Bonita Lynn Nichols said she will be forever grateful to the staff at the convenience store for helping her with her bee sting reaction by providing her with onions. (CBC)

A P.E.I. woman is crediting an onion, and the quick work of two women at a convenience store, with saving her life after she was stung by bees on the weekend.

Bonita Lynn Nichols of Summerside had gone to visit her friend in nearby Richmond. As she realized her friend wasn't home, Nichols, who is allergic to bee stings, was stung three times.

Her leg stiffening, dizziness setting in, she made her way into a local service station and convenience store, and asked for the remedy she says she has always used to treat bee stings — onions.

People in the store "dropped everything they were doing and came to my rescue," Nichols told CBC News on Wednesday.

"They said, 'What can we do? What can we do?' One man said, 'I'll call 911,' and I said 'No, get an onion.' I was really impressed that they didn't question that."

Allergic reactions to bee stings can be deadly, and public health and other mainstream medical experts generally recommend that anyone with allergies to the venom carry EpiPens. The devices deliver adrenalin to counter allergic reactions.

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, for instance, also says people with known allergies to insect stings should always carry an insect sting allergy kit and wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace stating their allergy.

But Nichols said she can't afford EpiPens on her disability support payments.

Onions are one of the home methods used by some people who claim they work in treating stings.

Kathy Gallant and Sydney Ellis were working in the store when Nichols came in, and Gallant said Nichols was in bad shape.

Onions are a home remedy that some people use to counter bee stings, although doctors generally recommend using EpiPens. (CBC)

"The lady came in through the door and she was yelling she needed onion juice, she'd been stung by a bee, and was quite weak, and we had a customer by the front door who kind of grabbed her before she collapsed," she said.

"We got some onions right away from the shelf, Sidney started cutting them open and I was trying to squeeze the juice out of the onion on the lady's leg, which is not an easy chore."

Nichols said she will be eternally grateful for their help.

"Mostly I admire them because they didn't question the onion," she said.

"And the fact that they give me the bag of onions, and I tried to pay them for it, no way they wouldn't take any money for it. That's Island hospitality."

It's not unheard of to use an onion to treat local irritation from a bee sting, but few doctors would recommend them for anaphylactic shock.

Nichols said she is living proof the folk remedy works, at least for her.

Nichols used to carry an onion in her purse, but got out of the habit because she hasn't been stung in years. It's a habit she has now gotten back into.