Have earache? Eat raw garlic, pour oil in your ears or water through your nostrils – home remedies from Ayurveda, some endorsed by Western doctors
- Earache is common in cold and flu season, and during or after air travel. Traditional Indian medicine, or Ayurveda, has a few home remedies to relieve it
- Ear oiling – adding essential oil to the ear canal and massaging – chewing raw garlic, and using compresses are among them. It has tips for good ear health too
Earaches are a common complaint in cold and flu season, as viral infections can spread through the sinuses and get trapped in the middle and inner ear.
While drugs or a visit to a clinic can remedy ear-related problems, many simple home remedies using traditional Indian medicine – also known as Ayurveda – can be tried instead.
Karna purana, or ear oiling, is one such practice. Karna means ear in the ancient Sanskrit language.
One at a time, the ears are filled with drops of herbal or mineral oil and massaged gently; this lubricates the ear canal’s delicate filaments, removes impurities and helps the patient hear more clearly. A cotton ball or tissue is used to remove any excess oil.
Akshay Chauhan, an Ayurvedic practitioner in Noida, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, recommends using tea tree oil.