Fresh onion juice helps ease pain of burn
Q. I learned a home remedy a couple of years ago when I stupidly leaned on a small coil burner. I rubbed a freshly cut onion on the burn after running the arm under cold water. It saved me. I had full motion the next morning with no pain or blistering. It was absolutely amazing!
This weekend I tripped while carrying a cup of cocoa made with freshly boiled water. It spilled on the hand holding the mug as well as on the side of my neck and face when I landed on the arm of the couch. I couldn’t run my neck and face under cold water, so I used only the onion juice there. Both water and onion went on the hand. Four days later, the only way I can tell that it was burned is by dark red-colored skin around the edge of the thumb and the forefinger. No blisters. Nowadays I tell everyone I can about this burn remedy.
A. We have been collecting burn remedies for decades. You are not the first person to find fresh onion juice helpful. A kitchen worker shared that it could ease pain and prevent blistering. Soy sauce is another time-tested burn remedy.
We always advise getting burned skin under cold tap water as quickly as possible. And any serious burn requires immediate medical attention.
You can read more about remedies for burns and many other common problems in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. Hundreds of other home remedies can be found in this 263-page publication in the books section of the store at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. In a recent column, you described putting Vicks VapoRub on the soles of your feet to stop nighttime coughing. It works!
However, if you have a cat, do not use this remedy. Cats are allergic to the ingredients of Vicks (and other products with menthol) and it will make them sick.
A. According to the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, peppermint oil and its constituent menthol are toxic to both cats and birds. Thank you for the warning to keep pets away from mentholated rubs.
Q. My husband has been taking mustard for years to ease leg cramps. We learned that from reading your articles. It takes about a minute or two to alleviate the pain. He’s also been taking magnesium before bed.
On June 17, he woke up for the fourth time that night with leg cramps and got up to pee. After using the toilet, he fainted, fell, and compressed and fractured his L1 vertebra. He spent eight days in the hospital. (For five of them, we were waiting for aspirin to leave his body so he could have a back procedure.)
We still don’t know for sure what made him faint, but it sounded like your recent article about fainting from painful cramps. While he was on the floor waiting for the ambulance, his cramping leg pain was so bad that I had to push forward on his foot to help relieve a bit of the pain. It’s never been that bad before.
He normally works ten or more hours a day on his feet and drinks about 80-100 oz of water a day. He had a heart bypass seven years ago.
Since the fall, he’s added Flomax and a restless legs pill to his regimen, sleeps with light compression socks and is drinking electrolytes every day. He hasn’t had leg cramps in four weeks. Then again, he’s not working while he recovers from his back injury.
A. Thank you for sharing this horrifying experience. You might want to also try putting soap under the bottom sheet to prevent leg cramps.
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In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them (Crown)
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresh onion juice helps ease pain of burn."