Onions:  "quercetin absorption from onions is double that [of] tea and three times that [of] apples."

I have eaten garlic medicinally.  What that means is that whenever I feel sick or anxiety I take a clove of garlic at bed.  I crush the clove so garlic's chemicals can be released and made easier for absorbtion.  The result is spectacular.  My blood vessels get dilated, and the benefits are more energy.  Love it.  And the following day I feel sturdier.  

But sometimes the garlic can work adversely on my stomach.  Still, I know that garlic and other root vegetables or onions, allium vegetables, are good for the heart.  Least that's what I've heard and read.  My dad once told me that he eats onions "because they're good for the heart."  In fact, he used to make his own sandwiches and always add a wedge of onion and a few peppers to it and take that to work. Don't know how he got around the smell at work.  Funny. Remember, too, how on long vacation drives he would wrap up sandwiches and always, always I'd find a wedge of onion wrapped in the tin foil in which he kept his sandwich. So he knew. This is not news.  Just an important reminder. Eat your onions.  Eat them raw. 

A little side note on onions: 

Onions have been cultivated for thousands of years and originated in the Near East and Central Asia. They were grown not only for use in cooking, but for their antiseptic qualities. In Egypt, onions were used in mummification. The most familiar allium is the common, or bulb, onion of the species Allium cepa, which may have a yellow, white, red, or purple skin. While onions may be fresh, they are most commonly purchased dried. Fresh, also called “sweet”, onions have a milder taste. Dry, also called “storage,” onions, have a stronger flavor. Dry onions have thick, paper-like skins. The vast majority of onions purchased at the supermarket are yellow storage onions. Pungent yellow onions are the best “keepers” and are great additions to soups and stews, while red onions are very sweet, but a poor choice for long-term storage. Red onions are good sliced and eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, or for topping a veggie burger. Common mild onions include Bermuda and Spanish varieties. Pearl onions -- which are most often white -- are the tiniest of the bulb onions, and are the top choice for boiling or pickling.  

WHY ARE ONIONS GOOD FOR YOU?

In a word, quercetin.  Quercetin is a flavonoid, chemicals that give the fruit or vegetable its flavor.  Onions are also a disease-fighting food.  Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that 

Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that may help fight chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.  In lab studies, quercetin was shown to prevent histamine release (histaminese are the chemicals that cause allergic reactions.  This makes quercetin-rich foods like onions "natural anti-histamines."  

I knew that apples and onions contained quercetin; I just didn't know the extent of quercetin's benefits.  I mean almost since the term anti-oxidants gained traction in the public discourse, that seems that that's all we hear about.  But anti-oxidants are not created equal, nor do they function equally. 

Mercola adds that 

While apples and tea also contain quercetin, onions appear to be a particularly good source.  Research from Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands showed quercetin absorption from onions is double that from tea and three times that from apples.

Research from the University also showed consuming onions leads to increased quercetin concentrations in the blood.  As reported by The World's Healthiest Foods

". . . On an ounce-for-ounce basis, onions rank in the top of commonly eaten vegetables in their quercetin content.  The flavonoid content of onions can vary widely, depending on the exact variety and growing conditions.

Although the average onion is likely to contain less than 100 milligrams of quercetin per 3-1/2 ounces, some onions do provide this amount.  

And while 100 milligrams may not sound like a lot, in the United States, moderate vegetable eaters average only twice this amount for all flavonoids (not just quercetin) from all vegetables per day." 

ONIONS or QUERCETIN SUPPLEMENTS?

Mercola answers this question too.  In the context of concentration, it is hard to beat food remedies.  

Quercetin is available in supplement form, but there are a couple of reasons why getting this flavonoid from onions makes more sense.  

*  One animal study found that animals received greater protection against oxidative stress when they consumed yellow onion in their diet as opposed to consuming quercetin extracts.  

*  Quercetin is not degraded by low-heat cooking, such as simmering.  When preparing a soup with onions, the quercetin will be transferred into the brother of the soup, making onion soup an easy-to-make superfood.  

Good to know.  

I started eating more onions, raw, to address some digestion discomfort.  Turns out that onions are really good for the colon.

Organosulfur compounds [in onions] such as diallyl disulfide (DDS), S-allylcysteine (SAC), and S-methylcysteine (SMC) have been shown to inhibit colon and renal carcinogenesis.  

That has to sit well with almost every reader even those who don't like onions.  

Onions contain sulfur, too, as you know.  And Mercola explains its benefits when you consume onions.  

The sulfur compounds in onions, for instance, are thought to have anti-clotting properties as well as help to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.  The allium and allyl disulphide in onions have also been found to decrease blood vessel stiffness by releasing nitric oxide.  

I have first-hand experience with that.  He adds that . . .  

This may reduce blood pressure (always a good thing, no?) inhibit platelet clot formation and help decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases and stroke. [Amazing!]  The quercetin in onions is also beneficial, offering both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may boost heart health.  

All I can say is wow.