are. Many bacteria are great at detecting the direction (though not the distance) of a source of a food or toxin in a liquid solution, but are not as good with the air.

Edited: In short, the bacteria are likely to not even know that the onion is in the room unless they are very close to it, and even if they are able to detect it, they are limited in the mobility (when on a surface) and limited in their control of their direction of motion when airborne.




Perhaps the onion sends its fumes out into the air to the bacteria.

no photo
Tue 02/21/12 06:14 PM
I've been feeling a little achy lately. Tonight I will take two aspirin (as usual) and a hot bath and this time I will cut an onion in half and set it next to my bed.

Tomorrow I will see if the added onion seemed to help.


no photo
Tue 02/21/12 06:55 PM



I know that in my herb garden I have garlic, onion and peppermint growing and that keeps a lot of bugs away. tongue2

If those plants can keep large bugs away, why not small ones like bacteria?


Well for one, most airborne bacterium have virtual no ability to influence their direction of motion.

And for bacteria that have landed on a surface - I'm trying to think of a short way to say this... the main reasons have to do with scale and mobility. Maybe (?) you could put a drop of onion juice in a petri dish, and over several hours you would see that certain bacteria will move a few inches away from the drop. But bacteria are not even equipped to detect the location and direction of sources of airborne substances on the same scale that insects are. Many bacteria are great at detecting the direction (though not the distance) of a source of a food or toxin in a liquid solution, but are not as good with the air.

Edited: In short, the bacteria are likely to not even know that the onion is in the room unless they are very close to it, and even if they are able to detect it, they are limited in the mobility (when on a surface) and limited in their control of their direction of motion when airborne.




Perhaps the onion sends its fumes out into the air to the bacteria.


I was assuming that this would be the case in my post - without 'fumes' (or released substances) there would be no way for the bacteria to sense the presence of the onion. Even with 'fumes', bacteria are severely crippled at sensing via the air. Even if they sense the onion, airborne bacteria cannot choose to avoid it.

no photo
Sun 02/26/12 04:28 PM



The onion is a warming, stimulating and penetrating herb. It is used in soups and even cough syrups. But you don't have to eat it to experience its healing affects. Apply them externally as a poultice and inhale and feel their pungent effects. Onions bring heat to the area and this action brings the fever to that part of the body to control how far the infection spreads.

You can also cut them in slices and put them in a bowl by your bed at night or in any room in the house. It is said they absorb the viruses and bacteria from the air. A doctor during the 1918 Spanish flu discovered a farmer and his family doing this very thing and they did not catch the flu, so the story goes.

Onions are anti-bacterial, ant-viral, and anti-parasitic. They are rich in vitamin C, potassium, chromium, fiber, manganese and vitamin B6. So eat onions every day, learn to make poultices and syrups and continue a 5,000 year old remedy.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3117168


Wow thanks for sharing this!


no photo
Mon 03/05/12 02:44 AM
Edited by volant7 on Mon 03/05/12 02:48 AM
i built an air filter/cleaner that pulls air over wet filters

a small pump keeps them wet

i put salt, baking soda and

a couple drops of soap in the water

it seems to cut down on the flu and dust

only one for now but i would like to build more

its been working in the winter for 7 years now

the fans starting to go now

but can be replaced

nothing really to replace on it except the water

oh btw it also regulates the humidity

http://www.amgair.com/product_images/uploaded_images/evaporative-air-cooling-mechanism-sml.jpg

carra63's photo
Mon 03/05/12 03:03 AM
FACTS: Now, at least according to a circulating email, onions that are out to get us! And the warning has nothing to do with fouling our breath and destroying our social life. Raw onions are supposedly a “magnet for bacteria” and should not be stored in the fridge even for brief periods. And watch out for those onions on your hot dog, the message warns. Better to stay away from such raw onions unless you are keen to explore the protective properties of your immune system.

Alright then, let’s take a look at the science here. The fact is that onions are not especially prone to bacterial contamination. In fact, quite the opposite. Onions feature a variety of sulphur compounds that have antibacterial activity. Furthermore, cutting an onion triggers the release of enzymes that initiate a chemical reaction producing propenesulfenic acid, which in turn deconmposes to yield sulphuric acid. It is the sulphuric acid that makes you cry by irritating the eyes! But sulphuric acid also inhibits the growth of bacteria. Also, a cut onion's surface dries out quickly, reducing the moisture that is needed for bacteria to multiply. And of course, to have bacteria multiply, you need some source of bacteria in the first place.

Where would these come from? Bacteria are not spontaneously generated. They have to be somehow present to start with. Cutting boards and dirty hands are a possible source, but food spoilage bacteria do not
become airborne, you need contact.

- Joe Schwarcz

http://pass-forward.blogspot.com/2010/08/facts-and-fiction-onions.html

no photo
Mon 08/12/13 12:02 AM
Ya u are right

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