10 Natural Earache Relief Methods That Really Work
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Earaches and ear infections can have a number of causes, but no matter the cause, they are no fun! Here are some ideas for natural earache remedies using things you might have around the home, and they really work!
In this post, we'll talk about some ways to help with earaches while you are trying to determine the cause, and we'll also address the possible overuse of antibiotics in the case of ear infections.
Antibiotic Use and Ear Infections
Did you know that antibiotics aren’t typically necessary for ear infections and that overuse of antibiotics for ear infections can cause long-lasting health problems including gut dysbiosis and antibiotic resistance?
It's a common misperception that an infection means that one must use an antibiotic. In the case of an ear infection, that is definitely not the case. In fact, according to the CDC, for most ear infections, antibiotics are not recommended. Overuse of antibiotics for children’s ear infections can end up causing gut microbial imbalance and even antibiotic resistance.
What's more, ear infections are often over-diagnosed and of course, viral ear infections won't respond to antibiotics.
For these reasons, it's important to know how to address ear infections at home to avoid unnecessary exposure to antibiotics and the problems that can arise from their overuse.
I try to avoid antibiotics as much as possible, for those same reasons. We try to use saline washes, essential oils, probiotics, and other natural methods of addressing issues before turning to OTC and prescription medications.
Ear Infection Symptoms
Following are some symptoms of an ear infection.
- feeling of fullness in the ear
- fever
- pain in ear
- sore throat
- feeling sick
- lacking energy
- difficulty hearing
- discharge from ear
- feeling of pressure or fullness in ear
- itching and/or irritation in or around the ear
When to Seek Medical Care
If any of the following occur, do seek attention from your healthcare provider:
- Symptoms last for more than a day
- Ear pain is severe
- Your infant or toddler is sleepless or irritable after a cold or other upper respiratory infection
- You observe a discharge of fluid, pus, or bloody discharge from the ear
Additionally, an adult with ear pain or discharge should see a doctor as soon as possible.
Natural Remedies for Earache / Ear Infection
Following are some natural helps for ear infections and earaches. You likely have some of these in your home already or they can be purchased at health food stores or online holistic sites.
1. Vitamin C
Personally I like sodium ascorbate but camu camu is a new one that we love; its natural vitamin C power in a whole food form. Or try this Homemade Vitamin C! Vitamin C supports the immune system so it's great to use when the body is fighting something. Homemade Vitamin C is
2. Saline Wash
Saline washes are known to help remove the germs from the nasal passages and the back of the throat to reduce viral load.
3. Garlic Oil
Garlic is well known to help with immune support and has antimicrobial and antiviral properties. And, according to many parents, garlic oil is a great home remedy for ear infections. One to two drops in the ear is often recommended, however, this is not recommended if there is suspicion of a burst or ruptured ear drum.
4. Probiotics
Probiotics help support the body's immune system and also are thought to help with preventing ear infections in the first place.
You can get probiotics in the form of a supplement or fermented foods and drinks like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and kombucha. In fact, ferments are known to be exponentially more potent than probiotic supplements, so they are often a better choice unless one is dealing with histamine intolerance. In that case, a low-histamine probiotic is a good option.
5. Mullein
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) oil is well-known as a natural earache remedy. It's also known to be an expectorant. You can easily find mullein tinctures online or in health food stores.
Research published in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine demonstrates how an herbal ear drop containing mullein was just as effective for pain relief as an anesthetic one. Mullein oil is also used to naturally treat ear infections (and more) in dogs too!
6. Breast Milk
Breast milk is full of natural antibodies and is known to have many benefits for a baby's health. Breastfeeding has also been shown to reduce the number of ear infections in babies and in children who were breastfed as babies.
There is conflicting information about putting breastmilk directly in the ear canal. Some say that you can put it in the outer ear canal, whereas others say that putting a few drops in the ear canal has brought relief. Both of those claims lean on the claim that each drop of breast milk has over one million white blood cells.
7. Hydrogen Peroxide
Many sources recommend putting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the ear and then letting it bubble for a few minutes before draining it out. I personally never got much benefit from this, but have heard of others who have. It's important to not put peroxide or any other liquid in the car if you suspect a perforated ear drum. Also, if you have a cut in your ear, peroxide should not be used as it can be damaging to injured tissues.
8. Vitamin D
It's a good idea to take vitamin K2 with Vitamin D for it to work better.
9. Warm Compress
While warmth isn't going to cure an ear infection, it can help relieve the pain and inflammation so you can get the rest you need. To make a warm compress, wet a clean small towel with warm water, wring it out well, and then hold it against the infected ear. Some people like to alternate warm compresses with cold compresses to help address the inflammation better. You can use a cloth soaked in cold or ice-cold water and then wrung out, or an ice pack can also be used. A heating pad can be used instead of a warm compress.
10. Apple Cider Vinegar
Yes, most of us use apple cider vinegar for cooking (like in salad dressings) or for personal care (like in this hair rinse), but ACV apparently can also be used for ear infections. But you do need to be careful when trying this. The reason why this can help is that apple cider vinegar has proven antibacterial and antifungal properties.
To use apple cider vinegar for an ear infection or earache, dilute the vinegar with equal parts of warm water or isopropyl alcohol, and place 5-10 drops in the affected ear. Tilt the head (lying down with the affected ear up works well) so the mixture doesn't run out and leave for a few minutes before letting it drain out onto a cloth. Repeat throughout the day.
We have tried many of the above remedies with varying amounts of relief. To my recollection, we have never had to use antibiotics once for an ear infection or earache for our kids. Natural methods have worked well for us, thankfully!
More Natural Health Topics:
- Eczema and Food Allergies — From Despair to Healing
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- Andrea Fabry's Mold Story — What she learned just might save your life.
What natural ear infection remedies have you used?
Do you necessarily need to use Basil Essential Oil?
Can you use Lavender EO or any other EO?
Thank you
I have read more about basil oil than any other one.
Wow, thank you for disclosing your findings, I have been practicing urine therapy for 2 years whilst aviodind any food cooked and dairy ……I am physically younger…! The holly grail IS simply anything you can pee into….and drink from……u see x
I read other comments and hear good positive news, thank (profanity edited out by blog owner) folks are listening more and are more open to nature, its the only way to survive our own onslaught of oppression vie pollutants..
God bless you all and don’t ever stop drinking all of it, see you I’m the future homies xxxxxx
I remember seeing this article linked in a Facebook post a couple months ago. I also remember thinking, “Ew! No way!” I’m all for natural remedies but this one was a bit “out there” for me. Flash forward to tonight (2/19/17) and I am sitting here recovering from some sort of infection or virus, but my right ear is killing me, along with the right side of my neck and jaw. I Googled and got several remedy options, none of which I was up for at this late hour. Then I came across this – again! – and thought, “Why not?” I have to go anyway! LOL! I got a cotton ball and in went about 3-4 drops. I left it in for about a minute or so and have to say I’m quite surprised at the positive results! While I’m not 100% pain free, I would say it’s about 85-90% better, seriously! I can actually touch my ear without pain, and my neck and jaw are pain free. I am literally typing this 5 minutes after I did it! I’m quite impressed…and happy!
I’m so happy you are feeling better! Best wishes for a full recovery!!
Woke up today, 100% pain and symptom free! Incredible! I’m so glad I found this again, thank you! (And I just told my husband about it…..the jokes have begun!)
No kidding. Wow! I read an article over the weekend about how urine just can’t be used as a therapy. Oh well! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know and so glad you are better!!!
Hi Adrienne, I have a 14 month old son, he had an ear infection 3 weeks ago, and down, its back again. I would really like to try this remedy, but my question is how do I get his Urine??? We are not potty training yet.
Suggestions please.
Hi there. I am so sorry you are going through this. Of course, figuring out the underlying reason for the recurrent issue is important. I can’t medically advise but I have seen some documentation online of urine therapy using another person’s urine. You might wish to look that up. Again, this isn’t medical advice. Take care.
Having had ear infections on off since the age of twelve (I am now forty two) I never thought I would ever find a long term solution. I read that nasal sprays are better at reaching the type of ear infection i have and used a nasal spray with cinnamon, ginger and tea tree amongst a whole lot of other ingredients. Well I was gobsmacked because not only did it cure my current ear infection at the time but I have not had another since (and that was five or so months ago). This is a record for me and I am keeping my fingers and everything else crossed.
Glad you are doing better! I would be very careful about essential oils in there as they don’t mix with water. There is more info in this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oil-emulsifier/
Ear infections in adults are usually from allergies-which make your ears itch. Swab out with a cotton swab dripping with alcohol, every time they itch. I had itchy ears when I was in my 20’s, and my mother-in-law told me to do this. That was 50 years ago, and I have never had another ear infection! My ears still itched occasionally, and I swabbed with alcohol, no infection!
Just talked with a young friend that told me her step sister used her own urine in her ears when she was younger for ear infections and it worked! (they were very poor and had no insurance apparently).
I am an old nurse, and an ND-doctors are trained very well, and know a lot about healing, but there are many old remedies that worked in years past. Not all of them were valid or even safe, but should all be checked out and compared to what we know about the body and how the systems work. Yes, healthy urine is sterile-with ph 6-8. May not be scientific proof, but there is so much acnecdotal historical info, and it’s safe, to try and see if it works.
We’ve got to find different answers to infections because we now have superbugs we have created from our overuse of the blessing of antibiotics-well, a blessing at first, but we abused it-now we are paying for our ignorance! Let’s get smarter, lay folks and doctors, and learn to not only work together, after all, don’t we all want the same? Good health for all mankind? And our earth? Can’t separate the two. LEARN!
Yes on finding different answers! Didn’t the alcohol dry things out too much? I know it’s a solution for swimmer’s ear as I used it when I was young a few times.
I am trying the urine thing on my dog.an it seems to be working.my mom did this to me as a child,haven’t had a earache in over 40years.I no it is gross but it works.
I’ve used olive oil, a sprig from the rue plant with a sterile cotton ball. I rub my clean hands first to make them warm. Then I put about half a teaspoon of the olive oil and the rue in my hands. Lastly, I put the hand warmed rue infused oil on the cotton ball and gently place it in the outer ear.
My mom did this for us as kids at the first sign of an earache and it prevented many an ear infection. I hadn’t had an earache since I was a kid, but when I had the start of one this winter, I remembered this remedy and it worked in just one day!
I have four children and it works on them too. The hard part is finding a rue plant. Once you plant one in your herb garden; it’s almost impossible to kill it and easy to maintain.
A word to the wise; it’s quite pungent so cuddle up before inserting the rue oil infused cotton ball.
How is the irine in the ear thing work do i just pour drops of urine in my eR and let it go on or ??
Thank you for saying your trying on your dog. That’s the reason I’m researching this. I’ve heard it from 2 people now. Meds just aren’t working. Did it work? Should I clean out the ear first? Or will the urine take care of that?
I read one man’s story online. I believe it was a portion from a book perhaps from his own diary, I can’t remember. He was in a concentration camp or a work camp during WWII. He had injured himself and the likely hood of him surviving the infection was 0 because no medical attention was given to anyone. They worked the dog snot out of you and it was up to you make deals for extra food and anything else to survive. He decided he was going to survive and used his own urine on his wound to clear the infection and it of course worked. People weren’t crazy, they knew what worked and what didn’t. I mentioned this story to my mom and she agreed that yes, that would’ve worked. She was born in the 30’s – not too long ago, but still a time when things were looked at differently. It’s funny how people freak out when you mention putting urine in the ear to help heal an extremely painful infection, but these same people have no problem taking vaccines, antibiotics, prescription drugs, etc. knowing the risks… or maybe… they don’t 🙂 If my child would’ve been suffering, and I knew about this remedy, I would’ve tried it too.
Thanks for sharing. What an amazing story.
You are right. It is also a great healing as it stop bleeding immediately. Good to know it for home accidents.. Thanks for sharing.
I had a earache so bad I couldn’t do anything so I tried this home remedy of putting my urine in my ear. That was 20, years ago and I haven’t had a earache since….
Contrary to what a lot of people think, urine is not sterile, it is your bodies refuse…and one can always have urinary tract infection undetected. In my book, not a good idea
From what I read it is sterile until it leaves your body. You can use a sterile wipe if you like — but you can inquire to the author of the cited book if you like as well. Thank you for reading!