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

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.

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.

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.