Not only do some mums swear by its effect on colds, it can also help bring down a child’s high fever. According to WebMD, potato peels have anti-bacterial properties, too. And now, adding to this rich history, social media is chock-full of present-day anecdotes to support the onion/potato remedy. In other sock-related news, tall knee-high and over-the-knee styles have been embraced by celebrities on and off the red carpet in recent weeks, including Emily Ratajkowski and Jenny Slate.
Do a test patch by placing a small piece of raw potato on the skin. Check your skin every 15 minutes to make sure there’s no reaction. If you see any redness or color change, or feel itching or other skin irritation, remove the potato immediately. That being said, save your potatoes for cooking instead of trying to cure cold symptoms and pay a visit to your local health care professional. Unsurprisingly, there is no scientific evidence that this would help cure a viral respiratory infection, and putting a potato on the skin would have “zero therapeutic benefit”.
This process, which is called oxidation, happens because potatoes are a naturally starchy vegetable. And when exposed to oxygen, starches turn gray, brown, or even black. And this year’s vaccine is not nearly as effective as we’d all like it to be. So it’s no wonder that a lot of folks are turning to old home remedies they’re finding on social media. With that in mind, try sticking to drinking fluids and getting plenty of rest as a flu treatment instead of potato socks.
The CDC reports 9million flu infections and 4,500 deaths caused by the virus this flu season – with the worst expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Typical flu season runs onions and gout from October to May each year. America’s leading health officials are now recommending masking to prevent the spread of RSV and the flu this winter — not just Covid.
If you are not seeing any redness or any other skin irritation then you are pretty much okay and you will not feel any redness further. I was so happy to go back up to Pennsylvania and visit my family for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, a few of my family members were dealing with colds.
But neither an onion nor a potato will pull a virus from the bottoms of your feet or draw out impurities through your toes. Social media is chock-full of anecdotal evidence that you can fight the flu by sleeping with an onion or potato in your sock. The video went viral, amassing more than six million views and nearly 300,000 likes since then. Other TikTokers — desperate from being sick with the flu, respiratory syncytial virus or COVID-19 this season — have posted videos claiming the potato sock hack worked for them.