Thankfully — upon a recent weekend camping trip to the Arizona High-Country — I was able to harvest the last little bit of wild mullein flowers growing at the base of an already snow capped Humphrey’s Peak.
Mullein flowers make one of the most excellent remedies for ear aches and ear infections.
This homemade ear oil is a lovely, all-natural blend of herb-infused oils and essential oils that I have specially crafted so as to soothe irritated, itchy, and sometimes painful ears.
If your family struggles with frequent — or even the occasional — ear infection I’m sure this is the remedy you’ve been looking for!
This ultra-moisturizing, highly antibacterial and antifungal formula should help to keep you and your little ones ear-infection-free this winter.
Herbal Ear Oil Recipe
Ingredients
-4 ounces good-quality, organic olive oil
-0.25 ounce dried mullein flowers
-0.25 ounce dried garlic
-10 drops tea tree oil
-10 drops eucalyptus essential oils
-5 drops lavender essential oils
Method
1. Make an herb-infused oil with the dried mullein flowers and garlic. Click here and read this article for detailed instructions on creating an herb-infused oil.
2. To your mullein flower and garlic infused oil, add the essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, and lavender.
3. Fill dark glass dropper bottles full of the medicinal oil. I like these 1 ounce or 2 ounce size bottles.
4. Because cold oil applied to the ear will often increase the pain, always warm the oil to body temperature by placing the bottle in warm water before application.
5. Instill 2-5 drops in the ear three times daily.
6. For best results — and for the highest level of pain relief — follow the application of ear oil with a 10 minute warm compress. A gentle massage behind and below the ear using this recipe for lavender oil will aid in pain relief as well.
7. This oil should keep for 6-12 months in a cool, dark place. Feel free to add a few drops of vitamin E oil in order to extend it’s shelf life.
Please note: It is always best to have the ear drum physically inspected by a licensed health care practitioner prior to applying this or any herbal ear oil.
Where Can I Get This Stuff?
-Mountain Rose Herbs…they have everything (dried herbs, essential oils, and the cute little dark glass dropper bottles) you’ll need for this remedy! It’s your one-stop-shop!
–The Bulk Herb Store also carries many of these ingredients if you’d like to price check.
Now it’s your turn…what all-natural remedies do you use for ear infections?
Thanks for the recipe! This would be a great one to have on hand or for traveling, especially when flying. I always used the fresh garlic oil remedy on our boys when they grew up and it worked wonders! I didn’t have to take them to the doctors for an ear infection ever again once I discovered it…I’m so glad this remedy is available to young families now, especially with limited health insurance available. Thanks for your recipes!! Here’s a link to my post on our experience with garlic oil…http://livininthegreen.blogspot.com/2012/10/garlic-ear-oil-remedy-does-it-really.html
Blessings! Nancy
i love this one! most ear oils that i have made in the past only keep for the brief time you need it. SOO glad to have an option that i can keep on hand for up to a year! THANKS!!
Hi, Andrea. Have you ever used antibiotics for ear infections? Our daughter was extremely ill when she was younger and had so many as a result of multiple infections that she became immune to most of the antibiotics. Now I can see many things I could have done to prevent them. Maybe. 🙂 Her pediatrician said that in Europe, they tend to allow them to heal on their own, but the resulting scarring would affect her hearing. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi, my man get a lot of ear infections but I find it hard to help him as he has a hole in his ear and I cant put drops into it, what would you suggest put the oil onto some cotton wool and put that into the ear? if he gosto the Doc they want to put him onto more antibiotics, your thoughts please, thanks
I was wondering if you thought I could use it in my dogs ears, he get ear infections alot and is allergic to alot. His medicine is 40.00 for a tiny bottle and this would save us alot of money. I know your not a Doctor I’ m just wanting your opponion.
I am lucky in that I never had many ear infections ,but if I do I know what home remedy to try. 🙂
We used all of these things a few other natural remedies for my four-year-old’s ear infection in May. Worked beautifully! 🙂 I know I linked this to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, but here’s the link, again.
http://creativechristianmama.com/natural-remedies-for-ear-infection/
My husband is allergic to tea tree oil. Is there something with the same qualities as tea tree that I could replace it with?
Also, we have a wild mullein forest in our back yard. We never have had the heart to get rid of them. Now I am happy to see I can use them! I just wish I would have known earlier in the season when ours were flowering. I collected a few today, but missed out on the bulk of this years.
Thank you… I was looking for a garlic ear oil recipe and LOVE finding your website! Blessings & Support ~Amy
What is the shelf life for the garlic oil? Thanks!
Is it possible to use mullein leaf instead of the flowers? Because that’s all I have on hand right now…