OT: Arnica

[Beth]

I am curious how many of you have heard of or used arnica.

For those of you who have not heard of arnica, it is a plant extract sold in a gel, cream or tablet form used to reduce inflamation, bruising, help heal bruising and sore or achey muscles. I also saw something about it promoting hair growth when applied to the head. :D

I was telling the trainer at my son's basketball camp about it. I have used it 3 years or more -- to the point that my kids ask for ice and arnica when they get hurt. My just-turned-five-year-old fell from a stool on top of a chair and down the stairs, hitting his head and his back on the stairs and rail (he was trying to get a pin to unlock the door to his brother's room and sneak out some toys). He had a huge goose egg on his head and welts with bruising on his back. After the ice and arnica, 2 days later, you could barely find the bump on his head and the bruises on his back were slight. A few days later, I couldn't find anything.

The trainer was asking me why this was such a secret if it was so great? My only answer was that most doctors seem reluctant to accept and use remedies that are not FDA approved "drugs". However, some plastic surgeons are recommending it. Same son saw one last year -- see why I need this stuff? Maybe it's starting to come around.

[JulieM]

Beth, thanks for sharing this information about arnica! It seems the medical system is finally beginning to pay more attention to alternative medicines.

[RobinC]

I have used arnica for several years. I first used it when my "then-boyfriend's" mother gave it to me after my first skiing lesson (and MANY falls on the snow/ice/skis) She is a Natualpath. A year later I broke my leg and tore the ligaments in my ankle (skiing injury). I had the first cast changed a week after the accident when the swelling in my ankle started to go down. When the Dr. cut the cast off, I saw the biggest, ugliest, blackest bruise on the inside of my injured foot. I honestly thought it looked as though my foot was rotting off. He wasn't surprised by the bruise, and told me it is common. I was scheduled to have the cast changed again in another 2 weeks. I took arnica during that time. When the cast was cut off, the nasty bruise was literally almost all gone. The Dr. was surprised at that.

[Beth]

Thanks for your reply, Robin. Earlier today, I sent a note about arnica to a woman who is an ebay seller. She was exlpaining her delay in responding to me due to a car accident in which both her legs and lower back were injured. Since I have known so few people who have used it, I feel better about recommending it when I hear about others who have had good experiences with it. With two boys in the house, we use it more than bandages. They still have enough little bumps and bruises to look the active boy parts, but at least they don't look like someone's been beating on them! :D

[Mamasue]

I have never heard of this and want to know more. It sounds like it would be a great addition to our first aid kit and take up some residence in our medicine closet. We would use it for muscle aches, etc. I will also ask our daughter if she is aware of this because she is an Athletic Trainer for High School level. Where can I purchase this....health food store....drug store...? Do you use tablets or creme or both? Thanks for this info.

[Beth]

I have bought mine at Walmart and GNC, but not all stores carry it and the brand and sizes may be different. I have tried Roberts, which comes in a large tube of gel, and Borion and another. The Roberts is the best value, and I have not noticed a difference in effectiveness. I got some free tablets with a purchase and we have used them only a couple of times for very large, deep bruising or sprains. I read that some people ar sensitive to arnica taken internally and should consult with a doctor or HCP before taking it internally. They also caution not to apply it to open wounds. The gels will sting on a cut, so I slather it aounr but not over any broken skin -- but there could also be an issue of absorbing it into the blood stream if you are sensitive to it taken internally. I had not seen the caution on using the tablets when we used it and had no problem. We also took the lowest dose and only used it once or twice.

Here are some sites I pulled up yesterday:

http://www.gnc.com/wellness/natpharm/Homeo/Athletic_Performance_hm.htm

http://www.gnc.com/wellness/natpharm/Homeo/Homeoix/Arnica.htm

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/arnic058.html

www.herbalfitness.com

www.samepath.com

www.personalhealthzone.com/arnica.html

www.4homeopathy.com

[url]www.hmedicine.com

www.ravencraftscenter.com

[Mamasue]

Thank you so much Beth...especially for going to the trouble looking up sites. I appreciate your help and will go on the search of sites listed. :)

[Beth]

You're more than welcome. They were sitting right next to the computer to take to the basketball trainer on monday.

I edited several times but kept having trouble with one of the sites posting, so I changed it again and got it to where the main art is right on all of them, but you will notice that one needs the www part corrected before you can get there. Good luck, and hope you find it useful.