Karna Purana fills the ears with warm oil. You lie on your side, I pour warm medicated oil into the ear and let it rest while I massage around the ear, the jaw and the neck. Then the other side. It is a small treatment with a surprising reach: many people feel it in the whole head.
What Karna Purana is
Forty minutes, lying on each side in turn. A few drops to a small pool of warm sesame-based oil in the ear canal, held for five to ten minutes, with slow massage of the outer ear, the jaw joint and the muscles along the neck. I drain the oil and clean the ear before you turn over. The ears feel warm and open afterwards and the jaw is noticeably softer.
Where it comes from
Karna means ear and purana means filling. It is part of the Ayurvedic daily routine in the old texts, recommended to keep the ears, jaw and neck supple, and is used in treatment for earache, ringing, dryness and the stiff jaw that comes with stress. Sesame oil is the classical medium. Oiling the ears is part of the daily routine in Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya [1].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Tinnitus and a feeling of pressure in the ears
- Jaw tension, teeth grinding and clenching
- Dry, itchy ears
- Neck stiffness that sits close to the skull
- Headaches that start at the jaw or temples
- Dizziness without a medical cause (tell me first)
I know of no clinical trial of Karna Purana. What follows is classical practice and my own experience; the US National Institutes of Health summarises the research on Ayurveda as a whole [2].
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Tinnitus, pressure or jaw tension | Three sessions, one a week (the package of three is €170) |
| Dry ears or maintenance | Once a month |
| Alongside dental or physio treatment for the jaw | Every two weeks while that treatment runs |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Warm food, and not much cold or raw while the ears are being treated
- Keep the ears covered in wind and cold for a day
- A drop of warm sesame oil in each ear at home, weekly, once the course is done (I will show you)
Practical
40 minutes, €65. Three sessions €170. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- An ear infection
- A perforated eardrum or grommets
- Discharge from the ear
- The days after ear surgery
Sudden hearing loss or severe dizziness are for a doctor first, not for me.
Afterwards
Keep the ears warm and dry for the rest of the day. No swimming.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Srikantha Murthy KR, translator. Vagbhata’s Astanga Hrdayam. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy; 2004. Sutrasthana, chapter 2 (Dinacharya): daily oil massage of the body, head, ears and feet.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ayurvedic medicine: in depth. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. [NCCIH]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.