Earache

Earache

There I was on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie on a beautiful spring day, leading a workshop on medicinal herbs. At our feet were mullein plants, an age-old remedy for earache. It was early June, too early for the mullein to be in flower. But the fuzzy leaves were everywhere, and the previous year's tall flower stalks were abundant as well.

Down in southern Ohio, there's an herbalist who is producing an earache salve based on mullein flowers and goldenseal. More than half of the participants in my workshop had tried this salve on their children after doctors had failed to cure their ear infections with antibiotics and even surgery. Several swore that it worked. Because of what I know about mullein and goldenseal, I'm inclined to trust their reports.

Earache has many possible causes. In children, the most common by far is an infection that invades the middle ear--what doctors call otitis media. But earache can also be caused by excess earwax, a perforated eardrum and other conditions in the head and neck. There's also an outer ear infection called otitis externa.

The actual infection may be bacterial, viral or fungal. An estimated 80 percent of children have at least one middle ear infection during their first five years. Breastfeeding apparently offers some protection. Compared with bottle-fed babies, breastfed infants develop fewer ear infections, and the longer the baby nurses, the lower the risk.

Often, pediatricians have prescribed antibiotics to help stop ear infections. But recently, more and more physicians are advising against being trigger-happy with antibiotics.

Problems with Aspirin

Earache treatment begins with pain relief and then proceeds to dealing with the cause. Physicians treat the pain with acetaminophen (or aspirin for adults), then give antibiotics and decongestants to treat the infection itself.

There are also some good herbs that can help adults deal with the pain even before they see the doctor. For adult earaches, I'd try relieving the pain with a tea made of willow bark and wintergreen. These herbs contain salicin and salicylates, which are natural precursors of pharmaceutical aspirin. (If you are allergic to aspirin, however, you probably shouldn't take herbal aspirin either.)

But do not give either aspirin or its natural herbal alternatives to children who develop ear infections along with colds. When children take aspirin-like drugs for viral infections (especially colds, flu and chicken pox), there's a chance that they might get Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that damages the liver and brain. This herbalist hates to say it, but if my grandkids developed ear infections from colds, I'd treat their ear pain with acetaminophen rather than herbal relatives of aspirin.

Once you've treated the pain, it's time to consider the cause. A doctor can look in the affected ear and decide if you have an external or an internal problem.

Green Pharmacy for Earache

There are a number of herbs that can help alleviate the pain of earache or treat the causes.

Echinacea (Echinacea, various species). Echinacea, also known as coneflower, has both antibiotic and immune-boosting effects. You can try using a teaspoon of dried herb in tea or a dropperful of echinacea tincture in juice or tea. Drink either three times a day. I use echinacea to treat all sorts of infections, and I would probably try it if I had an earache. (Although echinacea can cause your tongue to tingle or go numb temporarily, this effect is harmless.)

Ephedra (Ephedra sinica). Also known as ma huang or Chinese ephedra, this herb contains two powerful decongestants, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. They can help drain the fluid in the middle ear that is associated with middle ear infections. Pseudoephedrine is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter decongestants. One of these products, Sudafed, even takes its name from this compound. In a study of fliers with recurrent ear pain, 70 percent of those who took pseudoephedrine experienced relief.

Be careful to stick to the recommended doses when using this herb. Adults shouldn't use more than one teaspoon of dried herb to make a tea or take more than one teaspoon of tincture. Although the herb can be taken up to three times a day, you should be cautious because ephedra is a stimulant and might cause insomnia or raise blood pressure. Some people have died from overdosing on this herb in an attempt to get high, and the Food and Drug Administration has taken steps to stop the sale of ephedrine supplements.

Ephedra could be great for treating some children's problems, but because of the controversy surrounding it, you should consult your pediatrician before using it. Children should be given less than half of the amount appropriate for adults.

Garlic (Allium sativum). Like echinacea, garlic and its extracts have antibiotic and immune-boosting benefits. In studies, dripping garlic oil directly into the ear canal has been shown to treat fungal infections as well as or better than pharmaceutical drugs.

Taken internally, garlic can help cure a middle ear infection. If you have an earache, I suggest adding more garlic to your cooking. You might also try putting a few drops of garlic oil in the painful ear.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). This is another potent natural antibiotic. Some naturopaths suggest using a mixture of echinacea, goldenseal and licorice root (this just for flavor). You can make a tea using either a teaspoon of each herb or a dropperful of each tincture per cup of boiling water. Enjoy a cup three times a day.

Although I don't have proof that this mixture is superior to either echinacea or goldenseal alone, I suspect that the combination of herbs is a better treatment.

Forsythia (Forsythia suspensa), gentian (Gentiana officinalis) and honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). All three of these herbs produce antibiotic activity. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine often prescribe them in powdered form, sprinkled on applesauce to treat children's ear infections. I've had such good success with this approach for colds and flu that I would also try it for earache. They are easily used to make tea.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Mullein flowers have many fans, and I've decided that these people must be on to something. One British herbalist suggests putting mullein flower oil drops in the affected ear.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita). A number of herbalists suggest using mints, which are antiseptic, to relieve earache. To me, peppermint sounds most promising, because it contains menthol. I would suggest using it as a tea.

Teatree (Melaleuca, various species). Aromatherapists and many herbalists consider teatree oil a significant antiseptic when applied to the skin. Try mixing a few drops in vegetable oil to make eardrops. Just don't use the drops if there is a possibility that the eardrum has been perforated, and don't take teatree oil, or any essential oil, internally. The oils are extremely concentrated, and even small quantities of many of them can be poisonous. I've also heard one anecdotal reference to problems arising from using teatree oil in the ear, so just to be on the safe side, discontinue use if you experience any irritation.