Herbal Remedies For Ear Infections

As a father of four I have had extensive experience with ear infections. From what I have learned most times ear infections are proceeded by some form of a cold symptom like a stuffed nose. The first thing I always do for a ear infection is I make a quick garlic oil and apply it to both ear as often as possible.
Cut up or crush a few cloves of garlic and heat them in olive oil over a low flame. I use a small frying pan for this but any small pan will do. Be careful not to burn the garlic, that would harm the active ingredients that we need.
Heat the garlic in the olive oil for about three or four minutes and let cool before use.
In addition I always use herbs that are effective in treating respiratory tract problems.
My five best herbs for this are:
Yarrow
Chamomile
Linden
Catnip
Elder (flowers and berries)
Use equal parts of each herb and make a cup of strong tea with one heaping table spoon per cup of boiling water. Let the herbs steep for ten minutes. Drink three cups of this tea per day.