The health wonders that lie in your larder
This week: Onions for hay fever and allergies
ONIONS are rich in quercetin, a plant chemical that has been shown in laboratory and animal studies to dampen the production of histamine – the chemical that produces allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes and a runny nose.
A couple of small human studies, including one in the journal Allergology International in 2009, showed that when people with hay fever were given quercetin in supplement form (100-300mg a day) they had reduced eye and nasal symptoms.
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A medium onion contains 22-52mg of quercetin. While more research is required, eating more onions can’t harm you if you have seasonal allergies. Sautéeing and baking don’t reduce quercetin, but boiling leaches it into the surrounding water.
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