What is Arnica?

The first thing I usually ask someone who's inquired as to what I "do for a living" is to find out if they are familiar with arnica. A few years ago, most people admitted that they had never heard of arnica. More recently about half the new people I encounter are familiar with it.

Arnica Montana, the scientific name, is also known as Leopard's Bane. This yellow daisy-like plant is harvested for the flowers which hold the key ingredients. The flowers are used either dried or fresh in topical healing solutions. Though grown in North America, it is native to Europe and parts of north Asia.

The product is infused from the flowers, much like making tea, in a variety of materials depending upon the intended use. These can be alcohol, water, oil, among others. From there it is incorporated with other ingredients to make the intended lotion, gel, wash, etc.

Okay, you know what arnica is and what it looks like. Now, what can it do for you? For centuries arnica has been widely used as a topical remedy for bruises, sprains, strains, insect bites, and any type of inflammation. The plant's properties increase circulation to the affected area. Increasing circulation helps the body heal itself. Reducing inflammation allows blood vessels, glands (especially lymph) to deliver the cells needed to heal (like white blood cells) while removing cells (such as unwanted bacteria) from the location. Our bodies are phenomenal healers, if given half a chance. Applying topical arnica products like Essential Arnica Gel quickly after injury enables the body to reduce pain and increase healing dramatically. Repeated applications keep the healing process underway.

It is much healthier to use a topical product to target the injured area rather than taking systemic remedies. Over the counter NSAIDS reduce pain and inflammation throughout the body yet may attribute to side effects such as stomach, liver and kidney problems. Why treat what isn't broken?

Arnica Montana is such a wonderful natural healing product. It is very reassuring that more and more people have heard of it and reap the rewards of using it.

Coming up next... Why Essential Arnica Gel is based in aloe vera.

Topic-related comments and questions are welcome!