Earwax is one of the natural secretions of the body. It has the function of protecting the eardrum from dust, and it also keeps the ear canal lubricated. But because it is constantly exposed to the air, the wax may accumulate dust and dirt and become tarry black or brown-black and thick, packed tightly into the ear canal. It may obstruct hearing or create uncomfortable pressure, and so it has to be periodically removed.
Gentle irrigation of the ear canal with warm water will usually take care of it. You can pick up an ear syringe in a pharmacy quite inexpensively. Prepare a pint of warm water (body temperature), add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and use that water to clean the ear. Follow the direc?tions that come with the syringe, which essentially are to hold the syringe at the edge of the ear canal (do not insert it; the water has to be free to come out again), and squirt the water gently into the ear. You will want to tilt your head toward the shoulder of the earyou are cleaning and hold your head over a basin or over the sink. Do a final rinse with plain warm water.
After irrigating the ear, it is important to dry the ear thoroughly. A good way is to dip a cotton swab into some rubbing alcohol, and wipe the ear with the swab.
Sometimes the wax is stubborn and doesn't come out easily. In that case, for a day or two before doing the irri?gation, soften the wax in the ear canal by lubricating it with warm garlic oil. Take about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, add 1/2 clove of freshly chopped garlic, and boil it until the garlic pieces turn brown. It will have a pleas?ant smell. Then press the oil from the garlic, and strain it into a jar or other container. (Plain sesame oil will also work, but the garlic oil will be more effective.)
Then, 2 or 3 times a day put a few drops of that oil-when it is warm, not hot-into the ear. That will lubricate the ear passage and soften the wax for easy removal.
You can also use a mild hydrogen peroxide solution (about a 3 percent solution) to dis?solve the wax. You can buy this solution in most pharmacies. Put a few drops in the ear. It will oxygenate the ear, and the wax will simply dissolve. When you're finished, clean the ear with some warm sesame oil.
For stubborn earwax, massage the outside of the ear. Put a little sesame oil or castor oil on the mastoid bone (the bone behind the ear), and gently massage. Pull the ear lobe, and at the same time open your mouth. This will help to loosen the ear wax, and it will come out quite easily when you irrigate with water.
The root cause of excessive earwax production is increased vata in the mamsa dhatu (muscle tissue). To deal with this, take triphala guggulu tablets, 200 mg. twice a day, for one month. That will definitely break down the body's habit of forming excess earwax.
Here is another excellent way to prevent the buildup of earwax. Once a month, sleep on your left side. Fill your right ear with warm sesame oil, and go to bed (Put an old towel on the pillow to catch the excess oil.) The whole night, the ear passage will be soaked in the sesame oil. The wax will rise up toward the surface of the ear canal, and you can clean it out in the morning with a dry cotton swab. (Don't stay awake all night trying not to turn over; just sleep comfortably. Even a couple of hours with the oil filling the canal will do the trick.)
The next night, sleep on the other side and treat the other ear in the same way. This way you can avoid the tendency for excess earwax to form.
