Home Remedies for Earache
There are numerous home remedies for earaches that can quickly get the pain under control, but prevention of earaches is the best treatment.
If you swim frequently, use ear plugs to keep water from entering the ear canal. The build-up of moisture in the ears can lead to infection, since the moist, warm ear canal is a good breeding ground for germs. You should also keep your ears clean without pushing too far into the ear canal.
Home Remedy for Earache
One of the best home remedies for earaches caused by excessive debris or wax in the ears is quite simple. Put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the ear and leave it for a few minutes. This works best if you lay on your side so that the peroxide can get deep into the ear canal, then tilt your head over a sink and let the peroxide drain out.
For mild ear pain, you may feel better with a warm compress placed over the ear, but if this doesn’t work, try putting a few drops of warm olive oil on a cotton ball and placing it in the ear.
Combining oil of Bishop’s weed with sesame oil in a one to three ratio creates a soothing ear drop. Warm it slightly and put four drops in each ear and let sit. You can do this two to three times a day for relief.
Home Remedies for Earaches with Infection
If your earache is the result of an ear infection, try grating a medium sized radish and pressing out the juice. Mix this juice with a small amount of mustard oil and placing two or three warmed drops in each year. Both the radish juice and the mustard oil have antibacterial qualities that will speed healing while soothing the pain.
Another popular home remedy for earaches combines three parts vinegar to one part isopropyl alcohol (commonly called rubbing alcohol). Two to three drops in the ear will alleviate the discomfort as well as drying out the ear canal and discouraging germs.
Garlic, one of the most popular home remedies for a number of infections and illnesses, works well in the ear. You can either press some oil out of a few cloves of garlic and put directly in the ear, or you can simmer a garlic clove in a few teaspoons of castor oil. Strain out the garlic and put two drops of the castor oil in the ear canal once it has cooled to a slightly warm or tepid temperature.
If the ear infection is swimmer’s ear, a 50/50 combination of vinegar and water can be dripped into the affected ear. The pH will quickly kill off any fungal growth and help dry remaining moisture in the ear. Some people use alcohol and water, but the vinegar does tend to sting less.
If you have turmeric seeds in your kitchen, smash a few and soak in some warm water for at least an hour, then use the liquid as ear drops to soothe the pain an draw out the infection.
Keep in mind that any ear infection will be aggravated by eating or drinking milk products. As an added treatment to these home remedies for earaches, avoid dairy products for a few days.