Green onion, also known as spring onion, Chinese onion, scallion or spring onion is more the young version of the round mature onions we see later in the season. These ones look like bulbous scallions.
This little gem is one of the first out of the gates in spring and is great to include in your diet year round.
The green and the white are both tasty but offer slightly different flavours – the green has the slightly more oniony bite to them and the whites are more mild and sweet. The sweetness makes them cook well on high heat but can also make them prone to burning easily so be careful if you’re bbqing them.
In TCM, these little beauties have been used for centuries and they are widely available in supermarkets and are generally available year round.
It’s considered warm and pungent but also slightly bitter which is the flavour associated with the Heart system in Traditional Chinese Medicine which makes it great for the summer months but also a great addition to the diet for anyone with heart related symptoms. It’s a go to for the common cold and early onset of the flu when it’s considered a wind-cold condition (think chills, runny nose with clear copious amounts of drippy fluids rather than sore throat and fever). This is particularly helpful taken at the first signs of a cold or flu. I love to keep it on hand and simmer it up with some fresh ginger in some bone broth. Not only does it feel great, it usually kicks that cold to the curb light speed and I feel more nourished in the process.
It’s also helpful for parasitic infections. and watery or damp conditions such as edema as well asa abdominal pain or diarrhea or arthritic joint pain when the pain stems from a cold condition (hint: feels better with heat and worse in cold weather or with cold raw or frozen foods). The entire plant, root to tip has medicianal propterties.
This onion opens up sweat pores and regulates the natural function of your immune system and has similar to the ever powerful garlic for it’s antimicrobial benefits but just to a lesser degree.
This is also great a great addition to the diet for people who have stomach aches or upset that feels better with warmth.
You can eat these fresh, dried, raw or cooked and great to keep some version on hand year round.
Raw is usually found sprinkled over cooked foods or soups to give it that fresh invigorating bite and the dried version can be kept on hand year round to be boiled up for early signs of a cold or flu when someone has chills and headache. You boil 6-9g for less than 5 minutes
As it is great for detoxifying, you can actually grind the fresh onion and use the juice externally for things such as itchy mosquito bites! Go figure.
