Welsh Onion (Daepa)

Allium fistulosum

Sulfur compounds and the white base used as a folk cold remedy

The Welsh onion (daepa) is the backbone of Korean soups and seasonings and a must-grow in any home garden, but it has also long doubled as medicine. The white lower stalk, known in traditional Korean medicine as chongbaek (蔥白), was used as an early cold remedy believed to disperse "wind-cold" and induce sweating. Its pungent aroma and reputed benefits come from sulfur compounds such as allyl sulfide, which are discussed in connection with antibacterial and circulation-supporting effects. A folk remedy of simmering the white base together with ginger at the first sign of a cold traces back to the Donguibogam, the classic Korean medical text, in a formula called chongbaeksan. The white stalk goes into broths, while the green tops are used as a garnish.

Year-Round Calendar

Sowing

Harvest

Health Benefits

Sweating & colds (traditional). Chongbaek, the white base of the Welsh onion, is a traditional diaphoretic believed to disperse wind-cold and induce sweating. A folk remedy of simmering it with ginger for early-stage colds carries through to the Donguibogam, the classic Korean medical text.

Sulfur compounds (preliminary). The allyl-sulfide compounds in Welsh onion are discussed in relation to antibacterial and circulatory effects, but most of this evidence is still at a preliminary stage.

Nutrition

Sulfur compounds (allyl sulfide) (the onion's distinctive pungent aroma) — antibacterial, circulation, flavor
Vitamin C & dietary fiber (nutrients in the leaves) — antioxidant, gut health

Pairings

○ Ginger (chongbaek + ginger tea) — A tea made by simmering the white base of the onion with ginger is a traditional folk remedy for inducing sweat at the onset of a cold, echoing the framework of the Donguibogam formula chongbaeksan.

○ Meat & fish — Welsh onion is a basic aromatic vegetable that tames the off-odors of meat and fish while bringing out the savory depth of broths.

○ Soups & broths — The white stalk lends sweetness and aroma to broths, while the green tops add color and fragrance as a garnish.

Source: Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro) · Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine)