sick, weak and healthy. Externally: Hot Oat straw compresses applied to painful areas when in pain from kidney stone attack will soon bring about welcome relief. Oat straw and oak bark decoctions are used for excessive foot perspiration. Oat straw steam baths are used for children with rickets and scrofula, and as a cosmetic aid to a fresh, healthy skin.
OATS Avena sativa, L. Left— Spreading Right— One-sided( Botanica, Moscow, 1949)
ONION
Allium cepa, L.( N. O.: Liliaceae)
Common Name: Onion. Features: There are various species of Allium, a genus of the Lily family; specifically A. cepa, a bulbous, rooted biennial herb. It is probably native to western Asia, as it is mentioned in old Egyptian writings and the Pentateuch. The Onion has spread to all countries occupied by man. They can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in early spring, or it may be cultivated during the winter where the temperature does not fall to freezing point. The flowers appear early in summer. Medicinal Part: The bulb. Solvent: Water. Bodily Influence: Stimulant, Carminative, Condiment, Diuretic, Expectorant. Uses: As a domestic medicine the Onion, in various preparations, has come to the rescue in colds and croups. Roast the Onion until soft, extract the liquid, add honey to taste, mix well and give in teaspoonful to tablespoonful amounts as age and condition calls for. If desired the whole roasted Onion can be eaten with honey. The Onion is also effective internally and externally in catarrhal pneumonia, abscesses, convulsions of children, suppurating tumours. If a child has worms, after fasting for a morning give a decoction of Rue( Ruta graveolens), Onion seeds, Onion extract and honey. Prepare the mixture the night before by pouring boiling water over the preparation and then straining. If taken on an empty stomach it will often clear the system of the unwanted creatures. Mix Onion with Rue and honey as a cure for the bite of venomous creatures and mad dogs. Should be applied externally, and taken internally, often. In Holland they macerate the Onion, and the tincture is taken for gravel and dropsical affections. Externally: The juice of a grated or bruised Onion, or leek, with the addition of a little salt, when laid on fresh burns or scalds draws out the fire and prevents them from blistering. Used with vinegar it diminishes skin blemishes. Herbalists of long ago used the above far pain and ringing in the ears.