Earache

12 remedies

See a doctor if

Discharge, hearing loss, or high fever.

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.

Strong evidence

An approved medicine, or consistent good-quality trials and reviews.

Fleming's penicillin mould

Penicillium rubens

Strong

The NHS lists ear infections among the bacterial infections treated with penicillin V on prescription.

Limited evidence

Small or few trials, mixed results, or mainly lab and animal work.

Great mullein

Verbascum thapsus

Limited

Flower oil was a folk remedy for earache. In a trial in children with acute otitis media, Otikon, a naturopathic herbal ear-drop formulation, eased ear pain as well as anaesthetic drops; mullein was one ingredient of a mixture, so its own effect is unknown.

Tansy

Tanacetum vulgare

Limited

In one double-blind trial (103 people analysed) a capsule combining rose hip, nettle and tansy (100 mg twice daily for 3 months) improved tinnitus handicap scores more than placebo; hearing thresholds did not change. The effect cannot be attributed to tansy alone.

Traditional use

Long recorded use, essentially untested in clinical trials.

Argan

Argania spinosa

Traditional

Described in Moroccan tradition as beneficial for deafness and chronic earache.

Blue flag

Iris versicolor

Traditional

Omaha and Ponca dropped pulverised rootstock mixed with water or saliva into the ear for earache.

Butterfly pea

Clitoria ternatea

Traditional

Ayurvedic use of the leaves for earache (otalgia).

Mexican oregano

Lippia graveolens

Traditional

Juice of the toasted leaves is dropped into the ear for earache; untested.

Pasque flower

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Traditional

King's calls it a prompt and decisive agent in earache brought on by cold and wind, and used it in otitis media with thick bland discharge.

Sal

Shorea robusta

Traditional

A bark decoction is used as ear drops in Indian folk medicine; the Baiga of Chhattisgarh place warm drops of the decoction near the outer ear for ear pain.

Simpleleaf chaste tree

Vitex trifolia

Traditional

Tinnitus and deafness are listed TCM indications.

Tobacco

Nicotiana tabacum

Traditional

Mohegan, Rappahannock and Shinnecock healers blew tobacco smoke into the ear for earache; Mi'kmaq used the leaves.

Evidence against

Good trials found no benefit.

Ginkgo (Maidenhair tree)

Ginkgo biloba

Against

Tinnitus: NCCIH says research suggests ginkgo does not relieve it; a 2022 Cochrane review of 12 trials (1,915 people) found the evidence of low to very low certainty and could show no reliable benefit.