I want to share a really potent home remedy for earaches that I have used with my kids for over 5 years. It has always resulted in restoring balance (within 1 day) without having to visit the doctor’s office. This is kitchen medicine, so please use your good judgement about when to administer this treatment and also when to visit the doctor. Basic home healing has been lost to the expertise of doctors although there is movement to bring this back basic medicine to the homemakers. There is a time for home remedies, and there is certainly time to go straight to the doctors. In my acupuncture and herbal practice, Moms and Dads love to learn about simple yet effective tools they have at their fingertips for their children (and themselves). It is so empowering to be able to treat your children’s minor pains and aches and inflammations!
Your tools: an onion! In addition, you will need a little cotton bag, or cotton cloth to wrap up the onion in order to hold it against the painful ear. Then you will need a cloth, or a hat to hold the bag in place. Here is a woolen cloth holding the onion bag in place:
And a picture of a hat holding the onion bag in place:
Without further ado, here are the directions for making and administering the onion poultice. If you have further questions, feel free to comment and ask. There is a wealth of information about this on the internet as well! Again, use your good discernment about when a situation is ripe for home healing and when a situation is beyond your skills to treat. Please always see your doctor if anything you are trying to treat persists for more than a few days.
Onion Poultice
To draw out all manner of obstructions in the ear. Organizes the inflammation of an earache.
Cut a wide slice of onion and warm gently in a dry pan. Do not brown it, just cook until warm. Cut the onion slice into small pieces. Place the warmed onion in the the middle of a square piece of cotton or muslin and fold like an envelope and tape so the onion will not fall out. A small cotton bag works beautifully. It will be like a small little package about the size of the ear.
The poultice is placed on the painful ear, or behind the ear, and kept in place with a hat or a scarf. Periodically check to be sure the skin under the onion is not irritated and red. If it is, remove the onion.
With children, try to keep the poultice on the ear for at least 15 minutes. Overnight is the best. Adults can keep it on for as long as possible, or until the onion has lost most of itʼs pungent smell. You can use the onion poultice once a day until the pain is gone.
Although cutting the onion exposes more surface and therefore has more drawing power, a whole onion half stuck in a cotton sock works in a pinch.
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