cure earaches naturally with 'the onion trick'

Originally seen on theHomestead.Guru

One great trick that everyone needs to have up their sleeve is how to help an earache naturally. If you’ve got yellow onions on hand, a scrap of thin cloth, and access to an oven, you’ve got the single most effective and easy remedy for ear issues.

We know that onions make our eyes water when we cut them.

Science tells us that this happens because onion plants absorb large quantities of sulfur compounds from the soil. These form a gas which is released when the onion is cut, and THAT dilates our Eustachian tubes and makes us weep.

Our ears, nose, and throat are all connected. That means we can use onions’ tear-inducing properties to help ease the pressure of a sore ear.

I’ve used this trick on my family’s ears for over a decade, and it helps every time.

Any discomfort usually gets better within twenty minutes.

I love the onion trick because it can be used on kids and adults alike, and the only real ‘side effec't’ is smelling (and maybe tasting!) onion-y for a while afterward.

How to cure earaches with the onion trick:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.  

• Cut an onion in half horizontally (yellow is best), as shown in the picture.
  Place both halves cut side UP on a cookie sheet in the warm oven for 10-15 minutes.

• Cut a square of cheesecloth or use a piece of flannel (a thin washcloth will work in a pinch!) to cover one of the cut halves, and hold it over your ear like an earmuff.

• You can wedge it against your ear with a pillow while you rest.

• After about 10-15 minutes, it will have cooled, and you can swap it out for the freshly warmed half that’s still in the oven.

• You can reheat each half at least 2-3 times, but do be aware that onions are great at absorbing toxins, which means they shouldn’t be eaten after this, or left to hang around too long.

• In about 20 minutes, your ear should start to feel some relief–and if you’re paying close attention, you may even be able to taste a faint trace of onion in the back of your throat. (Cough drops and/or herbal tea will easily get rid of that!)

Onions have been used as a folk remedy for various ailments for centuries, but in my experience, earaches are their most practical application–other than cooking!

Have you ever tried the onion trick for earaches? How did it work for you?