A mum has sworn by the unconventional method of using chopped onions to ease her toddler’s cough, despite a lack of scientific backing. Rebekah Millbrook shared her home remedy on TikTok after one of her followers suggested it when she was seeking ways to help her sick child.
“If you haven’t heard this hack – simply cut an onion and put it in your child’s room and apparently it stops them coughing,” Rebekah explained in her video. She demonstrated by cutting a white onion into quarters, saying: “Someone said in [response to] another video of mine that their nanny swears by it as it soaks up the illness apparently – so here goes nothing.”
After detailing her daughter’s persistent cough, she placed the onion pieces in a glass bowl near the cot, out of reach. In a follow-up video the next morning, Rebekah excitedly reported: “Here’s an update – it works… it actually works! She didn’t cough once all night.”
She conceded the room smelled “slightly oniony” but declared she would use the method again due to its effectiveness. Rebekah concluded: “I’m thinking of putting it downstairs in my house because she’s been coughing since she woke up, but she did not cough once overnight. I think it’s an old wives’ tale, but if your child has a cough or a cold then try it.”
Although there is no concrete evidence to support the claim, several of Rebekah’s followers shared their positive experiences with the trick. “I can vouch for this, I do it every time my toddler is poorly and she always sleeps though no problems,” one person responded.
A second added: “It also helps unblock your nose my boy sleeps with me and we’ve been doing it for his cough and it helped up lock my nose.” A third hailed: “100% the sugar and onion! My dad used to give it to me when we kids and I’ve used it with mine. It’s not nice but it does work.”
Whilst a fourth added to the suggestion: “Yes it works been using it for years! You can cut the onion some more and use it again as well! Chop and place in a jar, cover it in honey and leave for 24 hours then stir and remove the onion.”
According to Very Well Health, the idea behind the trick is that onions can absorb bacteria and viruses, thereby drawing germs and toxins out of a sick person or the air. However, the National Onion Association confirms that there is no scientific proof to support this claim.
Real Foods champions the use of raw onion as a natural cough remedy due to its remarkable ability to clear phlegm, explaining: “Raw onion is an excellent cough medicine, thanks to it’s excellent phlegm removing abilities. Using onion as a home remedy against cough is so efficient, because onion has the ability to reduce the viscosity, or thickness, of mucus, allowing it to be eliminated more easily.”