Natural remedies for tinnitus can include herbal supplements, yoga, acupuncture, and meditation. However, in most cases, more research is necessary to determine their effectiveness and safety.

Someone with tinnitus hears ringing or other noises in one or both ears. The condition may be temporary or permanent and can have various causes.

There are numerous treatments for tinnitus, which include treating the underlying causes, receiving cognitive therapy, and masking the noises with other sounds.

This article looks at how to get immediate relief from tinnitus, six potential natural remedies, and when to contact a doctor. It also briefly examines the medical treatments available for the condition.

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Tinnitus affects about 1 in 10 adults in the United States. There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are techniques and interventions to help a person manage the symptoms and their impact on mental health and quality of life.

Treatment options for tinnitus aim to reduce the distress that the condition can cause. Two options that may provide immediate relief from tinnitus symptoms are relaxation techniques and sound therapy.

Relaxation techniques

Several relaxation techniques may help a person remove focus from tinnitus and address the emotional and mental impact of the condition. These include:

  • Breathing exercises: Deep breathing can help a person relax. A simple breathing method involves sitting or lying down with one hand on the stomach and one on the chest. The person should inhale slowly until their stomach rises, hold their breath for a moment, and then slowly exhale and feel their stomach fall.
  • Meditation: There are many types of meditation. Meditation typically involves a person focusing their attention to help them relax. A person may focus on their breath, on relaxing different parts of their body, or on allowing thoughts to surface and then pass.

Read more about breathing exercises.

Sound therapy

Research has found that sound therapy can effectively suppress tinnitus in some people, although further research is necessary.

One type of sound therapy that may be beneficial for people with tinnitus is masking. This involves the use of masking the tinnitus with other sounds, which can provide relief from the constant or monotonous noise of tinnitus.

The masking sounds could be music, white noise, ambient noise, or customized sounds.

In mindfulness meditation, a person observes thoughts, sensations, and feelings in a nonjudgmental way, which may help reduce negativity and anxiety.

A 2019 review of studies found that mindful meditation significantly reduced tinnitus distress in 6 out of 7 studies.

The studies were of moderate-high quality, and the evidence was clinically significant enough to suggest that mindfulness meditation may be an effective treatment for distress from tinnitus.

A 2017 study found that although mindfulness meditation and relaxation techniques were effective remedies for tinnitus, mindfulness meditation seemed to be more effective.

Yoga is a combination of mind and body practices that can reduce anxiety and stress, which may help reduce the impact of tinnitus symptoms.

One study found that practicing yoga once a week over 3 months improved tinnitus symptoms in 43 people with chronic tinnitus.

More research is necessary to determine how effective yoga may be as a treatment for tinnitus. Further research may also analyze how yoga could improve tinnitus symptoms.

Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that people have used for thousands of years to treat a variety of health issues. It involves inserting thin needles into locations of the body at different depths.

Authors of a 2018 randomized clinical trial note that studies have found mixed results on the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for tinnitus.

Some research found no significant benefits, while others found that acupuncture may improve sleep and quality of life and reduce stress in people with tinnitus.

However, the clinical trial found that acupuncture was effective and can reduce the loudness and severity of tinnitus in some people.

Evidence supporting acupuncture for tinnitus is inconclusive.

Acai products contain fruit from the acai palm tree. Acai fruit is rich in polyphenols, minerals, fibers, and lipids, and people often use it for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

One randomized, placebo-controlled study found that people who took acai had a significant reduction in the discomfort of tinnitus compared with the placebo group. However, more research is necessary to determine how effective and safe acai may be as a treatment for tinnitus.

Acai supplements may be safe, but researchers have found a possible connection between drinking unprocessed acai juice and a life threatening condition called Chagas’ disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis.

Experts do not have much information on the safety of acai during pregnancy and nursing. Acai may also affect MRI results.

People use the root of the ginseng plant, native to China and Korea, for a variety of health benefits.

Researchers believe ginseng could be helpful as a tinnitus treatment as it may have ear-protecting properties, which could help protect against noise-induced hearing loss and cochlear damage.

More research and large-scale studies are necessary to determine how effective ginseng may be as a treatment for tinnitus.

One study found that people who took 3,000 milligrams of ginseng per day had a significant reduction in the severity of tinnitus compared with people who received smaller doses or took ginkgo biloba.

Ginseng is likely safe, although it may cause side effects in some people, such as insomnia, digestive issues, and menstrual problems.

Ginkgo biloba is an extract from the leaves of the ginkgo tree.

According to a 2022 review, various studies have looked at whether ginkgo biloba may be an effective treatment for tinnitus. Researchers believe that the antioxidant and vasodilatory effects of the extract may help alleviate tinnitus.

Although many studies have investigated ginkgo biloba as a treatment for tinnitus, the evidence of its efficacy is inconclusive or unreliable.

A 2019 review notes that despite a lack of evidence to support ginkgo as a tinnitus treatment, more people use the extract than any other herbal supplement to treat the condition.

As well as there being a lack of evidence to support the efficacy of the extract, research also suggests that ginkgo biloba can be potentially harmful.

Ginkgo may interact with anticoagulant medications, which reduce blood clot formation. Because of this, ginkgo may cause severe bleeding and increase the risk of bleeding in people with clotting disorders.

The authors of the review mention a worldwide survey of people who used supplements to treat tinnitus. The survey found that ginko was the most commonly reported supplement to cause adverse effects. These included:

Someone should contact a doctor if they:

  • experience anxiety, depression, stress, or other mental health conditions as a result of tinnitus
  • have difficulty sleeping as a result of tinnitus
  • require earwax or object removal from an ear, which may be the cause of tinnitus
  • develop new or sudden tinnitus
  • experience hearing loss, vertigo, or other neurological symptoms
  • hear rhythmic, pulsing sounds, such as a heartbeat, which could indicate a cardiovascular problem
  • discover that their tinnitus is audible to other people

There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are treatments that can improve the symptoms and address the mental health effects of tinnitus.

Common natural remedies for tinnitus include natural supplements, such as ginkgo biloba, acai, and ginseng. Acupuncture, yoga, and mindfulness meditation may also be beneficial.

More research is necessary to determine the efficacy and safety of herbal supplements as a treatment for tinnitus, and there is no clinically relevant evidence to support their use.

Yoga may be useful in reducing the impact of tinnitus symptoms and helping a person manage the condition. Mindful meditation may be a particularly helpful treatment for distress caused by tinnitus, and research supports it as an effective treatment.

If natural remedies are not effective, the individual should speak with a healthcare professional for medical treatment options.