You may have already encountered ear seeding without knowing it. This centuries-old practice is suddenly cropping up everywhere, from beauty TikTok to in-flight wellness kits. Claims abound that pressing these tiny beads into your ears can ease a host of travel woes, including motion sickness and that dreaded post-plane puff. But what exactly is it? Does it actually work, or is it just the latest wellness hack du jour?
What is ear seeding?
At its simplest, ear seeding involves sticking tiny beads – traditionally made from actual plant seeds, but now often crafted from gold, silver, or crystal studs – on specific pressure points of the ear.
These points are mapped according to auriculotherapy, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which sees the ear as a microsystem of the whole body. Just as acupuncture needles are placed along meridians for balance, ear seeding stimulates similar points – without needles – by applying pressure to specific points on the ear that are said to have direct influence over various organs and systems within the body.
“Ear seeding is one of those quietly incredible practices,” explains Joanna Ellner, a board-certified TCM practitioner and founder of Reome. “By pressing tiny seeds or beads into those points, you can directly influence the flow of qi – or energy – to specific organs, circulation, hormones, even our emotions. They’re non-invasive, an alternative to ear acupuncture, and create a whisper of stimulation – just enough for the body to remember its own healing pathways. Most patients find them immediately calming, like a moment of reset for the mind and the body.”
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Where did ear seeding come from?
Ear seeding has roots stretching back over 3,000 years in China, but its global rise is more recent. In the 1950s, French physician Paul Nogier mapped the modern “ear reflexology” system, famously describing the ear as a curled-up foetus (which, once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee). Since then, auriculotherapy has been folded into both TCM practice and integrative medicine clinics worldwide.
For centuries, practitioners used vaccaria plant seeds taped onto the ear with adhesive. The beauty-wellness crossover came later, when brands like Vie Healing in LA and Ear Seeds in New York began offering gold and Swarovski-crystal versions, turning what was once a clinic-only treatment into a fashionable accessory.
Why is ear seeding big right now?
In short, TikTok, anxiety, and the rise of “wellness you can wear” are the reasons you’re seeing ear seeds everywhere. The visual appeal certainly helps, too: they look like delicate piercings, but without the commitment (or pain). Ear seeding also fits the current wellness landscape because it has its roots in time-honoured, ancient practices, but also happens to look stylish.
Do ear seeds help with motion sickness?
One of the most common claims is that pressing certain points on the ear can help reduce nausea – including the kind you get on planes, boats, or winding train journeys. Clinical studies are small but promising: a 2020 review in Complementary Therapies in Medicine suggested auriculotherapy may reduce post-operative nausea, while anecdotal evidence for travel sickness is strong. “In Chinese Medicine, motion sickness is often seen as a disharmony of the Heart yang or a depletion of Yin. When our reserves of Yin are unsettled, or the Heart loses its Yin anchor, the senses can feel unmoored, causing dizziness, nausea, a sense of instability, “ Joanna explains.
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