Onion Peel Tea for Menstrual Cramps

Hello! Today’s post is a little home remedy that I thought I would share with you ladies out there since, ya know, we have ALL dealt with menstrual cramps at one point or another in our lives and frankly they totally suck. And, hey, even if you don’t suffer from them, perhaps you know a young lady who does.

So as you might have guessed by the title of my post, yes, I’m serious. Onion Peel Tea.

Back in my teenage years I suffered from severe menstrual cramping. There was no shortage of Midol, Ibuprofen, heat pads, over-sized sweatpants and  sappy love movies around the house when that time of the month came around. Well, one day I was home from school having one of those “episodes” when another Puerto Rican mom came by our home and offered some unlikely advice as to what may help my “situation.” Her remedy was onion peel tea….

I thought she was nuts!

But she swore by it and as I was desperate to try anything to feel better, I agreed to give it a go. Basically, she took the peel off a few yellow onions.

***Make sure you rinse them first, and it would be best to use organic onions. If you don’t have organic, then I would make sure to remove the top most layer of skin***

She rinsed them and stuck ’em in a pot with water. Then she let them boil for a few minutes and let the tea sit and steep for a bit.

She poured some into a mug with a little honey and let me go to town. And I was surprised – it did not taste or smell like onions.

It was actually kinda good!

I remember her leaving after a little while and I couldn’t tell you whether the Midol had kicked in, my body’s cramping finally naturally subsided or my mind wanted to believe the tea would work, but after about 30 minutes or so I started to feel better. From then on, I can tell you that we never threw away those peels again.

So how does it work, you ask? Here’ s a little more information for those of you who might be a little skeptical… and I’ll keep it as simple as possible.

According to Science Daily the brown skin of an onion has phenolic compounds, such as quercetin and other flavonoids which have medicinal properties. Quercetin is a plant pigment  that is found in many plants and foods, including red wine, onions, green tea, apples, and berries to name a few. The skin of an onion is also rich in antioxidants and is known for its anti-inflammatory effects (a-ha!).

An article in Top Natural Remedies also states that onion peel tea can help with muscle cramping (say what?!) and the regulation of menstrual cycles (hell yeah!)…I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a little more than just a Hispanic wives tale. 😉 I think there might be something there peeps! And if I can make at least one young girl feel a little better, then it’s definitely worth sharing.

So just remember, don’t throw away those peels just yet. You may just need them for a nice cup of tea.

Intrigued? For even more useful information on the health benefits of onions, check out this related post from my friends at Positive Health Wellness. Besides giving you 6 reasons why should add more onions to your diet, they share many great tips on dieting, fitness, and even pain relief!

Do you have any unique home remedies? I would love to know about them!