Garlic Olive Oil Remedy for Ear Infections

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Homemade garlic olive oil for ear infections
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Remedies » Garlic Olive Oil Remedy for Ear Infections

When it comes to powerhouse herbs and natural remedies for illness, garlic tops the list. It is naturally antimicrobial, antiviral, and antibacterial, making it beneficial for helping the body fight many types of infections.

I always have fresh, organic garlic on hand because my husband comes from an Italian family and all of his favorite dishes call for garlic (and so does my favorite garlic soup). I’m always grateful I do when any of us get any kind of illness because of garlic’s natural ability to help the body fight infection.

Garlic as a Natural Remedy for Illness

Garlic has been used as a natural remedy for illness for thousands of years. There are historical records of its use in Ancient Greece and Rome, and it was part of the legendary vinegar of the four thieves tincture that supposedly saved four thieves from death during the bubonic plague.

There are almost 5,000 published studies that support garlic’s healing ability for everything from hypertension to hair loss and everything in between. (sources)

Though there are many supplements that contain garlic, I’ve found that raw, fresh, organic garlic seems to be the most effective remedy. I also include garlic in many tinctures as well as in my fire cider recipe.

The fastest and most effective way I use garlic for illness is mincing it up and drinking in water. It isn’t the most appetizing, but it works. I just mince one clove of garlic into tiny pieces and put in a small glass of water. I drink the water and just swallow the garlic pieces without chewing.

Unfortunately, my kids aren’t a fan of taking garlic this way because of the strong taste and they have more trouble swallowing the pieces of garlic. Since the most common childhood infection is an ear infection, I’ve been using a traditional garlic oil remedy for years to help fight ear infections quickly….

Garlic Olive Oil for Ear Infection

Traditional Garlic Olive Oil is a remedy that has been used for dozens, if not hundreds of years for ear infections. Unlike many other conventional remedies, garlic can work with the body and provide relief quickly with long-lasting results.

Antibiotics are often prescribed for ear infections, even though the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has not recommended this as a general practice since 2004. Many ear infections are caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibiotics. (source)

Thousands of children unnecessarily get antibiotics each year for ear infections when the antibiotics are not even effective for most infections. This has potential long-lasting side effects as antibiotics can permanently alter gut bacteria and many types of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant due to overuse of these drugs.

Additionally, research has shown that most children fight an ear infection on their own within 24-72 hours without the need for antibiotics or other intervention.

That said, just hearing that your child will be better in 1-3 days is not comforting to a mother who is holding her toddler as he or she screams from the pain of an aching ear. Fortunately, there are remedies, like this garlic ear oil, that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to ease the pain of ear infection and speed the healing process.

Why it Works:

Garlic is powerful on its own and olive oil is soothing to infection as well. Olive oil is often used as the base for healing salves and lotions because it contains potent polyphenols which reduce inflammation. Together, garlic and olive oil can help ease the pain of ear infection and reduce healing time.

Important Note:

This remedy is very effective, but it is important to make sure that the ear drum has not ruptured before using this or any other remedy in the ear. I have this Dr. Mom Otoscope on hand to check my child’s eardrum before using any remedy inside the ear canal. Typically, pain subsides if the ear drum bursts so the presence of pain can indicate that the ear drum is still intact, but I always like to check.

If one of my children does ever experience a ruptured eardrum, I would definitely get him or her checked my a doctor, though often not much can be done besides keeping the ear dry and letting it heal naturally.

How to Make Garlic Olive Oil for Ears

I’m grateful that ear infections are very rare in our family, but if one strikes, I immediately head to the kitchen to make this remedy…

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove of fresh garlic (organic if possible), minced
  • 2 tablespoons of high quality olive oil or sesame oil

Instructions:

  1. There are two ways this remedy can be made, depending on how much time you have and your preference for heating olive oil or not.
  2. The fastest way is to heat the olive oil in a small pan or double boiler (preferred) and add the minced garlic. Then, keep on very low heat for about 20 minutes to let the beneficial properties of the garlic infuse into the oil. At this point, strain the garlic and remove. I let the garlic cool to just skin temperature and place about two drops in the ear. The warmth and the oil often offer fast relief. This homemade product is not shelf stable, so I make a new batch of this mixture every 24 hours if needed rather than keeping the remaining oil to avoid any problems with contamination.
  3. If you prefer not to heat garlic, you can accomplish the same thing by mincing raw garlic and keeping in olive oil without heating for 2-3 hours before straining and using, though this option is not as helpful if you need immediate relief.

Fresh Garlic Poultice

If you don’t have oil on hand or prefer not to use it, you can accomplish some of the same benefit by slicing a clove of garlic and placing between layers of a piece of gauze. Then, this gauze can be placed on the outside of the ear and left for 30 minutes or so to help fight infection. This isn’t as effective as the oil used internally but is safer, especially if you don’t know if the eardrum is intact or not. To increase the beneficial potential, you can also place a warm rice pack on the outside of the gauze to add heat.

A Pre-Made Alternative

Though I’ve found that homemade fresh warmed garlic olive oil is more effective, there are also pre-made, shelf-stable versions (like this one) you can keep on hand.

What do you do for ear infections? Ever tried a natural remedy like this?

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

112 responses to “Garlic Olive Oil Remedy for Ear Infections”

  1. Geoffrey Avatar
    Geoffrey

    Was wondering about something I’ve been reading all of these garlic oil remedies everywhere and I gotta know,do you just drain the oil out or should you rinse it out or something no post has specified.Should I just drain it and then let the excess oil stick to the walls of my ear canal?

    1. Annmarie Avatar
      Annmarie

      Yes put the oil in your ear & then put a cotton ball in your ear for a while. Don’t rinse the oil out of your ear. I hope this answers your question. This is a fantastic remedy! You will, literally, have relief within minutes! Feel better soon. ?

  2. Belky R. Avatar
    Belky R.

    Sorry, just read the response to my question in the post. I apparently missed it the first time I read hence my question.

  3. Belky R. Avatar
    Belky R.

    Do you know if this can be used if I have a ruptured tympanic membrane? I was told that both my ears had ruptured (never had drainage so I was surprised) about two weeks ago when I went in to the dr. for something unrelated. Today I woke up with pain in one of my ears which I know must mean it is now infected and I would like to try this to find some relief. Going to my doctor is not an option at this point because I do not want antibiotics, which is the only route she usually takes! Thanks

  4. Nicole Avatar

    Hello.. Making this for my 7 month old. Do You think coconut oil would be OK to use? All out of olive oil! Thanks!

  5. Shad Avatar

    Hi Katie

    I tried the olive oil and garlic on my ear infection but had to stop as I was getting headaches which I think we’re coming from the oil. I made a fresh batch which I used within the 24 hrs. Wondering if you ever heard about this? Also approx many times a day is it safe to use the drops and for how many days for the infection to be gone?

    Is there something one can do after the treatment to remove the smell of garlic from your ears?

    1. Lisa Avatar

      I cooked the garlic on real low for 20 minutes but it burned. Should I remake it? Thanks!

  6. Morgane Avatar
    Morgane

    Hello Katie,
    Before reading this post, your article about solar-infused herbal oils had made me want to try a garlic oil to help with worm prevention for my 2 dogs and 3 cats. I had thought about using the solar-infused oil technique, with dried garlic, as i thought its shelf life would be pretty long this way. Do you think it would work, or do you recommend daily smaller batches using raw garlic?
    Thank you so very much in advance for your help! ?

  7. Amelia Avatar
    Amelia

    Could I make this with coconut oil? I don’t have any olive oil or sesame oil on hand, and my son has the start of an ear infection.

    1. BeverlyAnn Chyatte Avatar
      BeverlyAnn Chyatte

      I love coconut oil but I would not use it in the ear since its a solid at room temperature. Use a non saturated fat that is a continuous liquid so it can absorb in the skin more easily.

  8. Annmarie Avatar
    Annmarie

    Thanks so much, Katie! This worked after only one treatment! I haven’t slept more than 6 hours in over 5 days bc I was in such terrible pain. I tried everything! Antibiotics, Tylenol, Motrin, silver drops, etc., but this cleared it up within minutes!! You are a lifesaver ?

  9. Amber Avatar

    Tried this remedy and it works great but I’m wondering how long I should do it in order to make sure the virus or bacteria goes away completely?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      Good question… I usually just do it once or twice after the pain is gone and we’ve never had trouble with the infection coming back…

  10. Chloe Avatar

    Hello. I have a 100 ml dropper bottle and I put one large fresh garlic clove chopped up into large pieces and filled with olive oil. It has been in there for a few days, smells very strong. Is this okay to use? Thanks for your help.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      I’ve always made small batches and heated the olive oil to avoid bacterial growth. Sources seem divided and some do recommend just putting fresh garlic in oil… I just have never felt comfortable trying it myself…

  11. Teresa Avatar

    You can quote “thousands of studies”, the “AAP recommends..”, and “this-and-that has shown, but where are your references?

    Not to say that I doubt you (or your references, per se), but the more educated readers may tend to question your sources.

    “So-and-so says…” should almost always be followed with a link to a specific research study, meta-analysis, or reference page to the AAP suggestion. This will make you & your comparative methods much more credible.

  12. Grace Avatar

    How do you store the oil for the 24 hours? In the fridge between giving or just leave out?

    Thanks!
    (love your blog – rrl tea helped greatly with my last labor and I just started it again 2 weeks ago – 27 weeks today)

  13. Renée Avatar

    My 19 month old has an ear infection and was prescribed an antibiotic that I’m not comfortable with her taking due to the side effects. So I’m thinking of letting it run its course as she does not have a fever and seems to be in very little pain. However, I am interested in the natural healing properties of garlic so thanks for this article.

    Im just not clear on whether or not the oil is supposed to be drained out of the ear. Do I put a couple of drops, let it sit for a while and drain or just leave it in? Thanks in advance.

  14. Maija Avatar

    Have you ever had it happen that you put it in and it didn’t come out? My ear has now been plugged for hours. I’m a little scared. I tried hot compresses; hot steam;(bowl of hot water and a tent); also tried a hot bath, letting that half of my head soak; as well as lying on that ear for hours. Nothing. Any idea what to do?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      Did you make sure your ear drum had not ruptured before using? I’ve never had this happen but wonder if your ear drum had ruptured. I’d definitely go see a doctor or urgent care center if it continues though.

  15. Melissa Avatar

    Hi there,
    Thank you for your article. How long do you leave it in the ear? Do you drain it out and wash out ear or leave it in?
    Thank you

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