Natural Remedies for Ear Infections: 10 Effective Home Treatments

I tried this remedy (1/4 teaspoon cayenne to 6oz water) and did exactly as it says. My sinuses did drain a little, but my ear continued to hurt and stay clogged for some time. It did drain about 2-3 hours after I went to bed. I have no doubt that it was helpful, but I cannot say I experienced any immediate relief.

I did not have fresh organic cayenne measured by strength; it was Morton's brand and fairly new, but I suspect it wasn't as potent or fresh as could be had.

A few days ago, I woke up in the morning and couldn't get out of bed because... I suddenly started to feel dizzy. Everything was going upside down, and I felt nauseous. So, I lay for a while untill I could go to the bathroom, where ofcourse, I threw up! For a couple of days I was confined in bed, later when I felt slightly better, I went to my doctor. He prescribed Meclizine 25mg(saying that I have ear-infection) which I took for a few days. Then I went to your site and read about H202. So, I plucked up enough courage and poured half a tsp.,of 3% Hydrogen peroxide in both my ears. There was a bubbling sensation and I was scared whether I was doing the right thing, yet kept on repeating the process three times a day. After a few days, I went to the hospital to have my ears checked (just in case) to make sure; because deep down I was also worried what if, the infection had spread or something...

My vertigo, had not subsided completely yet, so I went to the emergency, the doctor having checked everything said, she doesn't see any infection in my ears, so she referred me to an ENT. By the time, I got to see the specialist (according to the appointment) few days went by, but I didn't stop the application of my home remedy. In the meantime my dizziness got cured, by the grace of Almighty God.

The specialist checked my ears and put me through several tests, finally discharged me saying everything was clear. THANK GOD!

Tried several of the wonderful suggestions here on an unexpected ear infection (garlic, ACV, alcohol & distilled white vinegar, coconut oil), and none of them made a significant difference, alas. Then I read a piece on Manuka --aka tea tree or jelly bush-- honey, and its powerful antibacterial effects. Fortunately, I still had a tube of Manuka from my last trip to New Zealand, applied a small amount v-e-r-y gently with a Q-tip around the perimeter of my ear canal, and voila ! Pain erased. The infection was gone by the next day.

Nature is so wise; my personal belief is that bees are absolute angels of health and well-being on our planet. One can often find Manuka honey from NZ in health stores worldwide. It's usually a very dark amber color. (And, of course, being honey, it's delicious! )

I use peroxide for ear aches and ear infections. First use the peroxide in ear or ears. After bubbling stops then you warm up pure olive oil put in ear or ears followed by a cotton ball. Usually ear aches subside immediately. Ear infections may take two or 3 times.

Mix one or two table spoons of olive oil with a few drops of tea tree oil, approximately 6 to 10 drops. Use a Q-tip or cotton ball to insert oil inside of ear. leave the oil inside overnight or as long as you can. This mixture cured my ear infection very quickly.

I don't believe I've ever had an ear infection. This cam on suddenly and very aggressively. I used MANY remedies and I feel like the last was the one that did the job but I may have weakened things enough for the last to work best.

Day 1: Ears itch slightly. I use a dry q-tip to clean/scratch my ear.

Day 2: I wake up with my left ear feeling a little clogged and the right is burning slight. Pain Level is 2 but I know something bad is about to start and we are leaving for a trip in a couple of hours. I pack everything I can think of. I don't ever recall having an ear infection but I had fought it when my son had it 10 years ago. I pack: hydrogen peroxide (3%), grapefruit seed extract, rubbing alcohol (70%), lavender oil, q-tips in a zip lock, advil, net pot and salt. I mix a solution (per label) of Grapefruit seed extract (4 drops in 1 oz of alcohol)

Before I leave, I put a few drops of Hydrogen peroxide in one ear and let it sit with my head on a pillow. It fizzes so much, it comes out of my ear. I flip my head and let it drain. I do the same with the second ear.

For the 5 hour drive, I alternate soaking a q-tip in alcohol/GSE solution and dabbing it in each ear (every 3 hours), and lavender oil (every 2 hours). Pain is about a 7 when touched, hearing is getting worse. I can feel the canal of my ear is swollen. When we get to the hotel, I soak a small strip pf TP with Hydrogen Peroxide and allow it to drip into me ear as before. Again, it bubbles out. A very violent reaction but I do get relief from pain. I feel like I won't get healing without reducing inflammation so I begin advil - 1 every 6 hours. It reduces the swelling by that evening but pain is about 3 and I can tell the infection is not subsiding. I continue this regimen for 2 days

I decide to begin internal GSE. 15 drops in 8 ounces of water. I drink this every 4 hours for 2 days.

Day 3: Pain subsides and remains at 3. Hydrogen Peroxide continues to bubble. I continue the regimen as I did when driving, with q-tips since we are continuing to drive and do things on vacation. I keep everything in a bag with me and always get bottle water so I can mix up GSE. This was a miserable situation but I was not going to let it ruin our vacation. I made sure to only use one end of a q-tip in a particular ear - never to reinfect the other ear.

Day 4: I add using a net pot to my regimen (I happen to have a travel net pot and we happen to be staying in a hotel with a kitchenette so I could boil water and let it cool). I add GSE, in addition to sea salt (1/8 tsp per 1 cup water) to the Neti water per label instructions (4 drops per cup water). I do a net 2x per day. I also begin baking soda regimen (1/4 tsp in water every couple of hours) taken internally. Pain level is subsiding (2 when touched) and hearing is still affected in one ear but improving slightly. I feel like I'm healing so I cut back on GSE internally to 2x/dy, reduce baking soda to morning and night and stop advil, and stop hydrogen peroxide.

Day 5: I'm back home now. By morning, my pain level is back to 7. I was not better. Hearing in one ear is severely diminished. Ear canal seems almost swollen shut. I have to tug on earlobes gently to get canal open enough to allow hydrogen peroxide drops. I immediately start everything back up again, except advil. I want to be able to judge swelling and pain levels.

My ears feel so inflamed, I don't want to make them worse so I decrease frequency of alcohol/GSE, lavender oil and hydrogen peroxide drops to one every 3-4 hours. I alternate to a different one each time.

I come to Earth Clinic and read about garlic oil in the ear. I warm some old and thinly slice one garlic clove. I soak a cotton ball with warm oil and put one in each ear. It is very soothing, not burning at all. I sleep this way.

Day 5: I seem to notice improvement in the morning and spend all day and night with garlic oil cotton balls in my ears. I change the cotton balls morning and night and do hydrogen peroxide drops, followed by the alcohol/GSE drops in each ear (I find this helps to get the ear dry after the hydrogen peroxide)when I change the cotton balls. Pain and swelling continue to diminish but not gone. I take GSE in water morning and night.

Day 6: Morning and night I do hydrogen peroxide drops, followed by the alcohol/GSE drops in each ear. I sleep with garlic oil cotton balls in my ears. Pain is down to 1. Hearing is improving but not back to normal.

Day 7: I wake with pain in one ear (5 when touched) and a swollen lymph node under that ear. This is it. I'm trying one last thing. I look in my old herbal healing book. I take a fresh, uncut onion and cut a little section off. I run it across a microplane grater (any grater will work) until there is a watery pulp (about 2 TBS). I tilt the bowl and press the pull so that a pool of clear onion juice gathers at the bottom. I take a cotton ball and unroll it. I cut it in half and re-roll both sections so I have 2, tighter, more cylindrical cotton pieces. I soak one end of each in the onion juice and shove the wet portion in my ear. I wad up the remaining part on the cotton so it holds inside the ear. I do this to each ear. There is enough onion juice on the cotton so I can feel it running in my ear. There is no burning, and it feels soothing but I do feel SOMETHING...a warming of a sort?

I sleep and wake to 100% pain free and the lymph node is much smaller.

Day 8: I grate fresh onion and change the cotton morning, noon and night. The pain is completely gone, hearing has returned to normal.

Day 9: completely normal ears.

Now, did the onion juice do it? Had I weakened it already? I can tell you that if this happened to me again, I would have all the same things on hand but I would START with the onion juice and only add things, one at a time if I felt like I needed more "punch" to fight the attack. I would not use q-tips unless it was an emergency (like I'm on the subway or something). The GSE internally, really helped me fight it as well as I believe I would have gotten a fever, otherwise. I would use the advil sparingly as I feel like it gives a false sense of healing (maybe use it for kids more and in intense pain).

This was a highly aggressive attack. I feel like I may have had a yeast infection that turned into a bacterial one.

Hi I live in Philippines, and love to go swimming only unfortunately I am prone to ear infections, which seem to happen nearly every time I go swimming, these infections are difficult to heal, I used to have to use anti-biotic ear drops, plus internal anti-biotics to clear them up and it would take 7 to 10 days.

One day after reading about the anti-bacterial properties of virgin coconut oil I decided to put vco drops in my ear several times a day, it cleared in 3 days, so now before I go swimming a few drops of vco will stop me getting an ear infection.

An allergic reaction to milk doesnt have to be the runs! For me it was swelling of the throat and hours later a double ear infection.

I did feel there was a connection but did realize it till i read a french book on allergies. Ear infections can be caused by milk... same for swollen tonsils.. I have no tonsils anymore.. i wish i had been old enough to stop them from cutting them out...

Anyhow we had free cheese at work.. didnt seem to affect me then one day i wanted milk...

i dont usually cause well like cheese... it contains mucus and is mucus forming... (at the time in camp, i had to eat cheese for protein cause some of the cooks thought pasta was food)

i drank 5 tiny cups like almost those bathroom cups of milk.. then that the evening my eardrums popped. i havent touched milk since. unless to test.where as a cup of chocolate milk made my throat glands on the sides sore...

The only other thing to make my throat swell like that is mcdonalds beef burgers and orange juice.

Povidine Ointment and Boric Acid for Water in Ear: Infection

A cotton bud dipped in Povidone Ointment and then lightly dipped in Boric Acid powder. Gently place cotton bud just a very small way into the ear and then remove the cotton bud from ear. Gently massage back of ear. 2 or 3 applications a day. The Povidone ointment/Iodine clears infection and the Boric acid powder dries water.

I was in a lot of pain with a sore ear. Painkillers weren't working. I decided to try Apple Cider Vinegar and the pain is no more. I put 1 dropper full in my ear and sat with my head tilted for a few minutes. Very happy.

If you have anything from simple swimmers ear to a painful advanced ear infection, slice an onion in half and wrap one half in a clean piece of flannel or linnen. Put it in the top section of a steamer pot and steam until hot and moist. Remove from the steamer and allow it to cool just until you can stand to hold it next to your ear. Hold it over the ear and tilt your head to the side that you are treating so that steam can enter your ear. Repeat as often as you need to, this usually works within a day. If no steamer pot is available, I have used a bowl of water in the microvave and chopsicks to hold the onion over the water.

We always stopped earaches within 48 hours (sometimes much less) by stuffing a piece of cotton with olive oil in the ear and just leaving it there. Change once a day or so, if needed.

I have been suffering from an ear infection for almost 2 months now. Just when I think it clears up it was right back the next day. I have tried everything. From warm damp towels to HP. A friend told me about Sweet Oil. Warm it to the touch and put a couple of drops into the infected ear. I left it in for about 2-3 minutes. I repeated this about 3 times.The pain was gone almost instantly. Now this is not a cure but it did relieve me of pain and discomfort until I could get antibiotics. Also HP helped but only for a short time. It was only a temporary fix until the proper antibiotics were taken. Sweet oil can be found at special health food stores and more than likely at your grocery store. Also, this has nothing to do with ear infections but does anyone have health cures for migraines?

Rob, just olive oil on some cotton works within 48 hours for our family.

I had a very bad ear infection one day and all the Medicine that I bought never helped a Friend then told me about an old remedy handed down from her family that worked Right away. Just put a small amount of Virgin Olive Oil into your Ear.

You are absolutely right regarding milk and ear infections, alot of people are intolerant to dairy products with out knowing it, this is especially true for people with inherited smaller eustashian tubes. Even a slight amount of mucus that gathers in the tubes can result in ear aches and infections.