It’s really worrying not to know what to do if you are with some terrible bruises in the eyes. The flowers as infusion or the well dissolved tincture with water will help to make to eliminate the bruises, because the blood will reabsorb the affected tissues.

COMMON NAME:
Arnica, estornudadera, mountain tobacco
FamilY:
Compositae
Habitat:
Meadows or zones of pasture of the mountainous zones of Europe and Northwest of North America lacking of lime and with acid soils and poor in nitrogen. It’s a species protected in many European countries given that the number of exemplars has been decreasing as consequence of the search to which it has been subjected by its medicinal properties. On the other hand, it’s a very sensitive plant to the pollution given that it can’t live in zones where there is the minimum residue of nitrogen even that which comes from the aerial depositions. The pollution of many European mountains has taken this plant to the danger of the extinction.

CHaracterIstics / descripTiOn:
It’s a perennial plant of the family of the Compositae of until 60 cm of height. Floriferous, solitary and hairy stems that start of a basal rosette compound of oval or oblong leaves, opposite in number little numerous, sessile, with nerves very marked. Leaves of the floral stem are opposite, in number of one or two pairs. Flowers are very eye-catching, solitary at the end of the floral stems, of until 8 cm of diameter, although habitually they don’t pass of three, yellow or orange yellowish color.

Components:

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES: (arnica medicinal properties)

Between its medicinal properties is that of treating the pain, the blows, and the problems of skin. It acts as vulnerary and has many bitter principles.

The arnica is a plant holder of medicinal properties to treat the pain, blows and problems of the skin. It constitutes a good remedy to relieve the pain and to avoid the infections. It isn’t known exactly how this plant acts. Some researchers attribute its vulnerary medicinal properties to flavonoids (astragaloside, quercetol-e- glucogalacturonide and isoquercitroside); others that give them more importance to its bitter principles: The sesquiterpene lactones (Helenalin and diihidrohelenalin), although also the content in caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid could influence, since both are two known vulneraries. The fact is that these last principles have narcotic medicinal properties – by rub it on the painful part produces an increase of heat, with redness produced by the accumulation of the blood. This major increasing of the blood makes to disappear or don’t be shown the purple ones because these are eliminated by the new supply of blood. However, this property has its negative effects: In delicate skins it can produce injuries for reaction or allergy to these components in form of big redness, dermatitis, or even blisters filled of water on the skin. For this reason it’s recommend to apply it in small quantities on the skin, especially if it isn’t known in advance the reaction that this is going to produce. It shouldn’t be applied during long time and always that not exist open injury.
Way of application: You can use the liquid resulting of the infusion of a little spoon of dry plant of arnica by cup of water that will be applied on the affected zone with a very clean cloth. You can dilute some drops in a cup of water (some 20 drops for each glass) or you can apply a little layer of ointment, putting it on the fingertips and rubbing it well. Take advantage of the medicinal properties of this plant doing a couple of applications daily.

It seems to be that this plant has been used from the antiquity by the populations of the mountains to relieve the pain produced by blows or falls. In the century XVII it was used by traditional medicine with the same purpose. Even it arrived to be used internally to heal certain respiratory diseases, but the contraindications and accidents that produced this plant, given its toxicity, will take that the physicians use it only in external use.
The rubifying, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the Arnica Montana are well-planned with the following purposes:

These properties are used to make oral rinses with the objective of healing the ulcers of the mouth, the problems of gums or pyorrhea of the teeth. Gargling we can eliminate the bacteria that affect the throat and produce affections like pharyngitis or tonsillitis. Don’t drink the liquid. You can do washings of the genital zone in case of vaginal itching.

• INTERNAL USE:

On internal use the Arnica has been used during long time for the treatment of respiratory affections. A treatment previously used for cold in older people was to crush some flowers of arnica and take a little of powder three times a day. Also the soakings of dry flowers of arnica were used to treat the fevers after the labor. Given the toxicity of this plant is not recommended any of these treatments restricting their use to external applications.
On internal use it must be restricted its use to professionals. In homeopathy it’s used to fight against the epilepsy and for the seasickness. In internal medicine it’s used to increase the blood flow by the coronary arteries after some person has suffered an angina pectoris. Equally they are using experimentally for the treatment of cancerous cells of the lung and the colon.

ContraindicaTions AND toxiciTY
Use only in external use. Avoid using in case of open injuries or if you are sensitive to its components.
The internal use of this plant produces adverse reactions in digestive apparatus that are declared in vomitings, headache, nerves, discomfort, and diarrheas. In high doses the consumption of flowers or tincture can produce the death for cardiorespiratory arrest. The consumption of flowers results pretty unlikely for the flavor sour permanent that leaves in the mouth. The mortal dose of tincture for an adult can be produced with the consumption of a spoonful and half of tincture. In pregnant women the consumption of tincture or liquids elaborated with arnica can produce abortions.
Used externally there is the possibility of producing adverse reactions in some individuals sensitive to its components. These can be declared in form of eczemas, dermatitis or destruction of tissues. These same manifestations can be produced in individuals who don’t present sensitivity when they are applied extended treatments or in excessive doses, or when these are applied on open injuries.

COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION:
The plant will be picked up immediately after flowering. It should be dry in a shadowy and aired place and kept in clean well hermetic recipients.

OTHER species OF Arnica: