Home Remedies for Earache

You have earache, when your middle ear gets infected. This infection is caused due to some micro-organisms, germs or pressure buildup in the middle ear. Swimming, allergies, bathing or even cleaning your ear with cotton buds can cause earache, but the common cause is due to plugging. Anybody, at any age can get earache, but it is usually common with children. In this Buzzle article, you will find some simple home remedies to cure earache effectively.

How Do You Get an Earache?

'Eustachian Tube' is a small tube that connects the ear to the nose. This tube usually gets blocked, due to bacteria buildup or some kind of infection. Once infected, there is formation of fluid in it, resulting in a painful earache. Increase in pressure on this part increases pain, loss in hearing ability, swelling in middle ear part and nearby, along with itching. To avoid earaches and infections, one should keep the Eustachian tube free of pollutants and irritants, as well as regularly clean the nasal passage.

Home Remedies for Earache

How can ear infections be identified? Some of the common symptoms observed are sudden sharp pain, constant dull pain, fullness in the ear, unclear hearing, stuffy nose, sore throat, high fever, nausea, diarrhea or possibly pus or blood from the ear. Do you need to consult a doctor all the time? The answer may be yes, if it's very much painful and there is frequent bleeding in the ear or else you can always try some of the home remedies for earache, suggested in the following lines.

Ear oils
The traditional way of using ear oils is the most effective way of treating earache. You can make a mixture of one garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped and half of a fresh mullein leaf, finely cut. Mix them with 2/3 cup of olive oil in a clean glass pint jar. Seal the jar tightly and keep it in sunlight for at least 10 days. This helps in extracting the active constituents into the oil, from the ingredients.

After you see a slight yellowish-brown color, after 10 days, strain the oil through a fine mesh wire sieve. Then again, through clean cotton cloth or muslin. Take this oil in another different glass container and add few drops of melaleuca or tea tree oil. Put 3 to 4 drops of this mixture into the ear for at least 4 times a day and each time allow it to settle for minimum of 10 minutes.

Garlic Oil
You can also prepare garlic oil for earache. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. You just have to take a bulb of garlic and crush it well. Put it in small jar and pour some olive oil in it and let the mixture settle for day or two. Before applying, warm up the oil for some time and then allow it to cool at room temperature. Apply in the affected ear with the help of a dropper and cover the ear hole with a cotton ball. Keep this for at least 20 minutes before washing. Try this for at least 3 to 4 times a day.

Fresh Peppermint Juice
Another home remedy for earache that you can try is a fresh peppermint juice. It is first grounded a little and then poured in a cotton cloth, to squeeze the juice out of it. This juice is used to relieve your earache.

Hydrogen Peroxide
One of the most effective remedy is using hydrogen peroxide. Put two to three drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ears and allow it to settle in for few minutes and then flush your ear carefully with warm water. This can help you in cleaning with the waxy buildup in your ears. Dry your ear with soft dry cotton cloth, after cleaning them.

Bishop's Weed and Sesame Oil Mixture
The mixture of Bishop's weed and Sesame oil is also an effective remedy for earache. Take some Bishop's weed oil and add sesame oil to it in 1:3 proportion. Warm it for a while and allow it to cool to room temperature. Pour this oil mixture in the aching ear. Four to five drops are enough at a time. Then wash it with clean warm water.

Ginger Juice and Sesame Oil Mixture
You can also try the mixture of ginger juice and sesame oil. Mix equal amount of fresh grated ginger juice with sesame oil. Drop 2 to 3 drops of this mixture in the aching ear and cover the ear with a cotton ball. Allow it to settle in the ear for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This also helps in relieving the pain.

Mineral Oil
For the people who practice swimming, best remedy is applying mineral oil. Before going into the water, you can apply mineral oil extracted from natural resources such as petroleum and use earplugs also.

Heating Pad
Of course, the best and easiest way is to use heating pads or warm cloth near affected area. It is an all time remedy and you can use it in parallel with any of above home remedies for your earache.

Some Other Remedies and Precautions
Whenever you are traveling through plane or any other means you usually get the feeling of fullness of ear. Sometimes you get a pain in your middle ear. The best way of relieving yourself of this pain is chewing gum and yawning, which helps in contracting the muscles and opens the Eustachian tubes.

Besides these remedies you also have to take care of your diet. Do not eat food that may cause cold and cough, as ear, nose and throat are interconnected. Avoid smoking and eating food, that will provide you with vitamin C. As earache is caused due to infection, vitamin C works on the infection by boosting your immunity strength.

Don't allow the wax to get settle in your ear for longer period. Whenever you go for bath, go for hot shower. The stream of hot water will help the wax to soften and will be easy to remove. Apart from all these measures, you have to take care that you don't put anything like cotton swabs, fingers, bobby pins, etc in your ears. This can cause damage to the eardrum and increase the chances of infection and bacteria buildup leading to earache.