Arnica Montana

• Botanical Name(s): Arnica Montana

• Popular Name(s): Leopard's Bane, Mountain Tobacco, Mountain Arnica, Common Arnica and Wolfsbane

• Parts Used: Flowers, Rootstock

• Habitat: It is native to Central Europe.

Arnica Montana

Description: The leaves form a flat rosette, from the center of which rises a flower stalk, 1 to 2 feet high, bearing orange-yellow flowers. The rhizome is dark brown, cylindrical, usually curved, and bears brittle wiry rootlets on the under surface.

Uses: A tincture made from the plant material can be used in the treatment of heart failure and coronary artery disease. It can be used as a mouthwash and gargle when fighting inflammation of the mucus membranes. It helps to prevent bruising and swelling after traumatic skin injuries and prevents the blood platelets from gathering to the site of injury. Arnica has been used extensively in European folk medicine. The German philosopher and poet Goethe (1749-1832), claimed arnica for ease his angina in old age. Herbalism and homeopathy use arnica extracts, ointments and compresses to reduce inflammation and pain from bruises, sprains, tendons, dislocations and swollen areas. Arnica improves the local blood supply and accelerates healing. It is anti-inflammatory and increases the rate of re-absorption of internal bleeding. The internal use of arnica is restricted to homeopathic dosages as it is potentially toxic.

Main Properties: Anti-inflammatory, germicide, muscular soreness, pain re leaving.The main beneficial effects of the arnica as a topical remedy in ointment and compress form lies in its ability to speed the healing of tissues, it also tends to improve the blood supply and rate of circulation in the affected areas of the body, the herbal ointment and the herbal compress made from the arnica is especially extremely effective in the treatment of various bruises and sprains, as well as in the treatment of muscle pain - the herb speeds the healing of tissues in all cases and recovery is rapidly achieved. The arnica based herbal remedies are also well known for their anti-inflammatory properties and the remedy is known to hasten the rate of re-absorption of exuded blood in cases of internal bleeding and hemorrhage. As far as the use of arnica as a herbal remedy for the treatment of internal remedies is concerned, these days the herb is taken only following homeopathic dilution, it is used as an internal herbal remedy primarily for the treatment of shock and trauma, for the treatment of physical injuries, and it also finds use in the treatment of various types of physical sports injuries and the painful symptoms involved with such conditions. The circulation in the body is also stimulated by the arnica when it is used as an herbal decoction or in tincture form; in this case the value of the arnica is particularly high during treatments for conditions such as angina and in the treatment of a physically weak or failing heart in patients with cardiac problems. All the same, the internal use of arnica is not considered safe, as the herb can be quite toxic even at relatively low dosage - for this reason, the use of the herbal remedies made from the arnica in internal medications is limited nowadays. The treatment of leg ulcers in diabetics is an area where preference is given to the topical remedies made from the arnica herb.

As an herbal medicine, the uses of the arnica are many and it is considered to be one of the most wonderful topical herbal remedies around. For example, the herbal remedy made from the arnica can increase the resistance of the body to the onset of infection, arnica is particularly helpful against infections such as those caused by listeria and salmonella bacteria, the herbal remedies made from the arnica also increases the rate of healing in the body following a surgical procedure, it is also useful and effective against the painful sensations encountered during dental extractions and it is also extensively used to treat physical injuries of all kinds in different patients around the world.

As a herbal medication, the calming effects of the arnica are extremely helpful in treating children, especially those injured due to falling accidents, those suffering from pain due to bumping their heads accidentally, and in the treatment of those children who have knocked themselves out during some activity or another. The herbal remedy made from the arnica also proves to be useful whenever it is applied as a topical remedy over any unbroken patch of skin, in this role the herbal remedy can greatly ease the extreme pain, the remedies made from the arnica are also used to bring relief from the pain in rheumatic joints, and they are also used in the topical treatment of painful and swollen feet in different patients. Arnica is also normally diluted on the basis of one part in ten with the essence of the calendula herb, in this form the remedy can be utilized in the treatment of various skin rashes and in the treatment of other known inflammatory skin problems in different patients.