Earaches are a common concern among many parents of little ones, often accompanying colds, flu or even teething. Oftentimes, diet may cause some congestion within the ear and some of those culprits include, meat, dairy, sugar or even citrus fruits with the exception of lemons and limes so it may be worth eliminating or cutting back on some of those foods to see if the issue subsides.

There are plenty of over-the-counter remedies that will rid your child of the pain associated with earaches and/or infections, but are all of those chemical ingredients really beneficial or even necessary? Let’s explore some more natural remedies for earaches in children, shall we?

earaches in children — Herbal Remedies for Earaches in Children

Let’s start with an overview of some of the best herbs to add to your home apothecary for when your little ones feel under the weather and are suffering from an earache or ear infection.

Table of Contents

Mullein

Marvelous Mul lein to the rescue again. This medicinal plant is known to particular gardeners as an unwanted pest, while others welcome it wholeheartedly in any nook or cranny it can be sown in. The difference between those gardeners is that one knows the true spirit of this beautiful herb.

Mullein has quite a medicinal background to speak of but for the sake of this article, we will focus on its ability to help soothe and remedy a common earache, especially in children. I do have a previous post discussing mullein in a bit more detail as to why this lovely, leggy gem should most definitely become a welcome addition to your home apothecary.

How to Use Mullein for Earaches

Mullein oil is commonly sold in many health food stores as a remedy for children’s ear infections. It is sometimes infused with garlic and/or St. John’s Wort to strengthen its medicinal properties but is not necessarily required to soothe an earache. Garlic will help to aid in an earache that is accompanying a bacterial infection though.

If you are fortunate enough to have your own mullein plant, just harvest the flowers and keep those on hand to create your own mullein oil or simply purchase mullein flowers from a reputable seller such as Mountain Rose Herbs, however, they can be a bit difficult to find.

How to make your own mullein oil for earaches

2-3 Tablespoons of chopped garlic
2-3 Tablespoons of mullein flowers
Extra virgin olive oil

Add the garlic and the mullein to a double boiler or small saucepan with just enough oil to cover the herbs. Warm the oil mixture for 20-30 minutes at very low temperatures.

Next, you will strain the herbs using a mesh cloth or cheesecloth over a bowl or container. Don’t forget to strain them over a bowl or container. I know it sounds silly but it has happened and all of that goodness is gone!

Transfer the strained oil to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or a dark bottle ideally with a dropper top and store in the refrigerator.

Warm the oil prior to use but only to about room temperature. You can do this by holding a teaspoon of oil over a candle or simply adding the bottle to some warm water.

Add 3-4 drops into the ear every 30 minutes or so until the pain subsides. The excess oil will drain on its own within a few minutes of administering the oil.

Ear Infection Tincture Recipe-Rosemary Gladstar

Make an herbal tincture by chopping and adding the above ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and adding enough alcohol ( vodka and brandy are typical) to the herbal mixture, making sure to completely cover the herbs.

Allow this mixture to set in a warm location for about 4-6 weeks minimum (the longer the better). Once the mixture is ready, strain the herbs following the same steps as above for the mullein/garlic oil.

This tincture will stay good for 2-3 years if using alcohol and about a year if using glycerine with a bit longer if using vinegar.

Vinegar or glycerine can be used in place of alcohol, just be sure to use ½ water and ½ glycerine instead of just glycerine. If you do want to use alcohol to extract the medicinal properties of the herbs but would like to remove some of that alcohol once the mixture is complete, simply place the tincture in boiling water for one to 2 minutes. This will remove about half the amount of alcohol.

Give the child ⅛ of a teaspoon diluted in warm water or juice 3 times per day as needed.

Pennywort

Pennywort(Gotu Kola) is not commonly found in herbal stores fresh, so ideally you would benefit from growing your own. If you are fortunate enough to have fresh pennywort, it can help to relieve pain associated with earaches or ear infections.

Add a drop or 2 of fresh pennywort juice to the ear 2-3 times per day to relieve pain.

This will not necessarily clear up the infection but will allow the pain to subside. It may be beneficial to you and your child to help determine the underlying cause of the infection.

If the child has had repeated courses of antibiotics, it may be worth adding a probiotic to their daily routine or possibly introducing some fermented foods that naturally contain beneficial bacteria to help crowd out the bad. Antibiotics do not just target harmful bacteria, they attack all of the bacteria in the body, including the beneficial ones too.

Onions

I watched Barbara O’Neil give a presentation on natural healing remedies and she goes into detail about many homeopathic remedies using garlic, onions and honey. I will leave that presentation below if you are interested in viewing it.

Onions can be very effective at healing ear infections (or many other infections too) in children. This is a simple yet effective remedy that has been around for centuries.

How to Use Onions to Heal an Earache in Children

Barbara O’Neil describes in detail how to make and use an onion poultice to heal earaches in children. The timestamp for this portion of the video begins at about the 6-minute mark.

She is a wealth of knowledge on natural remedies for common ailments.

Salt

This may be a go-to remedy to try first since most households contain salt. Ideally, you would use some type of salt containing minerals such as Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Sea Salt.

How to Make a Hot Salt Pack to Heal Ear Infections

Begin by heating some salt in a cast iron skillet, though any pan will do in a pinch. When the salt is too hot to touch, pour it onto a cotton cloth. Fold the cloth but be careful because it will be hot. Using another towel to protect the skin against the heat, place the folded salt towel against the ear for about 30 minutes. It is suggested to treat both ears with this process. This can be repeated 2-3 times per day to help alleviate symptoms of earaches in children.

Swimmers Ear

If swimmers ear is the culprit of a child’s earache, the above oil remedies will not take care of that issue as this infection does not respond well to oil infusions and may possibly make the ear infection worse. If there are other symptoms accompanying the ear infection such as runny nose, fever or other cold-like symptoms, chances are it is not swimmers ear.

The main goal with swimmers ear is to dry out the ear. This can be achieved by mixing a few drops of lavender oil tea tree oil with about ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol. Shake the mixture and apply several drops in each ear and gently massage the outer part of the ear.

The above salt compress will be useful in treating swimmers ear as well.

Repeat this process several times a day until symptoms subside.

Other Useful Herbs to Strengthen the Immune System in Children

Most of the herbs listed above can be used to make tea or tinctures that are safe to use daily and increase use during certain times of the year when the immune system could use a bit of a boost.

Garlic-fermented honey is a good remedy to keep on hand and I will share a post that details the recipe below.

The Best Herbal Remedies for Cold & Flu + How to Use Them

Oil of Oregano is a powerful remedy against bacterial and viral infections and can also be used when fighting a sickness or just to strengthen the immune system. That is definitely my go-to remedy to try before relying on strong antibiotics.

Elderberry syrup is another must-have for those of you that have children. Many different companies have their own elderberry syrup, but for those of you that like to make your own herbal creations, this one is pretty easy and I will share the recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs below.

Whatever remedy you choose to try to heal your little one’s aches and pains it is ideal to look for the root cause of the issue if you and your child are battling frequent earaches.

You may consider eliminating wheat, dairy, excess sugar or other common additives that are known to cause distress within the body, to see if that helps the issue from recurring. Sadly, the food we consume isn’t always beneficial to the body and it can actually tend to do more harm than good.

I wish all of you and your kiddos continued health and well-being. Thanks for reading!

Footnotes

Herbs for Children’s Health, Rosemary Gladstar

Thorsons Guide to Medical Herbalism: A comprehensive and practical introduction, David Hoffman

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Rosemary Gladstar

Herbal Monograph: Mullein, Rosalee de la Foret