My son had chronic ear infections when he was a baby. He’d get over one ear infection, and develop another a few weeks later. We were pumping round after round of antibiotics into his little system with no relief. The doctor was talking about surgery to put tubes in his ears. We were not excited about that prospect at all.
A co-worker was a distributor for a company that sold Tea Tree Oil products. He gave us a bottle and a Tea Tree Oil remedy book. We had used it for a burn and it worked quickly with leaving a scar so we knew of Tea Tree Oil’s healing properties. I looked through the book and saw how the oil had been used for ear infections. I decided to give it a try.
In a dish, I mixed 2 drops of Tea Tree Oil with 5 drops of Olive Oil. Tea Tree Oil should be mixed with a carrier oil, like Olive Oil, because Tea Tree Oil is caustic to the skin when applied straight. I took a piece of cotton ball and dipped in the Tea Tree Oil mix. The cotton was small enough to go into the ear hole, but not so small it got lost in the ear. That wouldn’t be good. You leave it in for several hours, and take it out and put a fresh one in the ear.
We did this for 3 days. After the third day, the signs of infection were gone, and he was better. We kept this up for about five more days, putting oil packed cotton in his ear at night before bed. After day ten, he was well. He still had the occasional ear infection, but it was much less severe than before, and he always got better in just a few days. We never had to use antibiotics again.
I’ve also used Lavender Oil in place and with Tea Tree Oil. I ran out of Tea Tree Oil, and my favorite health food store only had Lavender Oil. The sales associate insisted I would be good results with Lavender Oil, so I gave it a try. I was not disappointed. Lavender is known as the relaxing herb, but there is so much more to this wonderful smelling plant. Lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. I often switch the two herbs or combine them to receive the best benefits of both essential oils.
Another time, I ran out of Tea Tree Oil and had no Lavender Oil on top of everything else. My son was still going the through his ear ache phases and I was not going to the doctor to treat his infection. I went to the health food store, and saw a bottle of Wally’s Natural Ear Oil. I decided to try it. The manger said, it was very popular, and a lot of his customers use it faithfully.
I did some reading and found the ingredients have excellent antibiotic properties, and felt more confident in trying Wally’s Natural Ear Oil. I’ve also used Wally’s Natural Ear Oil after candling our ears. That’s a whole new story. I’ll save that for another article.
Wally’s Natural Ear Oil has a blend of essential oils including my beloved Tea Tree Oil. It also contains Eucalyptus and Echinacea Oil in a Sweet Almond Oil base infused with Garlic, Mullein and other natural extracts. Because it’s blended Sweet Almond Oil there is no need to blend with a carrier oil. Garlic and Mullein have antibiotic and immune boosting benefits. I found Wally’s Ear Oil to work just as well as pure Tea Tree and Lavender Oil. I would put this blend on a piece of cotton and pack the ear with it even though the instructions say you can put Wally’s Ear Oil directly in the ear.
I feel very confident in using any of these natural remedies to treat ear infections in my family. Since, we have used these natural alternatives to antibiotics we have not had to get a prescription for ear infection. My son that had the chronic ear infections is now 17 years old, and has not had an ear infection since he was about 5 years old. I keep these essential oils around the house for swimmers ear, ear candling, and if the need ever arose ear infections. I would most definitely keep these herbs in my medicine cabinet.
As a disclaimer, this article does not replace any medical advice given to you by your physician. Consult your physician before trying any herbal or alternative remedy.
Sources:
“The Green Pharmacy” James A. Duke, Ph.D.
“Australian Tea Tree Oil Handbook: 101 Plus Ways To Use Tea Tree Oil” Cynthia Olsen
