Minerals, plants, and animals often have healing potential, but when it comes to homeopathy for tinnitus, only a select few people may find relief.

Tinnitus is the internal perception of sound without external auditory cues. For many people, it’s the classic “ringing in your ears” sensation, but it can manifest in a number of ways, including hissing, whistling, or buzzing.

Tinnitus can be constant or intermittent, and when you live with this condition, it’s natural for it to feel occasionally (if not always) frustrating.

While some underlying causes of tinnitus can be treated to improve or eliminate phantom sound perception, many aren’t curable. Homeopathy for tinnitus may offer relief for certain people.

In order for something to be a “cure,” there has to be certainty that symptoms won’t return after treatment. Currently, there’s no scientific evidence that suggests homeopathy can cure tinnitus.

In fact, tinnitus has no known cure — homeopathic or otherwise.

How can homeopathy treat tinnitus?

Although homeopathy can’t cure tinnitus, it may help improve symptoms in some people, depending on the underlying causes.

A small pilot study in 2016, for example, demonstrated that vitamin B12 supplementation could improve tinnitus in people with a cobalamin (B12) deficiency.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is the medicinal use of plant, mineral, or animal substances. It adheres to two primary beliefs:

  • Like cures like: Ailments can be healed by substances that create similar symptoms.
  • Less is more: The less of a medication that’s used, the greater its potential effect.

Homeopathy is not the same as naturopathy, holistic medicine, alternative medicine, or complimentary therapy. While all of these practices can overlap, there are many differences.

Homeopathy is not acupuncture, massage, or mind-body movements, but it can be incorporated into these practices.

Even though homeopathy for tinnitus isn’t viewed as an effective treatment option for most people, some popular remedies persist.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba is an herbal supplement used to treat a number of conditions, including tinnitus. Among homeopathic remedies, it’s one of the most widely studied.

Two Cochrane reviews have investigated ginkgo biloba for tinnitus, one in 2013 and one in 2022.

According to the 2013 report, there was no evidence that ginkgo biloba was beneficial for primary tinnitus treatment. The 2022 review found that the results were inconclusive and that most studies were of too poor or low quality to establish meaningful results.

But there may still be a place for this homeopathic remedy in tinnitus treatment. A small 2023 study found that ginkgo biloba, when used in combination with antioxidants, helped improve tinnitus symptoms across several measurement scales.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that has antioxidant effects, helps protect your body against free radicals, and promotes sleep regulation (among many other things).

It’s been a supplement of interest for sleep challenges in tinnitus due to its success in conditions such as insomnia.

Research on melatonin for tinnitus is limited, but a 2019 review indicated it had promise as a tinnitus treatment, not due to sleep mechanisms, but due to its molecular actions.

By combating oxidative stress and promoting neural plasticity, researchers believe melatonin may have protective properties against the pathology of tinnitus.

A review of melatonin for tinnitus was slated for 2020 publication but has since been withdrawn.

Vitamins and minerals

Zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 are popular options in homeopathy for tinnitus, and these treatments for tinnitus all have one thing in common.

For each of these, preliminary research suggests they may improve tinnitus symptoms if you have a deficiency underlying your condition.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are plant compounds that can come from hundreds of different herbs, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and so on.

They’re sought after as homeopathy treatments for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties.

A 2022 scoping review found insufficient evidence for the use of flavonoids to help tinnitus.

Lipo-Flavonoid is a popular commercial flavonoid/vitamin formulation marketed for treating tinnitus. It has only been evaluated in one clinical trial, which concluded it wasn’t effective.

Cannabis

The use of cannabis medicinally is nothing new, but studying cannabis is challenging. Many different formulations and variants exist, and the bioavailability of cannabis can change drastically depending on how it’s prepared.

For tinnitus, cannabis’s effects are conflicting in research.

A 2020 literature review, for example, found no compelling evidence for the use of cannabis to treat tinnitus.

A 2020 cross-sectional analysis found cannabis use was linked to increased tinnitus experiences, but a 2023 survey report found the majority of people who lived with tinnitus reported that cannabis eased their symptoms.

Cannabis vs. marijuana

We use the term “cannabis” instead of “marijuana.”

We avoid the word “marijuana” because it has racist roots and connotations. The word “marijuana” first became popular in the United States during the cannabis prohibition movement, as it appealed to the widespread xenophobia against Mexican immigrants at the time.

Considering that members of historically marginalized races are more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than their white counterparts, it’s especially important that we’re mindful about the language we use and how it can add to, or stem from, racist stereotypes.

The general consensus is that homeopathy isn’t effective for tinnitus treatment.

Some research has found that the use of ginkgo biloba, zinc, melatonin, and other dietary supplements for tinnitus generally shouldn’t be recommended by clinicians.

The American Tinnitus Association states there’s no “magic pill,” and just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Because no medications have proven to be effective for tinnitus, treatment focuses on getting you accustomed to the condition, becoming as unbothered by it as possible in a process known as habituation.

There are different ways through which this is accomplished, including:

Even without a “magic pill,” many people can habituate to tinnitus through these therapies.

Tinnitus can be a distressing condition where you hear phantom, often constant, auditory tones. It has no cure, and no specific set of medications to alleviate symptoms.

Using homeopathic treatment for tinnitus can be tempting. The research is mixed — often inconclusive — and some remedies may help tinnitus under the right circumstances.

If you’re considering homeopathy for tinnitus, discussing it with a doctor or audiologist can help ensure the substances you use are safe and appropriately dosed.