Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear that often affects infants and young children. Some people have recurrent ear infections, which can lead to hearing damage if left untreated. Garlic juice or oil has been used in ear drops to help treat ear infections. Before you use garlic in any preparation for otitis media, consult your doctor about the risks and proper application.
Benefits
Garlic juice or oil has been used in traditional folk medicine to relieve pain associated with ear infections. Garlic was often mixed with other herbal oils like mullein and used as ear drops to help to treat otitis media, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Garlic combined in a glycerin base might help to ease ear pain, says the University of Michigan Health System. Ask your doctor before using garlic juice ear drops to help treat ear infections, however.
Function
Garlic contains the main constituent allicin, which appears to have many different benefits, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Among them is the ability to fight bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Garlic also has potential cholesterol-lowering, antihypertensive, antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic and anticancer actions, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
Other Uses
Garlic has many other uses aside from treating ear infections. More commonly, garlic is recommended for helping to treat or prevent atherosclerosis, hypertension, high cholesterol, intermittent claudication and colds. Garlic may also help if you have yeast infections, diabetes, parasitic infections, warts, certain types of cancer, sickle cell anemia and stomach ulcers. No conclusive scientific evidence confirms that garlic can treat or prevent any health condition, however.
Medical Research
Only two medical studies have found positive results from using garlic to treat middle ear infections. A 2001 double-blind study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that garlic drops helped to relieve pain from acute ear infection, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Reported in the journal Pediatrics in 2003, the second study had similar results in children. Garlic’s potential antimicrobial actions have been studied mostly in test tubes. Laboratory studies published in Phytotherapy Research in 1991 have shown that garlic appears to have inhibiting effects against fungi, bacteria and viruses, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
Warnings
Despite garlic’s potential antimicrobial actions, the garlic-based ear drops won’t likely clear up an ear infection because the liquid cannot penetrate past your eardrum, explains the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Also, using this ear-drop herbal remedy could prevent your doctor from viewing your eardrum during an examination, which could impair the doctor’s ability to properly diagnose your condition. Topical remedies containing garlic, including ear drops, could potentially cause contact dermatitis, warns the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. You could experience mild to severe skin irritation that might develop into blisters or even burns.
