In a 2020 study, children ages 6 to 14 years old with ADHD in Iran were split into two groups: a treatment group and a control group.

The treatment group received electrical stimulation on specific neuropsychological acupressure points of the ear for 20 seconds per point (see the list of points in the “What are the acupressure points to target for ADHD?” section below). This was repeated once weekly for a period of 6 weeks. On the same schedule, right after stimulation, ear seeds were applied to those points. Participants’ caregivers were asked to stimulate the ear by applying medium pressure for one minute on each seed daily.

The control group simply received seedless tape on their ears. This is called “sham” therapy because it’s ineffective but keeps participants from truly knowing which group they’re in and throwing off the study.

What the researchers found was that the children in the acupressure group had significantly reduced ADHD symptoms compared to the children in the control group.

The results are exciting because we know that ear seed therapy is accessible, inexpensive, and easy to use. Now, with this study, there also seems to be a degree of effectiveness when used for ADHD symptoms.

doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0477

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