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
- Natural Sleep Help for Kids And Adults
- Andrea Fabry's Mold Story — What she learned just might save your life.
What natural ear infection remedies have you used?
Thank you, thank-you, thank-you!!! I just had the worst night ever with my almost 4 yr old. He has had a nasty cold and cough for over a week now. Obviously the drainage has gone to his ear. He was in the worst pain I’ve ever seen-and of course it was at midnight and then again at 2 AM. I was desperate for home remedies! I already had an onion all over his bed-read I should’ve heated it up…I did not have time for that!
My husband was mad bc my son wouldn’t stop screaming (inconsiderate of him I know) I was crying bc my son was in so much pain and I felt helpless. Tylenol was not doing enough. So I prayed. Then I found your article. Then I contemplated. I asked my son if he had to go pee. He didnt. Then god gave me a sudden urge to go pee. So I did and put 3 drops in his ear. He slept the rest of the night and seems so much better. Truly amazing!!! I will never forget this and I thank you again:)
I am so glad! I couldn’t believe how well it helped either. Really odd but much better than an antibiotic in my opinion. Thanks and hope to hear from you again! (I know how the parenting thing goes too. It’s horrible when your child is screaming. You don’t know if they’re overdoing their response or not but mom is typically really afraid that they aren’t and it’s all real.)
I am in need of the information for that garlic oil in the ear for detoxing I did a search and didn’t find anything for detox, just ear infections. If there is an online site detailing it, would you please let me know? A long story short, my current detox methods are either too hard for me to keep up or are not working.
I haven’t heard of that, sorry. But this post might interest you: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/could-you-have-heavy-metal-poisoning-and-not-know-it-part-one/
Yuck. We just use good old fashioned Vicks VapoRub on a cotton ball. The heat created by the rub heals the inflammation. I’m in my 50’s and I’ve been doing this since I was a small child.
Sorry you thought it was yucky. I personally am not thrilled w/ some of the ingredients in VapoRub but I glad to hear it worked for you!
This is pretty awesome! We did onion juice last year, but as you can imagine.. juicing an onion can be quite the task (I used either my juicer or a garlic press), but you will see results fast! drop it in your affected ear, lay on your side for a bit and it will be gone in a few hours. Worked with both myself and my daughter last year… and a little cleaner than pee.. but much stinkier 😉
Thanks. I tried that and it didn’t work. Not sure why but I am glad it worked for you! I’m wondering if boiling the urine would help too. Of course, not medical advice. I know that the garlic has problems relating to botulism concerns so I’m not that thrilled about that option.
I cannot believe that no one has mentioned the possibility that the ear infection may have healed up on it’s own (as 80% do) and may not have been due to any remedies. Please remember to have a healthy dose of scepticism for BOTH natural and allopathic treatments.
Yes, it could be, however the relief was so sudden that I doubt it. Good call though- thanks!
Also, since I’ve repeated it several times and had the same result I am more apt to trust that the remedy really works. Thanks again :)!
Applying urine on cold sores did seem to help dry them up quicker. Luckily as my health has improved so have my cold sores. This last time I treated with tea tree oil and it never really broke out.
My daughter has a hole in her eardrum. It’s been there for 2 years now and though it not infected it has;t closed.
Because it’s open to the inside of the ear everything I’ve read warns not to put liquid in the ear.
Onions has been really helpful. When it was initially perforated I cut an onion in half, warm in the oven, allow to cool a little and then put the cut side against the ear and bandage to hold in place. It really helps with pain but also in healing infection.
I have also taken to cutting an onion into pieces and leaving it in a bowl close to the head as you sleep, I do it whenever the children complain of sore throats or feeling unwell. And it seems to have helped.
I’m glad to have found your website.
How interesting. Welcome and hope to see you around again. I tried onion – but it didn’t help at all. I am glad it helped in your situation. Thank you!
Just when you think you’ve heard it all… 😉 Urine therapy definitely sounds gross, but intriguing if it actually works… guess I’ll have to check out that book! I think it would for sure stay a last-ditch-effort, though.
Also, I tend to use garlic for everything, but hadn’t heard that it can be bad for ear-aches, so I’ll need to do some more research on that, too. I’ve never tried using it for that before, but it’s always nice to know what to do before disaster strikes. 🙂
Thanks for an interesting read!
You are so welcome. I have heard you need to be careful about making your own garlic oil b/c of botulism. However, I have heard that many use it. You’re welcome!
So I thought I was open-minded. Family cloth, outhouse (and a bucket with toilet seat in the winter!), breastmilk for diaper rash, no ‘poo, home birth without midwife, humanure … really, I’ve had enough flak for being out there. I’m not exactly squeamish. I guess I’m drawing the line at urine therapy, though.
I have an eye infection. A $20 bottle of eye/ear drops will last us the rest of the year, and … it’s not pee. While urine might be sterile while it’s in your kidneys, there’s a reason why doctors have you go through a whole procedure when giving a sample. (Wipe well with an antiseptic wipe, pee a little, stop, hold back any skin/hair …) Going from in to out, urine picks up bacteria.
Anyway, if it works for you, more power. 🙂 My grandmother-in-law used to swear by a teaspoon of kerosene once a day and lived to be 94.
Yeah, I hear you on the bacteria thing. I guess we could boil it or something :)? Or use an antiseptic wipe of some kind. Kerosene? What was that supposed to do? Was that kind of longevity unusual for your family?
Oh, I don’t really consider 94 to be super old. My great-grandfather was 97 and his father was 106. (Died the day before his 107th birthday, in fact.) I often say that I plan to celebrate my 100th birthday and I won’t be sitting in a wheelchair when I do it. But that was my grandmother-in-law, and her family actually was *not* that long-lived. She really did claim that it was the kerosene. She called it her “tonic”. BLECH!!!!!
Honestly – if the urine thing works for your family, I’m not judging. I’ve dealt with looks of horror when people hear we drink raw milk, and I’ve had to deal with “don’t like child welfare find out”. Who knows, maybe you’re on to something and I’m missing out. 😀
Some of my best friends think I’m nuts. I’m adding you to my reading list because I think you’ve got a great blog, but I think urine therapy is nuts. 😀 Is that okay? (And if you come over my way, you can tell me when you think I’m nuts, too.)
Oh wow- that’s amazing. You have great genes!!!
I don’t feel you are judging and I love the good interaction. My friends think I am crazy on a number of points :). And I haven’t used the urine since. Thankfully no more ear infections here :).
Hello, First off I just want to say urine really does work for healing ear pain. From age probably five years old to 12 years old I experience excruciating ear pain I was a very healthy child and I would stay out of school for two weeks at a time and I remember my mom always putting some sort of anabiotic in my ear and using different types of remedies to try to heal my ear pain I also remember I would get swimmers ear almost every single summer and I love to swim and we lived on the river so that was a really big problem. when I was about 12 years old I went to visit my aunt in maryland maryland and the week I was up there I was having excruciating ear pain she insisted that I go to the bathroom fill a cup up with urine and bring it so she could put some in my ear. when I was a child I was very headstrong and Of course a 12-year-old girl does not want any urine in her ear so argued with her. Finally after about a few minutes of arguing with her I went to the bathroom and fill the cup up with urine and she put some in my ear. I can honestly say that I thank her so much for doing that because now I am 22 and I have not had swimmers ear or any type of really bad ear ache or ear ache at all.
Recently I had actually seen a show on I believe it was National Geographic or history channel of different civilizations that used urine for skin problems, ear problems and other different types of health problems, in Europe they even used it to whitein their teeth.
Wow – thanks for sharing!!! Whiten teeth? Really! Have you done that?
I have used 1 or 2 drops of lavender essential oil on a small piece of cotton in the ear. It works great, but it takes a little while to work (15-30 min for us). So, my kids can get pretty antsy until it starts to work. Also, my kids give me a hard time about the cotton being in their ear. So, I also rub lavender oil around their ear in a downward motion to help drain the lymph nodes. That helps tide them over until the cotton w/ oil kicks in. (This works well for sinus problems too – just putting it on the sinus area instead of the ear, obviously. But also rubbing in a downward motion to help drain the sinuses.)
Also, I live in a valley where allergens come and don’t leave easily. So, when sinus issues arise, I have found that Inula essential oil (diluted) works faster than lavender essential oil. It’s pricey, but it was worth it since it we start feeling better faster.
Thanks! Very interesting tips!!! I hadn’t heard of inula.