Grandma’s Quick Fix for Coughs: Onion Juice for Colds and Sore Throats

Grandma’s remedies often turn out to be invaluable, especially when it comes to quick, effective solutions for everyday ailments like colds and sore throats. One of her go-to remedies, onion juice, is renowned for its effectiveness in stopping coughs within 30 minutes. Here’s how you can make and use this potent home remedy to alleviate your symptoms quickly.

Why Onion Juice?

Onions are packed with antioxidants and sulfur-containing compounds that have powerful anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. These characteristics make onion juice an excellent treatment for soothing sore throats, reducing inflammation, and combating infections that cause colds and coughs.

How to Prepare Onion Juice

  1. Select a Fresh Onion: Choose a large, fresh onion. Yellow onions are preferred for their optimal balance of astringency and sweetness, which are effective in treating coughs.

  2. Peel and Chop the Onion: Peel the onion and chop it into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the more juice can be extracted.

  3. Extract the Juice: You can extract the juice in several ways:

    • Juicer: If you have a juicer, simply feed the chopped onion through the juicer.

    • Blender: Place the chopped onion in a blender, blend until smooth, and then strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to collect the juice.

    • Manual Method: If you don’t have any appliances on hand, you can crush the onion pieces with the back of a spoon against a sieve or use a mortar and pestle.

  4. Enhance the Effectiveness: For additional relief and flavor, you can mix a tablespoon of honey into the onion juice. Honey will further help to soothe the throat and has its own antibacterial properties.

How to Use Onion Juice for Cough Relief

  • Immediate Consumption: Take one tablespoon of fresh onion juice every hour or two. The pungent nature of the juice can have a quick soothing effect and help reduce coughing fits.

  • Storage: Onion juice is best used fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. After that, it’s best to make a fresh batch to ensure the most potent effects.

Additional Tips

  • Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, as this helps to thin mucus and alleviate congestion.

  • Keep the surrounding air moist with a humidifier to ease breathing and soothe irritated airways.

Grandma’s onion juice remedy is a natural and effective way to stop coughing and ease the discomfort of colds and sore throats quickly. Try this simple yet powerful treatment the next time you need quick relief from coughing.