Arnica is a daisy-like plant with yellow flowers. Homeopathic arnica uses diluted tinctures to speed wound healing and relieve menopausal symptoms, but the evidence of its effectiveness is very scarce. Read on to learn more.<\/p>\n
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Arnica (Arnica<\/em> montana<\/em><\/a> L<\/em>.), also known as mountain daisy, mountain tobacco, and leopard\u2019s bane, is a plant with orange-yellow flowers that belongs to the same family as sunflowers, dandelions<\/a>, daisies, and marigolds<\/a> (Asteraceae<\/em>) [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Arnica grows best at an altitude of 500 – 2,500 meters and is native to the meadows and mountainous regions of Europe, western North America, and northern Asia. Because arnica is endangered in several European countries, its cultivation has increased but the harvesting of wild plants is not allowed <\/strong>[R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The plant has been used for centuries to reduce the inflammation and pain of [R<\/a>, R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Today, herbal and homeopathic arnica preparations are applied to the skin for [R<\/a>, R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Arnica can also be formulated in oral homeopathic pills that are mainly used for [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n The German Commission E has only approved the use of topical arnica (creams, gels, ointments)<\/strong> for injuries, consequences of accidents, and inflammation (mouth and throat, insect bites, boils, veins). The FDA considers oral arnica unsafe due to its toxicity and the Canadian Government prohibits its use as a food ingredient [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n It\u2019s important not to confound Arnica montana <\/em>with other plants popularly known as \u201carnicas\u201d<\/strong>, such as Brazilian (Solidago<\/em> chilensis <\/em>and Lychnophora spp.<\/em>) and Mexican (Heterotheca<\/em> inuloides<\/em>) arnicas. They belong to the same family and are also used in traditional medicine, but may have different active compounds and applications [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Arnica is often used as a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic remedies are prepared by diluting the active compound with alcohol or water several times. The FDA doesn\u2019t approve homeopathic arnica (or any other homeopathic preparations) for any conditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s very important to discriminate between herbal preparations, such as arnica creams and gels, and homeopathic ones<\/strong>. Homeopathic remedies are not<\/em> the same as herbal tinctures, extracts, and other products used in herbal medicine in an evidence-based way.<\/p>\n Sometimes herbal products are combined with homeopathic remedies. But homeopathy relies on completely different principles, such as the “vital force” and “like cures like” to explain how the remedies supposedly<\/em> act.<\/p>\n Homeopathy also uses a lot of substances that are toxic in normal, oral doses, including arnica. Substances are greatly diluted in a process called \u201cdynamization” or “potentisation” and thought to exert an energetic effect on the body.<\/p>\n Homeopathic preparations are commonly critiqued for using such high dilutions that they contain only a few or no molecules of the active compound. Homeopathy does not consider that the effects of the remedies come from the active components of the substance used<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Scientific evidence does not back up the claims made by homeopathy. Indeed, a meta-analysis concluded that homeopathic remedies had no effect beyond the placebo effect [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Homeopathic dilutions are written as a number followed by a letter (e.g., 30C)<\/strong>. The number is the number of times the diluting process was performed. The letter represents the dilution factor, or how much the substance was diluted [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n So, a homeopathic arnica remedy labeled as 10X would contain only about 0.000000001% of arnica. One labeled as 30C would contain much less, as it would mean that the substance was 30 times diluted by 100.<\/p>\n Because homeopathic arnica preparations are not standardized, it\u2019s almost impossible to compare the doses of different products<\/strong>. But it\u2019s worth noting that most of them probably do not contain any arnica at all. The upside of this is that, unless adulterated, they act similar to placebo and won\u2019t cause serious side effects or drug interactions. However, the extremely low concentration of homeopathic dilutions is among the reasons why most doctors are highly skeptical of homeopathy in general [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Homeopathic arnica has not been approved by the FDA for medical use and generally lacks solid clinical research. Speak with your doctor before using it, and never use it in place of something your doctor recommends or prescribes.<\/p>\n In a clinical trial on 88 people undergoing bunion removal, homeopathic arnica (10 D4 pills 3x\/day) was as effective as an anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac 50 mg) at reducing the redness, swelling, and heat of inflamed wounds<\/strong> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Homeopathic arnica dilutions enhanced wound healing and the production of wound-healing proteins by white blood cells<\/a> (macrophages) in a cell-based study. However, the alcohol used in the dilutions could have contributed to these effects [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n A single clinical trial and a cell-based study cannot be considered sufficient evidence that homeopathic arnica improves wound healing. More robust studies are needed.<\/p>\n\n
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What is Homeopathic Arnica?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the Difference Between Herbal and Homeopathic Arnica?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Homeopathic Dilutions and Doses<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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What do People Use Homeopathic Arnica For?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Insufficient Evidence for:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
1) Wound Healing<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n