03/21/2020
Hello friends:
During this time of crisis if you are having flu symptoms, breathing issues, etc. be sure to check with your Doctor or Medical Professionals to see if you need you go to a hospital or urgent care facility. Usually if the symptoms are not too severe the suggestion is for us to stay at home, quarantine and get ourselves well at home. However, if you're stuck out in nowhere land or have been told to stay at home and heal but seem to be having respiratory issues you may find this homemade remedy for the respiratory system most helpful.
This is from my late mother-in-law Mary Gibbs' list of homemade remedies.
Apply a Warm Compress with Onion (Onion Poultice).
External application of a warm onion poultice may help alleviate chest congestion. When placed on the chest, the heat from the poultice seeps into the skin to break up the coagulated mucus.
Also, onions are credited with expectorant properties that may further help in thinning out the mucus secretions, making them easier to expel.
You can safely use this remedy to potentially ease spasmodic coughs and get some symptomatic relief from chest congestion, provided you are not allergic to onions.
Here’s how you can make an onion poultice:
Peel and thinly slice 2 onions and then steam the slices until they become tender.
Use a clean kitchen towel to pat dry the excess moisture from the steamed onions.
Wrap the steamed onions in a soft cotton cloth, gather its ends, and tie them to make a compress.
Allow the onion poultice to cool down to a comfortably warm temperature and then place it on the patient’s chest.
Let the warm poultice sit on the chest until it cools down completely.
You can also apply this gentle heat therapy to the back to relieve coughs.
After the poultice has cooled down, onion slices can be reused by steaming them again for a few minutes. (Maybe even 30 to 45 seconds to reheat in the microwave.)
Wrap the re-steamed onions in a fresh cotton cloth. Instead of steaming the onion slices, you may microwave them until they become soft.
You may also add ginger or garlic to this mix for additional therapeutic effects.
Caution: To avoid the risk of getting burns from the poultice, do not use scalding-hot onions. Let them cool down for some time and then wrap them up.
Onion juice seeping from the cotton cloth directly on the skin may cause mild irritation in some people. Immediately remove the onion poultice from your skin if you notice any signs of allergic reaction.
Another like "remedy" that gets passed around social media every cold and flu season is to place a cut onion in the room of the person who is sick. The claim is that onions have the ability to absorb bacteria and viruses and will actually pull the germs out of the sick person.
Hope you find this helpful.
Blessings from Allen and Rhonda
Reflexology, Acupressure, Lymphatic Massage/Stimulation. Nutritional Consultation