Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGinkgo BilobaAcupunctureZinc SupplementsMeditation and RelaxationGinsengYogaBiofeedback
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Ginkgo Biloba
Acupuncture
Zinc Supplements
Meditation and Relaxation
Ginseng
Yoga
Biofeedback
This article goes over several natural treatments for tinnitus and covers what the current research says about their effectiveness.
What Type of Tinnitus Do You Have?
Meng Yiren / Moment / Getty Images
Gingko bilobais a popular herb that alternative health practitioners recommend for conditions like anxiety, asthma, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, glaucoma, and high blood pressure.
Some people believe Ginkgo biloba can improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and alter the way nerve cells work. These effects are thought to improve tinnitus in some people.
There is only limited evidence that Ginkgo biloba can help people with tinnitus. A 2022 Cochrane review of studies did not find enough evidence to support using Ginkgo biloba as a treatment for tinnitus on its own or combined with other treatments, like hearing aids.
A 2017 reviewconcluded that evidence was mixed as to whether Gingko biloba could help. In their conclusion, the researchers stated that “Ginkgo biloba may somewhat improve tinnitus.”
What Causes Ringing in the Ears?
A 2020 review of studies on acupuncture as a treatment for tinnitus concluded that while there is not enough evidence to confirm it helps, it might be worth exploring further.
A 2022 review of studies found that while it’s possible acupuncture could be helpful for some people with tinnitus, the quality of the research so far has not been strong enough to confirm the benefits.
A 2016 review in theEuropean Archives of Otorhinolaryngologycompared Chinese- and English-language studies on the subject and noted biases and flaws in many of them. The researchers wrote that acupuncture “may offer subjective benefit.” Subjective benefit suggests that people may feel like acupuncture helped them, even if it did not improve their tinnitus symptoms objectively.
New Ways to Treat Chronic Tinnitus
The essential mineralzinchelps nerve signals get to the brain, including those that are involved in hearing. Some research suggests thatzinc deficiencymay interfere with hearing signals and could contribute to tinnitus, but there is debate in the scientific community about whether this is true.
A 2016 Cochrane review did not find evidence of a benefit based on three randomized controlled studies that included 209 people with tinnitus. None of the studies reported any significant change in the loudness of tinnitus after zinc supplementation.
A 2015 study reported low levels of zinc in 100 older adults with tinnitus.The study’s findings were limited because zinc deficiency is common in the United States, affecting 35% to 45% of older adults.
A 2019 study included 20 patients with tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss who were treated withzinc supplementsfor two months. They were compared to 20 patients who did not have tinnitus. At the end of the study, about 85% of the patients with tinnitus reported improvements, but there were no objective changes in their hearing tests.
Some studies suggest that zinc supplements may help improve tinnitus in a small percentage of people. But the quality of the evidence is not strong.
Some people with tinnitus find that mindfulness meditation and techniques like relaxation help them manage their symptoms.
What Is Pulsatile Tinnitus?
Ginseng is a popular herb in alternative and complementary medicine.Some research has explored whether Korean red ginseng can help with tinnitus symptoms.
For example, a 2015 trial that included 61 tinnitus patients compared Korean red ginseng and ginkgo biloba extract. After four weeks of treatment, the patients who had taken Korean red ginseng reported improvements in their tinnitus symptom scores as well as their mental well-being.
However, reviews of research on alternative remedies for tinnitus, including Korean red ginseng, point out that most studies have been small and limited, so more research is needed to prove any benefits and evaluate the possible risks.
Yoga is a stress-reducing practice that has been explored as a possible treatment for tinnitus.
For example, a small study had 12 people with tinnitus take a yoga class once a week and do their own yoga practice at home for three months. At the end of the study, the participants noted lower levels of stress, and their scores on metrics showing how tinnitus symptoms that were negatively affecting their lives seemed to improve.
Another small study in 2019 had 25 tinnitus patients do a 12-week yoga course. Some of the patients in the group also had an MRI of their brain before and after the yoga training. At the end of the study, participants reported improvements in sleep, quality of life, and their sense of “control” over tinnitus symptoms. When the researchers looked at the brain scans, they noted possible changes in brain connectivity when comparing the “before and after” yoga training.
Biofeedback is a technique where you learn to control body functions that are usually automatic, like your heart rate and breathing. Biofeedback is often used to treattension headachesandinsomniaor to reduce a person’s response tochronic pain.
Unlike the other alternative treatments, biofeedback is not intended to reduce tinnitus symptoms. Instead, it is used to decrease tinnitus-related distress. By doing so, a person can learn to cope with tinnitus and improve their quality of life.
A specific type of biofeedback called neurofeedback is being studied as a treatment for tinnitus. A 2017 review of studies concluded thatneurofeedback “may be a promising method” for some types of tinnitus, but more research is needed.
In 2023, researchers looked at using neurofeedback to help patients with tinnitus and found that the results were mixed, and as with similar studies that came before it, there’s just not enough evidence to prove it works.
Summary
There’s no cure for tinnitus, and available medical treatments don’t work for everyone with the condition. Some natural remedies for tinnitus may have possible benefits, but experts say there isn’t enough high-quality research to prove that complementary and alternative tinnitus treatments are safe and effective.
Can Allergies Cause Tinnitus?
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Front Pharmacol. 2023;13:1037528. Published 2023 Jan 4. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528NIDCD.Tinnitus.McFerran DJ, Stockdale D, Holme R, Large CH, Baguley DM.Why is there no cure for tinnitus?Front Neurosci.2019;13:802. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00802Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, El Refaie A, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.Cochrane Database System Rev. 2019;12.:CD013514. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013514Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, Amr El Refaie, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.The Cochrane library. 2022;2023(1). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd013514.pub2Mahmoudian-Sani MR, Hashemzadeh-Chaleshtori M, Asadi-Samani M, Yang Q.Ginkgo biloba in the treatment of tinnitus: an updated literature review.Int Tinnitus J.2017 Jun 1;21(1):58-62. doi:10.5935/0946-5448.20170011Davide Donelli, Castellucci A, Fabio Firenzuoli, Antonelli M.Efficacy of acupuncture for tinnitus: an umbrella review.Longhua Chinese medicine. Published online September 1, 2020. doi:10.21037/lcm-20-21Xu X, Xie H, Liu Z, Guo T, Zhang Y.Effects of acupuncture on the outcome of tinnitus: An overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in Neurology. 2022;13. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1061431Liu F, Han X, Li Y, Yu S.Acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol.2016;273(2):285-94. doi:10.1007/s00405-014-3341-7Person OC, Puga ME, da Silva EMK, Torioni MR.Zinc supplementation for tinnitus.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Nov 23;11(11):CD009832. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009832.pub2Berkiten G, Kumral TL, Yıldırım G, Salturk Z, Uyar Y, Atar Y.Effects of serum zinc level on tinnitus.Am J Otolaryngol.2015;36(2):230-4. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2014.11.001National Institutes of Health.Zinc: fact sheet for health professionals.Yeh C, Tseng LH, Yang C, Hwang C.Effects of oral zinc supplementation on patients with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus: A clinical trial.Biomedical Journal. 2019;42(1):46-52. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2018.10.009Arif M, Sadlier M, Rajenderkumar D, James J, Tahir T.A randomised controlled study of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus.J Laryngol Otol. 2017;131(6):501-507. doi:10.1017/S002221511700069XRademaker MM, Stegeman I, Ho-Kang-You KE, Stokroos RJ, Smit AL.The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on tinnitus distress: a systematic review.Front Neurol.2019;10:1135. doi:10.3389/fneur.2019.01135University of Rochester Medical Center.Ginseng.Kim TS, Lee HS, Chung JW.The effect of Korean red ginseng on symptoms and quality of life in chronic tinnitus: A randomized, open-label pilot study.J Audiol Otol. 2015;19(2):85-90. doi:10.7874/jao.2015.19.2.85Li D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023;13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528Köksoy S, Eti CM, Karataş M, Vayisoglu Y.The effects of yoga in patients suffering from subjective tinnitus.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;22(1):9-13. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1601415Iwona Niedziałek, Raj-Koziak D, Milner R, et al.Effect of yoga training on the tinnitus induced distress.Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2019;36:7-11. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.04.003Gunjawate DR, Ravi R.Effect of yoga and meditation on tinnitus: a systematic review.J Laryngol Otol. 2021;135(4):284-287. doi:10.1017/S0022215121000566Kleinjung T, Meyer M, Neff P.Neurofeedback for tinnitus treatment: an innovative method with promising potential.Brain communications. 2023;5(4). doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcad209
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Front Pharmacol. 2023;13:1037528. Published 2023 Jan 4. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528NIDCD.Tinnitus.McFerran DJ, Stockdale D, Holme R, Large CH, Baguley DM.Why is there no cure for tinnitus?Front Neurosci.2019;13:802. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00802Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, El Refaie A, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.Cochrane Database System Rev. 2019;12.:CD013514. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013514Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, Amr El Refaie, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.The Cochrane library. 2022;2023(1). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd013514.pub2Mahmoudian-Sani MR, Hashemzadeh-Chaleshtori M, Asadi-Samani M, Yang Q.Ginkgo biloba in the treatment of tinnitus: an updated literature review.Int Tinnitus J.2017 Jun 1;21(1):58-62. doi:10.5935/0946-5448.20170011Davide Donelli, Castellucci A, Fabio Firenzuoli, Antonelli M.Efficacy of acupuncture for tinnitus: an umbrella review.Longhua Chinese medicine. Published online September 1, 2020. doi:10.21037/lcm-20-21Xu X, Xie H, Liu Z, Guo T, Zhang Y.Effects of acupuncture on the outcome of tinnitus: An overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in Neurology. 2022;13. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1061431Liu F, Han X, Li Y, Yu S.Acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol.2016;273(2):285-94. doi:10.1007/s00405-014-3341-7Person OC, Puga ME, da Silva EMK, Torioni MR.Zinc supplementation for tinnitus.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Nov 23;11(11):CD009832. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009832.pub2Berkiten G, Kumral TL, Yıldırım G, Salturk Z, Uyar Y, Atar Y.Effects of serum zinc level on tinnitus.Am J Otolaryngol.2015;36(2):230-4. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2014.11.001National Institutes of Health.Zinc: fact sheet for health professionals.Yeh C, Tseng LH, Yang C, Hwang C.Effects of oral zinc supplementation on patients with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus: A clinical trial.Biomedical Journal. 2019;42(1):46-52. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2018.10.009Arif M, Sadlier M, Rajenderkumar D, James J, Tahir T.A randomised controlled study of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus.J Laryngol Otol. 2017;131(6):501-507. doi:10.1017/S002221511700069XRademaker MM, Stegeman I, Ho-Kang-You KE, Stokroos RJ, Smit AL.The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on tinnitus distress: a systematic review.Front Neurol.2019;10:1135. doi:10.3389/fneur.2019.01135University of Rochester Medical Center.Ginseng.Kim TS, Lee HS, Chung JW.The effect of Korean red ginseng on symptoms and quality of life in chronic tinnitus: A randomized, open-label pilot study.J Audiol Otol. 2015;19(2):85-90. doi:10.7874/jao.2015.19.2.85Li D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023;13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528Köksoy S, Eti CM, Karataş M, Vayisoglu Y.The effects of yoga in patients suffering from subjective tinnitus.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;22(1):9-13. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1601415Iwona Niedziałek, Raj-Koziak D, Milner R, et al.Effect of yoga training on the tinnitus induced distress.Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2019;36:7-11. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.04.003Gunjawate DR, Ravi R.Effect of yoga and meditation on tinnitus: a systematic review.J Laryngol Otol. 2021;135(4):284-287. doi:10.1017/S0022215121000566Kleinjung T, Meyer M, Neff P.Neurofeedback for tinnitus treatment: an innovative method with promising potential.Brain communications. 2023;5(4). doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcad209
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Liu D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Front Pharmacol. 2023;13:1037528. Published 2023 Jan 4. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528NIDCD.Tinnitus.McFerran DJ, Stockdale D, Holme R, Large CH, Baguley DM.Why is there no cure for tinnitus?Front Neurosci.2019;13:802. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00802Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, El Refaie A, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.Cochrane Database System Rev. 2019;12.:CD013514. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013514Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, Amr El Refaie, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.The Cochrane library. 2022;2023(1). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd013514.pub2Mahmoudian-Sani MR, Hashemzadeh-Chaleshtori M, Asadi-Samani M, Yang Q.Ginkgo biloba in the treatment of tinnitus: an updated literature review.Int Tinnitus J.2017 Jun 1;21(1):58-62. doi:10.5935/0946-5448.20170011Davide Donelli, Castellucci A, Fabio Firenzuoli, Antonelli M.Efficacy of acupuncture for tinnitus: an umbrella review.Longhua Chinese medicine. Published online September 1, 2020. doi:10.21037/lcm-20-21Xu X, Xie H, Liu Z, Guo T, Zhang Y.Effects of acupuncture on the outcome of tinnitus: An overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in Neurology. 2022;13. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1061431Liu F, Han X, Li Y, Yu S.Acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol.2016;273(2):285-94. doi:10.1007/s00405-014-3341-7Person OC, Puga ME, da Silva EMK, Torioni MR.Zinc supplementation for tinnitus.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Nov 23;11(11):CD009832. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009832.pub2Berkiten G, Kumral TL, Yıldırım G, Salturk Z, Uyar Y, Atar Y.Effects of serum zinc level on tinnitus.Am J Otolaryngol.2015;36(2):230-4. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2014.11.001National Institutes of Health.Zinc: fact sheet for health professionals.Yeh C, Tseng LH, Yang C, Hwang C.Effects of oral zinc supplementation on patients with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus: A clinical trial.Biomedical Journal. 2019;42(1):46-52. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2018.10.009Arif M, Sadlier M, Rajenderkumar D, James J, Tahir T.A randomised controlled study of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus.J Laryngol Otol. 2017;131(6):501-507. doi:10.1017/S002221511700069XRademaker MM, Stegeman I, Ho-Kang-You KE, Stokroos RJ, Smit AL.The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on tinnitus distress: a systematic review.Front Neurol.2019;10:1135. doi:10.3389/fneur.2019.01135University of Rochester Medical Center.Ginseng.Kim TS, Lee HS, Chung JW.The effect of Korean red ginseng on symptoms and quality of life in chronic tinnitus: A randomized, open-label pilot study.J Audiol Otol. 2015;19(2):85-90. doi:10.7874/jao.2015.19.2.85Li D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023;13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528Köksoy S, Eti CM, Karataş M, Vayisoglu Y.The effects of yoga in patients suffering from subjective tinnitus.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;22(1):9-13. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1601415Iwona Niedziałek, Raj-Koziak D, Milner R, et al.Effect of yoga training on the tinnitus induced distress.Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2019;36:7-11. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.04.003Gunjawate DR, Ravi R.Effect of yoga and meditation on tinnitus: a systematic review.J Laryngol Otol. 2021;135(4):284-287. doi:10.1017/S0022215121000566Kleinjung T, Meyer M, Neff P.Neurofeedback for tinnitus treatment: an innovative method with promising potential.Brain communications. 2023;5(4). doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcad209
Liu D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Front Pharmacol. 2023;13:1037528. Published 2023 Jan 4. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528
NIDCD.Tinnitus.
McFerran DJ, Stockdale D, Holme R, Large CH, Baguley DM.Why is there no cure for tinnitus?Front Neurosci.2019;13:802. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00802
Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, El Refaie A, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.Cochrane Database System Rev. 2019;12.:CD013514. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013514
Sereda M, Xia J, Scutt P, Hilton MP, Amr El Refaie, Hoare DJ.Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.The Cochrane library. 2022;2023(1). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd013514.pub2
Mahmoudian-Sani MR, Hashemzadeh-Chaleshtori M, Asadi-Samani M, Yang Q.Ginkgo biloba in the treatment of tinnitus: an updated literature review.Int Tinnitus J.2017 Jun 1;21(1):58-62. doi:10.5935/0946-5448.20170011
Davide Donelli, Castellucci A, Fabio Firenzuoli, Antonelli M.Efficacy of acupuncture for tinnitus: an umbrella review.Longhua Chinese medicine. Published online September 1, 2020. doi:10.21037/lcm-20-21
Xu X, Xie H, Liu Z, Guo T, Zhang Y.Effects of acupuncture on the outcome of tinnitus: An overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in Neurology. 2022;13. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1061431
Liu F, Han X, Li Y, Yu S.Acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol.2016;273(2):285-94. doi:10.1007/s00405-014-3341-7
Person OC, Puga ME, da Silva EMK, Torioni MR.Zinc supplementation for tinnitus.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Nov 23;11(11):CD009832. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009832.pub2
Berkiten G, Kumral TL, Yıldırım G, Salturk Z, Uyar Y, Atar Y.Effects of serum zinc level on tinnitus.Am J Otolaryngol.2015;36(2):230-4. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2014.11.001
National Institutes of Health.Zinc: fact sheet for health professionals.
Yeh C, Tseng LH, Yang C, Hwang C.Effects of oral zinc supplementation on patients with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus: A clinical trial.Biomedical Journal. 2019;42(1):46-52. doi:10.1016/j.bj.2018.10.009
Arif M, Sadlier M, Rajenderkumar D, James J, Tahir T.A randomised controlled study of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus.J Laryngol Otol. 2017;131(6):501-507. doi:10.1017/S002221511700069X
Rademaker MM, Stegeman I, Ho-Kang-You KE, Stokroos RJ, Smit AL.The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on tinnitus distress: a systematic review.Front Neurol.2019;10:1135. doi:10.3389/fneur.2019.01135
University of Rochester Medical Center.Ginseng.
Kim TS, Lee HS, Chung JW.The effect of Korean red ginseng on symptoms and quality of life in chronic tinnitus: A randomized, open-label pilot study.J Audiol Otol. 2015;19(2):85-90. doi:10.7874/jao.2015.19.2.85
Li D, Hu Y, Wang D, et al.Herbal medicines in the treatment of tinnitus: An updated review.Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023;13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1037528
Köksoy S, Eti CM, Karataş M, Vayisoglu Y.The effects of yoga in patients suffering from subjective tinnitus.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;22(1):9-13. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1601415
Iwona Niedziałek, Raj-Koziak D, Milner R, et al.Effect of yoga training on the tinnitus induced distress.Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2019;36:7-11. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.04.003
Gunjawate DR, Ravi R.Effect of yoga and meditation on tinnitus: a systematic review.J Laryngol Otol. 2021;135(4):284-287. doi:10.1017/S0022215121000566
Kleinjung T, Meyer M, Neff P.Neurofeedback for tinnitus treatment: an innovative method with promising potential.Brain communications. 2023;5(4). doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcad209
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
