Treating Earaches With Herbal
Remedies
Earaches and ear infections are very common among children,
but the problem may persist for some well into adulthood.
Unfortunately, while ear problems are very common among
children, they are not so common with most adults because
adults don’t have the small Eustachian tube that plague infants
and children. This tube runs horizontally, stretching from the
nasal cavity to the ear.
The placement of the small Eustachian tube allows bacteria
to access this sensitive area relatively easily. The fully
formed Eustachian tube is long and vertical and allows air
pressure to equalize on both sides of the eardrum.
This helps keep most bacteria away, however not everyone is
blessed with a perfectly operating Eustachian tube.
For those adults unlucky enough to develop an ear infection,
the first sign is the presence of a persistent earache.
Most people who develop ear infections will develop them in
the outer ear or the ear canal. One of the most common types of
ear problems is obitis external, better known as swimmer’s ear.
Other ear problems may be caused by allergies, colds, sore
throats, or tooth pain that has ‘traveled’ to the ear.
If you find that your ear problems are not very severe or
recurrent, then you may be able to treat the occasional ear
problem with herbal remedies that can easily soothe your ear
problems. Here are three such herbal remedies that can help
soothe ear ailments.
An Interesting Herb Fact
The Healing Scent of Jasmine: Herbal Remedies Created from Jasmine
Jasmine has long been loved for its wonderful scent. This climbing plant blooms with one of the most aromatic flowers in the garden. The jasmine plant was first introduced in Europe in the 16th century and it quickly gained immense popularity because of its scent. French perfumers especially took an interest this lovely climbing plant. However, the jasmine plant also has healing properties. The scented oil that is extracted from the plant has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic for...
Garlic: Also known as the poor man’s
penicillin, garlic is one of the most potent natural healers.
To get rid of an earache, take a capsule of bacteria-fighting
garlic oil, or put a couple of fresh garlic cloves into your
sandwich. Or you can take a store-bought garlic oil capsule and
pierce it with a pin, allowing a few drops to fall on a cotton
ball. Then, with great care, place the garlic-infused cotton
ball into your ear. Leave the cotton ball in your ear for at
least an hour during the day, and leave it in overnight. Make
sure you place the cotton ball inside your ear, but don’t push
it in too far into the ear canal. You can also take garlic oil
capsules. Most herbalists recommend taking two 500 milligrams
of garlic everyday for at least seven days.
Mullein: You can
think of mullein as garlic’s best friend. Simply add some
mullein oil to your garlic mix to help soothe the skin of the
ear canal. Mullein not only helps soothe the infected area, it
can also help reduce the inflammation and relieve the physical
pain caused by an ear infection. Simply add a few drops of
mullein oil onto your garlic-infused cotton ball.
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The easiest way to apply the gel that forms
the center of each Aloe Vera leaf is neat,
directly from the plant.
If you burn yourself cooking for instance,
you can simply cut off a leaf, then make an
length way incision in the topside of the
leaf.
Folding out the two halves of the topside of
the leaf will then expose the gel which you can
simply scrape off and apply directly to the
burn.
The cooling effect will last for a very long
time, although you shouldn’t use it in place of
proper medical attention.
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Lavender Essential
Oil: Lavender contains many antiseptic properties
that make it ideal for treating ear infections. Lavender also
helps support the immune system, and its scent is well noted
for its relaxing properties. To make sue of lavender’s healing
properties, simply fill a bowl with a cup of boiling water and
add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Place a towel over
your head and inhale the lavender scent for five minutes or
so.
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