They're not really that different from what a lot of people might try nowadays. The 9th Century medical textbook Bald's Leechbook recommends:

For pain and ache of the ears, the leaves of fresh betony ground by itself (or) in warm water, add a bit of rose oil to it, take that likewise tepid and drip into the ear with thick wool.

Betony does possess astringent properties, and is still used today as a 'herbal' medicine for sore throats.

Another suggested remedy is:

Again with the same, take onion, boil in oil, drip the oil into the ear.

Dripping oil into the ear will of course sound familiar to a lot of people as a contemporary first resort for ear ache.

Another treatment:

For the same take garlic and onion and goose fat, melt together, wring into the ear.

This treatment was similar to one for an "eye salve":

I.2.35 Wyrc eagsealfe wiþ wænne genim cropleac 7 garleac begea emfela gecnuwa wel tosomne genim win 7 fearres geallan begea emfela gemeng wiþ þy leace do þonne on arfæt læt standan nigon niht on þam arfate awring þurh claþ 7 gehlyttre wel do on horn. 7 ymb niht do mid feþere on þæt eage se besta læcedom.

Make an eye-salve for a stye: take equal amounts of cropleac and garlic, grind well together, take equal amounts of wine and bullock’s gall, mix with the leeks, then put into a brass vessel, let stand for nine nights in the brass vessel, wring through a cloth and clear it well, put into a horn, and around night time apply to the eye with a feather. It is the best remedy

This was actually tested in a trial at the University of Leicester found to have surprisingly effective anti-microbial properties, so it's quite possible that a similar ear tincture could genuinely help fight a real infection.