Arnica is a medicinal plant with shiny green leaves and fleshy, hairy stems. Its flowers are yellow and look somewhat like daisies. The plant is also known as wild arnica, golden spike, lance herb, mountain arnica, arnica montana, mountain tobacco, and montane tobacco.
The arnica genus includes 30 species distributed around the world, but the most commonly used for their anti-inflammatory benefits are Arnica montana and Arnica chamissonis. It belongs to the Asteraceae family1. The parts used for treatments are the flowers, leaves, and roots, either as a homeopathic extract or as the raw form to make tinctures for ointments or gel.
Taking arnica by mouth is not recommended and can cause serious side effects; only homeopathic medications, from the Arnicamontana species, are harmless as they use highly diluted arnica.
Benefits of Arnica
Arnica has many healing properties, which have been known for centuries and are also used in modern medicine. The leaves of the plant have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties when used topically.
Therefore, arnica is highly recommended as an analgesic for general injuries, muscle and joint bruises, and headaches. It is also healing and prevents bleeding. It also has antiseptic, tonic, and stimulant action2.
Uses of Arnica
Arnica is found in the formulation of many cosmetics and other types of products, especially for skin or hair, such as shampoos, conditioners, and ointments. This is because it contains helenalin, flavonoids, coumarins, volatile oils, carbonic acid, among other components, which are beneficial for the skin.
These components help to soothe and renew skin cells after stress exposure. Additionally, it prevents the development of inflammatory skin diseases, as it may have antiseptic, antibacterial, and fungicidal effects.
It can be used for mild burns. For hair, it helps prevent hair loss and dandruff. Some mothers use arnica gel after pregnancy to reduce the appearance of stretch marks on the abdomen, applying it four times a day.
Attention: Topical use of arnica should not be applied directly to open wounds or scraped skin.
Homeopathy
As a homeopathic remedy, the arnica montana species is used in preoperative prevention and even in orthodontic surgery treatments, or other minor outpatient surgeries and post-operative care. Its use is also sometimes prescribed by veterinarians. The medicine is made from the extract of its flowers, which are dark brown in color.
In practice, arnica improves coronary blood flow helping the body reabsorb fibrin, a very important blood protein that is often deficient in people who have just suffered internal injuries.
Thus, arnica can be part of treatments for people, in addition to surgeries, who have experienced trauma due to exposure to violence or in a state of shock, whether from disasters, death, or terror. Other diagnoses where homeopathic arnica is used include nausea and sea vertigo, epilepsy, laryngitis, phlebitis, chilblains, or varicose veins.
External Use of Arnica
Arnica gel at a 50% concentration has the same anti-inflammatory effect as other chemically manufactured gels for treating osteoarthritis symptoms. It is advantageous to use a more natural arnica-based product in the following cases:
Indications for External Use
- Bruises;
- Abrasions;
- Sprains;
- Boils;
- Contusions;
- Edema (swelling) in muscles and joints;
- Inflammation of the oropharyngeal region;
- Insect bites or stings;
- Phlebitis in superficial burns;
In addition to arnica ointments or ready-made gel, arnica can also be used in compresses and macerates. Arnica also stimulates blood circulation at the application site, causing a mild warming sensation on the skin.
How to Make Arnica Tincture for External Use
Those who prefer to buy dried arnica flowers and leaves can make arnica tincture at home. Sometimes these flowers can be found in health food stores.
How to make: using a tablespoon of dried flowers and leaves, prepare a decoction, which consists of a tea, boiled for 5 minutes and then left covered for a few more minutes. You can also make a tincture with 10 g of dried leaves in 100 ml of alcohol for topical products.
The liquid should rest for 5 days in a dark, covered place. Then, to make compresses, for each part of the solution, add 4 parts water, diluting and applying to sore areas.
Contraindications of Arnica
We cannot eat arnica because the plant contains helenalin3, which, despite its anti-inflammatory properties, can be poisonous and cause poisoning if ingested. Thus, the patient may develop severe gastroenteritis, sometimes with bleeding in the digestive and renal tracts.
Direct contact with the plant is also dangerous, as it causes skin irritation. Even when applying compresses directly to the skin, it should be used carefully and in moderation, without prolonging the treatment too much, to avoid further irritating the injured area. Its use is not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, or people with sensitivity to arnica.
See Also: Yam Tea for Conceiving – How to Take It?
Photo: Σ64 (talk).
