Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a very common problem, especially as we age. It’s estimated that roughly 15% of the population experiences some form of tinnitus, which can range from mild to debilitating. It can be caused by a number of factors, though the most common is damage to the ear from excessive noise or injury.
Regardless of the cause, it can be a tricky thing to live with and can be difficult to treat. The most promising natural supplement research with tinnitus seems be with the herb ginko biloba. Ginko is sometimes used as an aid for brain function because it encourages blood flow to the brain, but research has also found that ginko supplementation can also be beneficial for tinnitus.
Several placebo controlled studies have found benefit for ginko supplementation in patients suffering from tinnitus, though the studies usually recommended using 120mg of guaranteed potency ginko biloba per day. When effective dosages of the herb in a guaranteed potency form were used, many more people found relief from tinnitus when using ginko vs. the placebo group.
Another study I found recently compared using ginko biloba with a prescription drug known as pentoxifylline sometimes used for tinnitus. The research found that supplementing for 120mg of ginko biloba was as effective as the prescription, and that in both groups tinnitus sufferers found relief, though the group using ginko had more positive scores for depression, anxiety, and overall wellbeing.
If you experience tinnitus, I would definitely recommend giving ginko biloba a try, with one caveat: ginko can thin the blood (it’s sometimes used to prevent blood clots) so it shouldn’t be used at the same time as prescription blood thinners like warfarin or Coumadin. Additionally, ginko (and other supplements, generally) should be discontinued a few weeks before undergoing surgery.
When trying ginko for tinnitus, it’s important to use it for long enough to see a difference. Most studies on ginko biloba and tinnitus were done over twelve weeks. It’s possible to see relief sooner than that, but as most studies usually are done over three months, so that’s usually what we recommend when you’re trying to remedy a problem to see if something has helped.
There’s one more supplement I’d recommend for tinnitus, which unlike ginko biloba, is safe for people using blood thinners- bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are plant compounds which are part of what gives plants their vibrant colors. They have many benefits, one of which is that they help to strengthen the walls of small veins and capillaries. Due to that benefit, bioflavonoids are often recommended for vascular disorders, or to help prevent bruising by strengthening the walls of the easily damaged tiny capillaries in the body.
Though there is not much research available on bioflavonoids and tinnitus, it is theorized that they could be useful for tinnitus by helping to strengthen the many tiny capillaries that are needed to bring blood to various parts of the ears and brain. Since bioflavonoids have many other benefits, it’s certainly worth a try to see if you find a benefit for tinnitus, especially if you can’t take ginko biloba due to blood thinning medications.
