Last Updated on September 20, 2024 by Kiersten
Easy home remedy oil for ear aches to get fast, effective ear pain relief in babies and toddlers.
Days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. That’s my annual cue to restock our medicine cabinet with all of the natural home remedies to be prepared for any illness that may creep its way into our house from September to April.
Between swimming lessons, seasonal allergies, common preschool colds, and tiny baby ears, ear infections are high on the list.
Ear Drops Alone Are More Effective Than Antibiotics
The following is an excerpt from the Results portion of a study that compared natural herbal ear drops vs oral amoxicillin combined with pharmaceutical-grade ear drops in children.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery guidelines recommend topical medications as the first line of treatment for ear pain in the absence of systemic infection or serious underlying disease. Because no evidence was found that systemic antibiotics alone improved treatment outcome, if antibiotics do not change the natural course of otitis media, then the main goal of treatment, as in the present study, should be to alleviate the ear pain. The alternative, naturopathic herbal extract medications, may offer many new possibilities in the management of ear pain associated with acute otitis media.
Naturopathic Treatment for Ear Pain in Children
The natural herbal extract ear drops contained garlic, mullein, calendula, St. John’s Wort, lavender, and vitamin E in olive oil.
“Warm Ear Oil” – best natural home remedy for ear infections
“Warm ear oil” – as a grandma would say – is a traditional home remedy for ear infections relied on by mothers and midwives dating back hundreds of years.
The most common home remedy for ear infections is garlic oil.
Garlic is an excellent natural home remedy ingredient in a variety of applications due to its antimicrobial attributes.
While I do make and use garlic oil often, I don’t believe it’s strong enough by itself to properly treat an ear infection if no other ingredients are added.
That being said if you’re in a pinch and need fast relief now, infuse the garlic. If you have the essential oils on hand, even better.
Whatever ingredients you have is better than doing nothing at all.
If you do have time to plan ahead, make a batch of my high-potency natural ear infection drops and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Unlike Pharmaceuticals, Herbs and Oils Work Better Together
When working with natural home remedies, herbs, and essential oils, you will rarely find any ingredient used by itself – as with the garlic ear oil.
Herbs and essential oils applied for therapeutic use in medicine work better when they’re combined together to produce what is called a synergistic effect.
This DIY high-potency natural ear infection drop recipe takes the best properties of several antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesics. It combines them together to produce the most effective treatment for ear pain relief in babies and children.
Home Remedy Oil for Ear Aches (Babies and Toddlers)
Everything they need and nothing we can’t pronounce.
Garlic
Garlic is a versatile ingredient used for everything from cardiovascular and respiratory ailments to group b step prevention in pregnancy to childhood ear infections. This is due to garlic’s antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Garlic is also a wonderful immune stimulant and is found across many formulas in herbalism for good reason.
St. John’s Wort
Popular in the mental health realm for treating depression and anxiety, St. John’s Wort also lends itself useful as a potent topical pain reliever (anesthetic) and anti-inflammatory agent for everything from nerve pain to ear infections.
Ear oils containing St. John’s Wort commonly bring ear pain relief within 15 minutes of ear drop administration.
Black Pepper Essential Oil (piper nigrum)
Black pepper essential oil blocks the ability of sensory neurons to detect painful stimuli, therefore, blocking pain. This property is referred to as “antinociceptive”.
Olive Oil
Serves as a base for herbal infusion and carrier oil for essential oil.
Olive oil helps the essential oil to adhere to body surfaces and prevents evaporation.
Materials You May Need:
- St. John’s Wort, cut and sifted
- Organic cloves of garlic
- Good quality olive oil
- Black pepper essential oil
- Glass dropper bottle
- Stainless steel funnel
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mason jar with an air-tight lid
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons dried St. John’s Wort
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves – peeled and roughly chopped to release the allicin
- 4 ounces pure olive oil
- Black pepper essential oil (optional)
How to Make Home Remedy Oil for Ear Aches
- Infuse St. John’s Wort and garlic in oil (see options for slow infusion and rapid preparation below).
- Strain particulates out of the infused oil with a paper towel or cheesecloth.
- Pour oil into a dropper bottle.
- Add essential oil.
- Label the bottle and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
- Warm the oil before administering into the ear.
Slow Oil Infusion VS Rapid Oil Infusion Process
The preferred way to make an ear oil is to have the herbs slowly infuse into oil over about 6 weeks.
This is how the printable recipe is written – for slow infusion.
Ideally, in a perfect world, we would all have a bottle of ear oil on hand in the refrigerator ready for any occasion to strike.
In reality, we forgot to label the bottle, ran out of it, forgot to make it in the first place…whatever the reason, it’s fine.
When slow infusion over 6 weeks isn’t possible and you need pain relief TODAY, here’s what you need to do.
Rapid Oil Infusion:
- Preheat your crockpot or Instapot to the lowest possible slow cooker temperature setting. If you don’t have one, preheat your oven to the lowest setting and leave the door cracked open.
- Add the herbs, chopped garlic, and olive oil to a mason jar.
- If you’re using a crockpot or Instapot, add 2 to 3″ of water to the bottom of the pot and place the mason jar in it standing up.
- For the oven, just place the mason jar on an oven safe dish or cookie sheet.
- Let the oil infuse over low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes but ideally, 2 hours.
- Remove the oil from heat and strain it through a paper towel or cheesecloth to remove any solid particles.
- Place the oil in a dropper bottle and add 5 drops of black pepper essential oil for every 1oz of oil.
- Shake well and label the dropper bottle.
- Store in the refrigerator when not in use.
Using the Home Remedy Oil for Ear Aches
Prior to any administration, warm the oil by holding the dropper bottle in your hands for several minutes or place into warm water until it feels warm to the touch.
It is acceptable to leave the bottle of oil on the counter at room temperature for 3 to 4 days while therapy is in progress.
Refrigerate remaining oil contents until you need it again or a maximum of 6 months – whichever occurs sooner.
Babies and Toddlers 6 months to 2 years:
Administer 3 drops into the affected ear every 3 to 4 hours.
Space dosages farther apart as signs of discomfort subside.
Children 2 years to 12 years:
Administer 5 drops into the affected ear every 3 to 4 hours.
Space dosages farther apart as ear pain subsides.
Children 12 years to Adults:
Administer 8 drops into the affected ear every 3 to 4 hours.
Space dosages farther apart as ear pain subsides.
Related Posts:
6 Home Remedies for Ear Infections
When Should I Give My Child Antibiotics for An Ear Infection?
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The statements made on naturalhomeapothecary.com have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your personal physician or healthcare specialist regarding any potential changes to your lifestyle or healthcare regimen.
This is wonderful! My baby hasn’t had an ear infection yet but I’ve always wondered what I could do to treat one naturally. So thank you for this info!