The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Jas (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 06/08/2011
★★★★★
It worked! I was a bit skeptical about putting it in my ear but it hurt so much... So I got 3% Peroxide and a cotton ball... Soaked the cotton ball, tilteld my head to side then put inside my ear and squeezed so the liquid can go inside my ear... Kept my head tilted to side for a few minutes, couldnt hear anything but as soon as I straightened my head out the peroxide dripped out and I could hear again, and pain was almost gone!!! I did that a about three times in an hour... Went to bed and my earache is pretty much gone this morning!! Still a bit sensitive but nowhwre near the pain last night! Thanks EC once again... Awesome site
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt
Posted by Jennifer (Australia) on 03/24/2016
I would always start with ACV for anything and be patient Thank God for Earth Clinic because these remedies would be lost to so many of us who run to doctors who always prescribe drugs.
Distilled Vinegar and Water
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 12/15/2021
★★★★★
When I was a young teen (10 years old) back in the 70's my parents had me on the swim team during the summer months and I remember getting a bad ear infection and ear pain. Mom took me to the Doctor and he prescribed and antibiotic ear drop. When we got to the locally owner pharmacy ran by Mr. Hines, he told mom the ear drops the Doctor prescribed were $50. He told mom to mix together white distilled vinegar and tap water 1:1 ratio into a small squeeze bottle would do the same thing as the expensive ear drops so mom did. He said to tilt my head and fill the ear canal up with this mixture and plug the ear canal with a cottonball. Do this several times a day til the ear infection cleared up and it did.
Garlic
Posted by Ouchy McNumbface (Suffolk, England) on 06/02/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
DO NOT .. i repeat DO NOT, EVER put raw, undiluted garlic juice into your ear. I've had an ear infection for most of today, experiencing the normal agony [i've had maybe thirty of these damn infections over the years] and decided that i'd give the garlic juice a try. So i finely chopped seven cloves of garlic, stuck them into a large, plastic syringe [no needle!], put the end of the syringe into my ear and pushed the plunger. I hesitate to call it a plunger, I feel somewhat more inclined to call it a "detonator"; for at that moment the pain in my ear can only be described as... indescribable. I've had broken bones which hurt less than this. I've passed kidney stones which were positively comfortable compared with the insane, unimagineable combination of white-hot blowtorch to the entire right hand side of my face, and dynamite-coated road-drill intent on making a rather large impression/hole on my ear drum. I ran around the room desperately seeking some kind of cure for my newly acquired, self-inflicted facedeath, and in an insane panic managed to: 1: take four pain killers. 2: squirt cold water into my earhole and 3: place a nicotine patch over my ear. I'm not entirely sure what inspired the third choice, but in my insane stupor i think my brain somehow associated nicotine patches with stress/pain relief, so in a cloudy haze of bewildering desperation and nonsensical panic, i slapped 21mg of nicotinell over my earhole.
In a nutshell, it hurts. Don't do it. If you do do it, film it, put it on youtube.
Ear Remedy Warning
Posted by Shari (Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) on 04/27/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
A lot of the remedies listed here, mention warming solutions or onions or using hair dryers or hot water bottles. This is definitely very soothing when you are experiencing ear pain but can also be VERY DANGEROUS. As a nurse I was taught to never do this....here is the reasoning. If there is infection on the other side of your ear drum??? the heat will draw it out causing the ear drum to rupture and perforate. Scar tissue forms as the ear drum heals but a reduction in hearing will be noted. please be very careful when using any form of heat.
Sea Salt Sock for Earache
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 12/23/2021
★★★★★
Salt Sock for Earache
My GF has been suffering from ear issues for a few days now so I suggested she put 1 cup fine sea salt in a thin cotton sock and place it over her ear for a few hours. She place the salt sock over her ear for 5 hours. When she woke up this morning she said the throbbing pain in her ear was gone.
Why this works? I am assuming it's because salt acts like a desiccant and dries out the ear. During an ear infection, congestion in the ear creates more problems and a breeding ground for micro-organism's causing the ear infection. Salt is also antimicrobial.
How to make it:
* 100% thin white cotton footie sock
* cloth string or thick rubber-band to secure the end of the sock so the salt does not fall out
* 1 cup fine sea salt
Directions:
Pour the sea salt into the sock and tie a knot at the end. Heat in a clean, dry
skillet, over medium-low heat for about 4-6 minutes. To heat the sock evenly, shake it around, and flip every 30-60 seconds. Heat until very warm, but not
burning to the touch—you don't want to burn your patient! Test on your hand before applying to the ear. Place the warm salt sock over the ear, and the area behind your jaw bone and relax.
*Important: Only use a white sock as dyed threads may melt when heated. Do not substitute regular table salt for the sea salt. Never microwave the salt sock.
Note: If you don't have a 100% white cotton sock like I do, I just us one of my GF black footies socks which is a synthetic blend. Fill it with sea salt. Secure the end with a rubber band. Place it over my ear and then place a hot water bottle over that for the heat. It works fine.
Garlic Oil Recipe
Posted by Mama to Many (Tennessee, US) on 09/06/2014
★★★★★
My son had a terrible earache. I gave him some OTC pain medicine because he had to go to work. Then I began a batch of garlic oil. When he came in later, I put a few drops of the garlic oil into each ear. He has been fine ever since. I have used this oil in the past for ear pain. Usually I use it at least once or twice a day. Used with a warm rice sock, pain will usually be resolved quite quickly. I believe if you have a ruptured ear drum, it is not recommended to use anything in the ear. In that case, the oil could be rubbed under and around the ear.
Recipe for Garlic Oil
1/2 cup freshly minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
Mix together and let sit on the counter for ten days. Shake three times a day. After ten days, strain out the garlic with a coffee filter. Label and date and STORE IN REFRIGERATOR! This way it will last all fall and winter. I will leave it out for days at a time when treating someone with an acute condition. Perhaps adding some vitamin E oil would help it to last even longer.
I usually store it in a glass bottle with an eyedropper. I put the glass bottle into a mug of hot water for 5 minutes before using it, so the oil will be warm in the oil. That feels better than cold oil, especially for children.
I didn't have ten days to wait to treat my son. So, I strained out a little bit of the oil after a few hours. It will get stronger and stronger over the course of ten days.
I also use this oil on the chest and/or back for a cough. It will make the person being treated smell terribly of garlic, but it works. For a small child, I rub it into the bottoms of the feet. It works VERY well for a stubborn cough and I love that I can treat a child without even waking him up at night.
Lalitha Thomas, author of, "Ten Essential Herbs, " from whom I got the original recipe, will use it internally for a cough or as a natural antibiotic. (1 teaspoon per adult dose, equivalent of 1 garlic clove.) She does not use the coconut oil, but I like to use it as it also has anti-viral properties.
Where I live, cold and flu season are around the corner. It is a good time to be sure to have Garlic Oil made up ahead of time!
~Mama to Many~
Garlic
Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 02/15/2016
Hi John, it is very likely that the ear infection caused the tinnitus.
Garlic
Posted by Cherokeenanny (Felicity, Oh) on 07/22/2013
★★★★★
Seven cloves of garlic, really?? kinda make one hard pressed for giving sympathy.. WAY excess.. Done this many times and it works..... every time.
mouthwash
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 04/28/2022
★★★★★
Day 3 of a bad earache coming on. Tried H2O2 and Garlic oil the first 2 days, but neither worked. So I did something crazy. I soaked a cottonball in Green Mint Antiseptic Mouthwash from Dollartree (Blue Mint also works) and plugged it in the bad ear. In about 30 minutes the pain was gone. For a quick fix until morning this is amazing.
Todays mouthwash was originally invented in 1879 “Listerine” – for sterilizing surgical wounds. Sometime in the 1970's it was marketed as a mouthwash.
Ingredients contain essential oils (e.g., eucalyptol “eucalyptus”, menthol “peppermint”, thymol “thyme”, and methyl salicylate “wintergreen” and 12% alcohol). All of which are used to fight infections.
White Vinegar
Posted by Trista (Sydney, Australia ) on 03/15/2022
★★★★★
A couple of weeks ago my daughter started holding her ear saying it hurt.
Never had this happened before.
So I took out the otoscope to have a look and sure enough she had some bubble like appearance behind the eardrum membrane.
I came to this site and decided to try white vinegar and water 1:1 dilution.
Using the syringe you get with kids panadol, I put a couple of drops in the ear and counted to 5 then drained. Did this to both my ears 1st, an hour or so prior to make sure it didn't hurt... I did find the temperature to be too cold so I used boiled water for the dilution for my daughter's ear... made sure it was lukewarm before using it.
She didn't complain of a sore ear after that. I asked if it felt better and she said yes.
Checked her ear the next day and she had less bubbles. Used the solution again that day and the next day the bubbles were gone. I did it sporadically every couple of days after to be safe.
We bought an otoscope to keep an eye on her ears as she had blockages when she was a toddler.
It does come in handy.
Wintergreen Essential Oil
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 03/21/2021
★★★★★
Wintergreen oil is known to address ear infections/pain. It contains aspirin-like compound methyl salicylate which may help reduce pain and swelling. Wintergreen essential oil is also toxic for bacteria and microbes. It is known to penetrate the skin easily and so can be effectively used to treat infection in the ear topically. As well as being an excellent natural pain reliever Wintergreen has various other benefits too, it acts as a stimulant in terms of healing bones, and is a diuretic that helps in detoxification the area.
How I Use It:
Warning: It is said that wintergreen is not to be used on kids under 12 years old. There are other oils that are safe for them like lavender, peppermint, and rosemary. Do a patch test before using. Avoid direct contact with the eye and open wounds.
Colloidal Silver
Posted by Hoppimike (Kent, England) on 06/06/2015 25 posts
★★★★★
Putting homemade Colloidal Silver in my ear once or twice a day got rid of my ear infection I believe. I just made it sloppily at home in mineral water. Not much else to say, but chalk up a success! :)
Garlic
Posted by Sunny (Ca) on 01/24/2014
★★★★★
I use garlic for ear pain.
I cut up a garlic piece into slices 6 (I guess). I use olive oil, Im sure you can use other oils. I put oil in a spoon and some slices of garlic. I warm up the spoon. I take out of the fire, I get a small piece of cotton and absorb some oil with my cotton piece and place this warm oiled cotton piece in my ear and leave it in. I works awesome, down side it smells like garlic :S. Will be looking into more non smelly solution, like just using the olive oil instead. But this works so far...
Namaste
Earthclinic rocks!
Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar
Posted by Marsh (Denver) on 06/25/2013
★★★★★
Earth Clinic & it's followers are the BEST! A nasty sinus infection left behind a plugged left ear that was driving me crazy. After 5 days of discomfort I tried the 50/50 mixture of alcohol & white vinegar yesterday morning about 10am. It caused more fullness which was even more uncomfortable, which had me believing it was a mistake. Then around 11pm last nite there was a noise in my ear that sounded like a door slamming. It was my ear opening!!! I put 2 more drops in last night and this morning ~ better than the drugs the ENT ($105 dr appt and $50 prescriptions) gave me last year for the same thing that lasted for 6 months. Thank you all for sharing.
Cigarette Smoke
Posted by Jordan (Newfane, New York) on 02/04/2012
★★★★★
My mother always blew cigarette smoke in my ear to ease my earaches. I absolutely loved it. It made the pain and discomfort go away immediately.
Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar
Posted by Carbon Scorn (Boston, Ma) on 09/21/2011
★★★★★
In my early Twenties my scuba instructor, ex-US Navy, told me how to rid myself of my very regular and annoying ear infections. Mix 50/50 white vinegar and rubbing alcohol in a dropper. Tip yoru head to the side and put 3 drops in each when ever you complete a dive (or whenever you feel your ears starting to itch or hurt). Wiggle the outer ear and the base of the ear to be sure it settles deep, add a few more drops if you need to, wait one minute then tip your head and let it drain out into a tissue. Then do the other ear. Well, I've done this so many times I can not count. It works every time, and I've also done this with my kids whenever I saw them starting to scratch their ears when they were toddlers. They have never once needed to be seen by a doctor for an ear infection.
My description of the science at work here? Ear wax is acidic by nature, that's how it protects the area from bacteria. And ear "wax" is hydrophobic (it doesn't like water), so its coating keeps the ear canal free of bacterial breeding dampness. The white vinegar is simply helping to restore a high level of acidity while the alcohol dries up any water.
P.S. prior to learning this trick I used to use Hydrogen Peroxide with mixed results. After learning more with age I realized that the Hydrogen Peroxide, after oxidation, leaves behind water, aka a damp environment for any residual bacteria to flourish. Using this 50/50 of vinegar & alcohol mix post a hydrogen peroxide flush yielded desirable results every single time. Soon I totally left out the hydrogen peroxide step. Oh, and never cover your ear after flushing as that again inhibits the dry environment required to put an end to the bacteria.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Matt (Fremont, Ca) on 02/04/2010
★★★★★
Let me start by saying that I have used this site many many times, but this is the first time I am writing in. The reason I chose to write in now is because this remedy is quite extraordinary. It works! I had my wife help, but she poured 1/4 tsp of Hydrogen Peroxide into my infected ear and it worked immediately. If you are like me, be prepared for what could be a loud POP! After the POP! my ear felt better. Thanks to all that make this site what it is! :)
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Ken (St. Paul, Mn) on 07/01/2015
I think you work for the AMA and you made this story up to try and discredit a valid natural treatment.
