Green onion: food, nutrition and therapeutic value
What it found
Green onions supply vitamins, minerals, fiber and plant compounds, and extracts have shown anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-arthritic, antiobesity, antioxidant and anticancer activity in lab and animal studies.
One human trial looked at immune effects.
What they found
Studies in people
Immune effects in people
In a human clinical trial, taking high or low amounts of green onion leaf extract was linked to regulating immune competence in adults and preventing infectious diseases such as common colds and influenza.
Animal and lab studies
Anti-inflammatory and pain relief
In mice, an ethanol extract of Allium fistulosum eased pain and inflammation. The authors credit flavonoids, carbohydrates, amino acids, glycosides, phenols and tannins in the plant.
Weight and obesity in mice
In obese mice fed a high-fat diet, Allium fistulosum extract reduced body weight, white fat tissue weight and fat cell size. Cereal bars containing the extract also reduced body weight, fat buildup in the liver and fat tissue, and fat cell size.
Studies in people and animals
Antimicrobial activity
Lab tests found that the stem extract of A. fistulosum inhibited Bacillus subtilis, and compounds called fistuloside A, B and C were strong against fungi. In mice given influenza virus, a fructan from the green leafy part inhibited virus replication.
Anticancer effects
In lab tests, high concentrations of A. fistulosum extract inhibited the growth of human fibroblasts and keratinocytes. In mice with colon cancer cells, the extract suppressed markers linked to inflammation, tumor apoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion.
Other findings
Nutrients in green onions
Green onions contain vitamin A as beta-carotene, several B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron and zinc. The leaves have higher amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C, carotenoids and minerals than the pseudostem.
Calories and fat
Green onions have about 32 kcal per 100 g of fresh weight and about 0.2 g of fat per 100 g.
What the authors conclude
- They say green onions are an essential aromatic vegetable crop with immense value in food, nutrition and therapeutic significance.
- They note that extracts from green onions have been used for their potential anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-arthritic and anticancer properties.
- They call for continued research in genomics, metabolomics and biotechnology to uncover further mechanisms and applications.
How it was done
The authors note a global shift toward more nutritious foods and growing interest in vegetables that contain health-promoting substances. They say green onion's culinary, nutritional and therapeutic value makes it worth reviewing.
They reviewed published research on green onion (Allium fistulosum), covering its distribution, culinary uses, nutrients and therapeutic effects. Studies they describe include a human trial of green onion leaf extract and many experiments in mice, rats and lab tests.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the therapeutic findings come from mice, rats or lab tests, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The human trial looked at immune competence, not at whether green onions prevent specific diseases.
- This is a review of existing studies, so it cannot prove that eating green onions causes any health outcome.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Rural Development Administration (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Republic of Korea; National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Republic of Korea; Jeju National University, Republic of Korea
The paper
- Title
- Green Onion ( Allium fistulosum ): An Aromatic Vegetable Crop Esteemed for Food, Nutritional and Therapeutic Significance
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kim SH, Yoon JB, Han J, et al (2023). Green Onion ( Allium fistulosum ): An Aromatic Vegetable Crop Esteemed for Food, Nutritional and Therapeutic Significance. Foods (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/foods12244503Free full textPubMed 38137307DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error