evidence: People have used this old folk remedy to battle colds and the flu for generations. 5 The premise is that you slice a red or white onion into rounds. Then place a round on the bottom of each foot and cover your feet with a pair of socks to hold the onion in place. Next, go to sleep, and in the morning, you’ll wake up feeling fine. Claimed benefits of adding onions to your socks include cleaning the blood, drawing out toxins, fighting off fevers, cold, and the flu, and purifying the air around you. It’s also claimed to fight foot odor. (Is this because the onion smell covers any other odors?) [...] Another theory that gives rise to the use of onions comes from Chinese medicine. Placing an onion slice on the feet has been suggested to help open meridians found on the bottom of the feet to draw out toxins and sickness from the body. Just make sure to avoid eating the onions after they’ve been on the feet, as they’re thought to be contaminated with those toxins. (Not that many people would be tempted to eat foot onions.)