Mommy bloggers have been saying it for yearsif your child has an earache, reach for an onion.Though it sounds odd, it turns out that an onion and its juice can work pretty well at relieving pain from an earache. There are a few different ways to do it, but generally the idea is to heat up the onion, extract some of its juice, and put a few drops into the infected ear.The testimony is pretty amazing, too.Before I put the juice into her ear she was simply unable to be soothed, one blogger said of her sick toddler. But after administering the onion juice, within minutes her body calmed (she had been contracting her legs andfidgetinga lot because of the ear pain) and she was able to rest peacefully once again.For those still skeptical of the treatment, science seems to support the bizarre home remedy. Onions have been proven to fight inflammation, which can in turn help with swelling and pressure in the ear and relieve the pain.Though there's no study that definitively proves whatchemicals in the onion are helping to reduce pain, it could be the flavonoid quercetin, which is anti-inflmmatory and is alsobelieved to help and even prevent arthritis.But no matter what the cause,a small 2001 study in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Journal concluded that ear solutions of herbal extracts such as onion juice can reduce the pain at least as effective[ly] as anaesthetic ear drops.Plus, since some ear infections may be viral instead of bacterial (meaning they wouldnt be treated with antibiotics), doctors will often make patients wait a few days before a follow up visit to see if it resolves on its own. In the meantime, youll still need to help with the pain, and an onion is a cheap alternative to try.So, how do you do it'First, place the onion in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or into a microwave on high until soft. Remove the onion and once its cool, cut it in half and squeeze any juice into a small bowl. Strain out any stuff from the juice with a paper towel or coffee filter and fill a medicine dropper with the remaining liquid. Administer a few drops and youre done.Another age old self-healing trick is to just place a warm onion over your ear or place the onion heartthat tiny little nub in the center of the onioninto your ear and let it sit over night.Though theres no explicit juice extraction in these tips, the principal is essentially the samethe goal is to get the onion juices insidethe ear canal. With this in mind, its probably easier to simply extract the juice in the first place.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Clever food hacks that will save you time and impress your dinner guests
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