Arnica for bruising and swelling

Extract

Arnica, also known as mountain daisy, mountain tobacco, and leopard’s bane, is a perennial herb of the family Asteraceae.^1,2 The herb, which has orange-yellow daisy-like flower heads, is native to the meadows and mountainous regions of Europe and western North America. Europeans and Native Americans have used it for centuries to reduce the inflammation and pain of sprains, bruises, and wounds. Today, arnica is a popular homeopathic remedy in both Europe and the United States for the treatment of acne, bruises, sprains, and muscle aches and as a general topical counterirritant.³ European arnica is obtained from Arnica montana and Arnica chamissonis, while American arnica is obtained from Arnica fulgens, Arnica sororia, and Arnica cordifolia. The dried flower head is the most widely used part of the plant in commercially available dosage forms of arnica.

In the United States, the most commonly used dosage form of arnica is a 1:10 hydroalcoholic extract (tincture) of the flower heads.^2,–4 The tincture, which contains about 92% of the active sesquiterpene lactones of arnica, is diluted 3–10 times with water and applied externally to the area to be treated. As a mouthwash, the tincture is diluted 10 times with water. Other dosage forms include creams, ointments, and gels containing 20–25% arnica tincture or 15% arnica oil. The oil of arnica is usually prepared as a 1:5 extract of the herb in vegetable oil. Oral dosage forms of arnica are also available for internal use and include capsules, tablets, and pellets.