Onion Bulbs: Store House of Potential Phytochemicals for Sustaining Health

Post COVID pandemic, the demand for a diet enriched with nutrients and bio-functional compounds having therapeutic properties is considerably increased to fight against several non-communicable and lifestyle-based diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, and lower immunity. Furthermore, plant-based specific diet supplements are in higher demand owing to its fewer side effects, toxicity, and are cheaper. Being a strong antioxidant, onion quercetin has the potential to fight against various health ailments such as free radical scavenging, aging, and inflammation. Several herbs-based traditional and folk medicines progressed among different regions, cultures, ethnic groups, and communities that generally dispersed verbally. Being the earliest and oldest domesticated vegetable crop, bulb onion is explored as a folk medicinal and nutraceutical herb globally since antiquity. Onion bulbs are known as protected and functional food items and are most commonly used for culinary purposes almost in all kitchens. For curing sour throat, cold, cough, fever, flu, pain relief, indigestion, antidiabetic, as a powerful antioxidant, anti-asthmatic, and anti-inflammatory, onion bulbs are used and well documented in old literature. With the start of the twenty-first century, immense attention and focus have been directed towards the identification and evaluation of onion genotypes/cultivars for medicinal and therapeutic properties. It could also be suggested that use of herbal nutraceuticals and bioactive compounds is better than to devour synthetically developed drugs against particular diseases or ailments. In the twenty-first century, “Food as Medicine” principle is drawing great attention of researchers across various fields and therefore, the research on onion might undoubtedly play a greater role in future.