An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Plant Allium cepa (Liliaceae)

Common Names
Onion; Shallot
How this plant is used
Food
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
MUFA 13 Bulb 230.0 2230.0 not available USDA's Ag Handbook 8 and sequelae)
MURAMIDASE 3 Bulb not available 0.0 -1.00 LAWSON in Koch, H. P. and Lawson, L. D., eds. 1996. Garlic- The
Science and therapeutic application of Allium sativum L. and related species. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. 329 pp.
MURAMIDASE 3 Leaf not available 0.3 not available LAWSON in Koch, H. P. and Lawson, L. D., eds. 1996. Garlic- The
Science and therapeutic application of Allium sativum L. and related species. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. 329 pp.
MYRISTIC-ACID 6 Bulb 10.0 100.0 -1.00 USDA's Ag Handbook 8 and sequelae)
MYRISTIC-ACID 6 Seed Oil not available not available not available Reddy, P. N., Azeemoddin, G., Rao, S. D. T. 1989. Processing and Analysis of Onionseed (Allium cepa) and its Fixed Oil. J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc., 66(3): 365.
MYROSINASE 0 Bulb not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
N-PROPYL-MERCAPTAN 1 Bulb not available not available not available Nishimura, H., Mizutani, J. 1975. Effect of Gamma-Irradiation on Development of Lachrymator of Onion. Agic. Biol. Chem., 39: 2245-.
N-PROPYL-METHANE-THIOSULFINATE 0 Fruit Juice not available not available not available Schmidt, N. E., et. al. 1996. Rapid Extraction Method of Quantitating the Lachrymatory Factor of Onion Using Gas Chromatography. J. Agric. Food Chem., 44(9): 2690-2693.
N-PROPYL-N-PROPANE-THIOSULFINATE 0 Fruit Juice not available not available not available Schmidt, N. E., et. al. 1996. Rapid Extraction Method of Quantitating the Lachrymatory Factor of Onion Using Gas Chromatography. J. Agric. Food Chem., 44(9): 2690-2693.
N-PROPYLSULPHINOTHIOIC-ACID-S-N-PROPYLESTER 4 Bulb not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
NEODECANOIC-ACID 0 Bulb not available not available not available Wealth of India.
NIACIN 39 Bulb 1.0 75.0 1.00 Duke, 1992 *
NIACIN 39 Leaf 7.0 90.0 -0.09 CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs and/or CRC Handbook of Proximate Analyses
NICKEL 3 Bulb 0.1 2.5 1.00 Duke, 1992 *
NICKEL 3 Seed 0.0 4.0 -0.14 Duke, 1992 *
NITROGEN 0 Bulb 1700.0 17690.0 not available ACTA AGRIC SCAND SUPPL 22: 1980
NONADECANOIC-ACID 0 Bulb not available not available not available Gilbert, M. D., Maylin, G. A., Lisk, D. J. 1976. Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Neodecanoic Acids in Onions. J. Agr. Food Chem., 24(1): 194-.
NORCEPANONE 0 Bulb not available not available not available Wealth of India.
OLEANOLIC-ACID 64 Bulb not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Bulb 230.0 2230.0 1.00 Duke, 1992 *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Antidysmenorrheic 2 Duke, 1992 *
Antidyspeptic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Antidysphagic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Antieczemic 6 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Antiedemic 7 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Antielastase 4 Duke, 1992 *
Antiencephalitic 2 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Antiencephalopathic 7 Martindale's 29th
Antiencephalopathic? 1 Martindale's 29th
Antiendometriotic 2 Duke, 1992 *
Antiendotoxic 1 Borchard, R. E., Barnes, C. D., and Eltherton, L. G. 1991. Drug Dosage in Laboratory Animals: A Handbook. (3rd Ed.) The Telford Press, Inc., P. O. Box 287, Caldwell NJ 07006.
Antienteritic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Antienterotic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Antiepileptic 5 Duke, 1992 *
Antierythemic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Antiescherichic 2 Duke, 1992 *
Antiestrogenic 3 Malini, T. and Vanithakumari, G. 1989. Rat Toxicity Studies With B-Sitosterol. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 28: 221-234, 1990.
Antifatigue 8 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Antifeedant 5 Jacobson, M., Glossary of Plant-Derived Insect Deterrents, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 213 p, 1990.
Antifertility 5 Malini, T. and Vanithakumari, G. 1989. Rat Toxicity Studies With B-Sitosterol. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 28: 221-234, 1990.