| Standard name | Allium cepa |
|---|---|
| Other names | |
| Standard abbr. | All-c. |
| Other abbr. | Cepa |
| Scientific name | Allium cepa L. |
| Other scientific names | Allium esculentum Salisb.; Cepa vulgaris Garsault; Allium cumaria Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.; Cepa rubra P.Renault; Allium cepaeum St.-Lag.; Allium nigritanum A.Chev.; Cepa esculenta Gray; Allium angolense Baker; Allium salota Dostál; Allium commune Noronha; Kepa esculenta Raf.; Porrum cepa (L.) Rchb.; Allium napus Pall. ex Kunth; Cepa alba P.Renault; Allium ascalonicum Auct.; Ascalonicum sativum P.Renault; Allium aobanum Araki; Allium pauciflorum Willd. ex Ledeb.; Cepa pallens P.Renault |
| Common names | onion; shallot; red onion |
| Substance description | a tincture is prepared from the common red onion Allen, T.F., a tincture of the onion or of whole fresh plant Clarke, J.H. Also triturations. |
| Distinctness | VARIANTS (1. fresh red bulb; 2.whole fresh plant; 3. Triturations; see notes) |
| Classification | Organism – Plantae – Magnoliophyta – Liliopsida – Asparagales – Amaryllidaceae – Allium |
The remedy you buy from your homeopathic pharmacy may be different from the one used in the provings – it may not work even if properly selected.
While old authors all give red onion as a remedial substance to be used for preparation of Allium cepa, it is worth noting that many red varieties are quite mild in taste, cause no lachrymation when cut (at least in Europe) and therefore their medicinal effects might not be as we should well expect from the provings. It is a general remark seen in the old texts – the more acrid the onion the better, so this should probably be the rule when deciding what kind of onion to use (read here).
Moreover, onion reacts when cut, triturated or otherwise damaged and many medicinal powers develop only in reaction to the damage caused to onion cells, which may as well NOT happen (or not to such an extent) when the remedy is prepared from tincture. According Alton Brown, “When an onion is cut, the ruptured onion cells release enzymes which break down nearby sulfur compounds into oxides and acids. These re-form to make a gas. This gas moves into your eyes and then mixes with your tears to form sulphuric acid.”
All standard homeopathic remedy names are listed in the Official Remedy Name List. Extended Remedy Name List includes all known naming variations (homeopathic names only). The Complete Remedy Name List includes all homeopathic names and all common names. This page is a part of ongoing Project Remedies.