Have You Tried Ear Seeds?

Ear seeds are popping up on social media and in massage studios as the latest wellness trend culled from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Practitioners claim that ear seeds can help ease aliments from acute pain and insomnia to anxiety and depression. Early research on this therapeutic tool shows some potential, but the data is relatively limited. Could these tiny, painless external ear applications help improve your health?

What are ear seeds?

Ear seeds are natural or synthetic seeds or very small stickers that an acupuncturist applies to the outer ears to stimulate various pressure points in a practice called auricular point acupressure (APA or ear acupressure).

“In ancient China, they used mustard seeds, vaccaria seeds, and other types of actual seeds,” says Anisha Durve, D.O.M., AP, a doctor of Oriental Medicine and acupuncture physician at the Osher Center for Integrative Health, part of the University of Miami Health System.

“Modern-day acupuncturists use silver, gold, or titanium pellets that are smaller, easier to apply, stay in place longer, and are less visible,” she says. “They are quite discrete and comfortable.” These materials are also less likely to trigger an allergic reaction than plant seeds.

How do ear seeds work?

“We first make a diagnosis using Chinese Medicine terminology. When evaluating a new patient, I use pulse and tongue diagnoses,” Dr. Durve says. “I also review the patient’s health history and discuss their symptoms.”

Ear seeds health benefits

In combination with acupuncture and other therapies, APA (therapy using ear seeds) may help relieve the following health conditions and concerns:

• addiction and substance abuse
• anxiety
• appetite and metabolism regulation
• elevated resting heart rate
• digestive disorders/gastrointestinal issues (constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, abdominal pain)
• headaches
• fertility issues (targets the ovaries, balances hormones)
• insomnia
• migraines
• nausea/vomiting
• nervous system instability (impacting the sympathetic nervous system)
• pain (e.g., musculoskeletal, sciatic)
• polyneuropathy
• radiculopathy
• sinus and respiratory issues (allergies and asthma)
• skin problems (acne, hives, rashes)

“According to traditional Chinese medicine, we have energy points on our ears,” Dr. Durve says. “We look at the ear as a microsystem, if you will, of the entire body. We have a visual map of this system.”

Ear seeds were created to stimulate or activate points on the ear that correspond to specific organs and bodily systems. Based on the patient’s Chinese Medicine diagnosis and ongoing treatment efforts, acupuncturists strategically apply five or six seeds per ear to sterilized skin.

Providers advise patients to gently press on each seed (or the sticker covering it) for 10 seconds at least once each day.

To maximize the effects, you can apply pressure to activate ear seeds as many times per day as you want, Dr. Durve says.

Patients should stimulate their ear seeds at times that correlate with the condition being treated. For instance, if you’re using ear seeds to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches, “the seeds can be used as a headache initiates,” she says. “They might prevent a headache from coming on or reduce its intensity.”

“For insomnia, you should press on them before bedtime. For digestive disorders, before or after eating. For smoking cessation, I advise patients to press on the corresponding seeds for one minute when experiencing a craving,” she says. 

The seeds stay in place for three to five days until patients peel them off. 

“Following weekly acupuncture sessions, I reapply the seeds each week until they are no longer needed based on the patient’s results,” Dr. Durve says. “They can fall off while showering or sleeping, but that’s typically not a problem. If you stimulate the ear seeds daily, they stay in place well.”

Ears seeds effectiveness

It’s important to note that ear seeds are not an effective stand-alone or primary treatment. They are considered companion therapy to other traditional treatments, including professional acupuncture or auriculotherapy sessions, as part of integrative medicine. “Ear seeds support the work I’m already doing with acupuncture,” says Dr. Durve. “My patients are already giving acupuncture a try, so the addition of ear seeds isn’t so foreign. Most are open to it.”

Many acupuncture and auriculotherapy patients also seek diagnoses and treatments from Western medicine. Integrative therapies can supplement conventional medical interventions, other therapeutic modalities, and pharmaceutical medications. “Integrative medicine enhances conventional treatments and benefits patients,” she says.

What does research show about ear seeds?

A 2022 study found that auriculotherapy is helpful in reducing anxiety amongst health care professionals, a group that’s highly susceptible to workplace burnout. An earlier study concluded that auricular acupressure can reduce depression and anxiety among older adults in nursing home settings.

In 2024, researchers conducting a single-blind, randomized controlled trial found that applying acupressure to “point zero” (where the earlobe coils into the center of the ear) stimulates the vagus nerve, significantly lowering heart rate in study participants for at least five minutes.

A 2015 review of 15 research studies found that participants with insomnia slept better, longer and less interrupted while receiving auricular acupuncture therapy.

In 2021, a pain management peer-reviewed journal published an analysis of 46 research studies exploring the pain-killing potential of auricular point acupressure. The findings revealed that, regardless of pain intensity, this therapy effectively treated most acute pain when combined with other interventions.

Many of these studies confirmed the effectiveness of applying ear seeds to specific acupuncture points on the ear that correspond with the health ailments being treated. These studies compared this intentional application with “sham” auricular acupuncture therapy.

Patients experience the most significant benefits from using ear seeds when also making healthy lifestyle choices — including a heart healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction, prioritizing sleep, not smoking/vaping and avoiding alcohol.

“Most of my patients find ear seeds effective,” Dr. Durve says. “Nine out of 10 report noticing benefits from wearing them.”eing treated. For instance, if you’re using ear seeds to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches, “the seeds can be used as a headache initiates, or they might prevent a headache from coming on together,” she says.

Dana Kantrowitz is a regular contributor for UHealth’s news service.

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Last reviewed in February 2025 by Anisha Durve, D.O.M., AP, a doctor of Oriental Medicine and acupuncture physician at the Osher Center for Integrative Health, part of the University of Miami Health System.

Originally published on: September 26, 2022

Tags: acupressure ear seeds, acupuncture treatment, acupuncture work, Anisha Durve, auriculotherapy, benefits of ear seeds, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, vaccaria seeds