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Herb Profile- Arnica

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mountain arnica die arnika arnica montana 300x225 Herb Profile Arnica One herb that I always keep on hand is Arnica (or scientifically, Arnica Montana). Though this is not an herb that can be taken internally, it has definitely earned its place in our house. Arnica is well known for its ability to help with bruises, sprains, strains, etc and can remove shock and speed healing. It can be put on areas of trauma after falls, accidents, etc.

Arnica is native to Europe and has been used for centuries. Many athletes use some form of Arnica to recover from muscle strain and speed recovery after a work-out.

Arnica is not to be taken internally, though some homeopathic remedies are available that are generally considered safe. Arnica should not be applied to broken or burned skin.

From Mountain Rose Herbs:

“Typical Preparations

Used as an infusion (approximately 1 teaspoon dried herb in 1/2 cup water), tincture (approximately 1 part herb to 10 parts alcohol), oil (1 part dried herb in 5 parts plant oil), or mouth rinse (1 part tincture in 10 parts water), or ointment (1 part arnica oil to 4 or 5 parts base). Only homeopathic preparations of arnica are recommended for internal use.

Summary

Arnica oils and creams are used topically to treat sprains, bruises, and muscle pain. Diluted tinctures of arnica are used in foot baths (1 teaspoon of tincture to a pan of warm water) to soothe sore feet. Grieve’s Herbal reported that nineteenth century American physicians recommended arnica tincture as a hair growth tonic. Homeopathic arnica is traditionally used to treat seasickness. Research published in June 2005 in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that homeopathic arnica can reduce post-partum bleeding.

Precautions

Not for internal use. Do not swallow any form of arnica except homeopathics. Repeated application to the skin can cause irritation. Do not apply to broken skin. Not recommended while pregnant or nursing.” (except in homeopathic form)

How I Use Arnica:

Arnica can be used in tinctures, salves, vinegar tinctures, decoctions, etc. Here is a recipe for a salve I always keep in the house:

Directions: Warm oil in double boiler. Add beeswax and stir until melted. Add Wintergreen Oil in desired amount (warning-wintergreen is very strong!). Pour into desired storage container (we use small tins or little jam jars). Let cool.

Can be used on bruises, sprains, strains, head bumps, etc.

Ever used Arnica? How did it work for you?

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Katie is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

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  • Lemon03

    Bruise healing at your finger tip with arnica gel

  • M Cleveland

    Is the wintergreen necessary?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    No, it is just cooling

  • mo bius

    I LOVE my arnica salve, made very similarly to yours: Arnica in a good quality olive oil, although I infused it in the oil at low heat for about 6 hours. Then beeswax and 400 iu of Vitamin E, put in little jars. I pulled the MCL on my left knee about a month ago, and had terrible pain (ouch!!). I used the arnica balm every 4-6 hours and was pain free in 24 hours, and no problems since, altho I had a little twinge in same area a week ago and used more arnica balm…Twinge gone!!! Incredible for bruising also!!! I think I added a little eucalyptus essential oil to the balm also, tho not necessary.

  • Heather

    I was introduced to the homeopathic version of arnica in Germany. I got to know a few people who gave it to their kids. I decided to try. It worked wonders for my toddler when he got hurt. Also, I just had my 3rd child via water birth in July, I took arnica for about 5 days afterwards. It helped my bleeding, no heavy bleeding after a week! Also I swear it helped with those breastfeeding contractions because they were much better than the last time!!

  • Cyndel Jones

    I use the homeopathic version and love it, though I’d love this for minor bruises…esp since my 5yo thinks every bruise needs med and band aid which we can’t afford.
    Hmmm How much does this usually cost you?

  • Charles

    We use the homeopathic arnica all the time in both tablets (internally)and in a gel (externally). I learned it from my mother who has been using it for about 25 years. It is amazing what it does. If the gel is put on right after an injury, bruises usually go straight to yellow rather that black. Life saver with little kids.

  • Martie

    We have been using arnica for the past 30 years. We use it in alcohol and also in olive oil. We add Rue and St. John’s Wort. Just be careful with these other two herbs. Rue can be a skin irritant and S.t John’s Wort interacts with Psychotropic Medications.

    I developed arthritis in my knees after a car accident and have trouble sleeping because of the pain. I just wake up and apply the arnicated olive oil and within a 5 to 10 minutes I’m back to sleep for another 4 hours or more. Yes, it’s greasy. You can purchase an expensive small bottle of THE Arnica Rub cream that is absolutely fabulous! It does have additional herbs such as comfrey, rue, S.t John’s Wort.

    For sprains we don’t use ice, we make a hot tea (about 4 cups of water & 2 tb herb) and once it cools down a bit we dip a wash cloth in the hot tea and then apply to washcloth to the sprained area. The washcloth should be hot but NOT burning. Remove it once it is no longer really warm and wring out the washcloth and re-dip in the hot tea. The area should be treated for about 30 to 60 minutes so Repeat as necessary. Warn the patient that just because the pain, bruising and swelling is gone or severely reduced, the affected area still needs to be treated gently, as muscles or ligaments could be torn and they need to heal. —Okay, my IDIOT ex thought the just because there was no more pain that he could go off the do what he wanted—moron ended up injuring himself further. So, sometimes pain is there to warn you that something is wrong.

  • Guest

    We use Arnica homeopathy (internally) and gel (externally) to avoid bruises, also for leg pains (growth pain) which happened to my son at night, very soothing. Finally Arnica homeopathy combined with Cinchona homeopathy pre and post surgery, my recovery was amazing.

  • Amanda Bombardier

    I’m a roller derby girl where bumps and bruises are the norm. Arnica gel is amazing at healing them up quickly. I also took it homeopathically when I got my new piercing to aid in healing. Such wonderful stuff!

  • disqus_5eUxcGcVC3

    I use Arnica for my hair…. its great for making your hair grow healthy n fast…. I boil arnica and rosemary, cool it, strain it then use the liquid in my hair after I shower while its still damp… It works!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/rachaelshannon2 Rachael Louise Shannon

    Hello! I was wondering if you could use Arnica oil instead of infusing oil yourself?
    Thanks!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Yep

  • Melanie

    How do you dry the flowers correctly and then store them? Anyone have a good website showing this? I have natural Arnica flowers growing like mad, and would like to use them.

  • Meghan Schaffer Hamilton

    Love it! My podiatrist recommended it when I was having severe foot problems. It helped a great deal during my recovery.