Rob (Kentucky) on 11/30/2020:

I found this recipe from the book: One Thousand and One Useful Recipes, Edited by Ewell’s Dairy Milk Bottle Company Published in 1890.

Earache Recipe from 1890:

Take a piece of cotton batten, put in a pinch of fresh ground black pepper, tie it up, dip it in sweet oil, insert in the ear canal. Place a hot water bottle over ear to keep warm.

Note: Cotton batting definition, absorbent cotton pressed into pads or layers for use in dressing wounds, filling quilts, etc.

So here is the 2020 recipe:

Wrap fresh ground black pepper (I use a pepper grinder) in a clean white thin cloth, like a handkerchief or a strong paper towel is what I use, making a little ball, about the size of the tip of your thumb. Use a rubber band or string to tie it. Dip into warm olive oil (also heard hot coffee works too), squeeze excess out, then cool enough not to burn. Insert this into the ear for pain relief. Special thanks to Rev. Alex for his input.

Why fresh ground black pepper? Fresh peppercorn have essential oils inside such as piperine, an amine alkaloid, which gives strong spicy pungent character and medical properties but, it disappears after 3 months after grinding, so the pre-ground stuff setting on the store shelf is all dried out.

Why put it in a cloth? This is to prevent the small particles of pepper from getting into the ear canal that can get lodged in there and cause problems down the road.