What is arnica made from?

Arnica is a weird word, isn’t it? It rolls off the tongue like an involuntary burp. But what is arnica made from? Don’t worry; I won’t torture you with archaic scientific terms because that would be like taking candy from a baby, except worse. Instead, let’s take a walk on the wild side and explore this peculiar ingredient in detail.

What Exactly Is Arnica?

If your knowledge of arnica had to fit into a thimble, don’t be too hard on yourself. Arnica refers to a genus of perennial herbs belonging to the sunflower family (Asteraceae), found primarily in Siberia, Europe and North America. These perennials typically grow up to 60 centimeters tall and have hairy stem tops with flowers colored yellow or orange petals.

So far so good! But…just knowing its botanical properties doesn’t cut it for us mortals looking for relief from our daily onset pains. So where do we start? Well first things first…

Why Do You Need Arnica In Your Life?

Think about those moments when you’re just chilling out but suddenly find yourself writhing in pain due to injuries or overuse of joints/muscles – come on now, at least once right?! Here are some scenarios:

  • You hit your knee while running towards your dog wagging his tail with glee
  • Trying to bend down quickly after hearing something fall has sharp pain coursing through your back
  • Stooping while gardening leaves wrist soreness because “Sirius Black” kitty distracted you by rolling around in fresh foliage

The list goes on…but not all hope is lost thanks to arnica gel/cream – dubbed as the secret sauce by many!

What Makes Up This Secret Sauce?

Without putting anyone to sleep, here is the lowdown on what arnica contains:

  • There are at least 30 known species of arnica that contain active compounds such as helenalin (said to be its primary bioactive compound) and flavonoids like isoquercitrin.
  • Also, this plant’s roots and rhizomes eventually end up in preparing ointments, oils & herbal remedies containing it.

Hold up! You must think I forgot something – where does the wackiness come into play? Don’t worry; we’re about to dive headfirst into some weird knowledge!

The Wacky Stories Behind Arnica

Superstitions Revolving Around Homeopathy

The early French reports dating back to the exploration voyage by Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin describe tales from local Indians who used Arnicas for healing wounded limbs. Later on, homeopathy enthusiasts took over – wait a minute…homeopathy?! It involves using very dilute or even non-existent substances derived from natural resources that are believed to stimulate natural body mechanisms.

“Wait!” you interject,” What manner of silliness is that?” Well… scientific research hasn’t been too kind towards some homeopathic remedies but let’s not get distracted here – onto skeletons.

Arnica’s Skeletons in The Closet

You remember your last biology class right? Not dread filled memories about “mitochondria” or “Wunderlich Syndrome”. Instead within bones lies a factory churning out blood cells until death do us part.

Now imagine if those tiny factories inside our bones went awry – It causes leukemia! Scary stuff right? But guess what….arnica may have contributed?

Yes, you read that correctly: skeletons with excess production may have consumed large doses of an herbaceous liquor infused with Nicotiana tabacum (you know wrong side ivy league pastime which blackens lungs) & arnica (the supposed medical elixir back then) – sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Interestingly, only Arnica induced tumors grew at the injection site. Poor skeletons; they didn’t even know better!

Adding More Fuel to The Fire: Dangerous Side Effects

The FDA’s verdict on utilizing oral forms of arnica in modern medicine is mixed — some say it’s helpful for edema or inflammation treatment while others suggest avoiding oral ingestion as it can be harmful to heart and liver function in humans.

Moreover, these side effects are amplified when combining with other medication. You don’t want Santa’s little helpers passing out from mixing alcohol with hunger making you groan saying “…just take my 2021 wish already!” . So how does one safely use this wacky ingredient?

How To Use It Safely

Preparation Matters!

There are multiple skin-care products and gels available containing arnica that promise relief against bruising, stiffness or healing wounds naturally but Which preparations should we choose? Should we huff and puff away like the wolf trying to make everything fly off your tabletop just because there’s something shiny promising more natural benefits on social media?!

Not a good idea…

Before any product gets slapped onto our precious skin – let’ make sure it has been prepared properly:

  • Look for plant-based ointments/creams without synthetic fragrances.
  • Buy low-dose homeopathic pills such as taken sublingually (under-tongue).
  • Massage oil blends using extract obtained through herbal infusions makes them free from harmful chemicals.
  • Check if synthetically-derived Anti-inflammatory analgesic compound geranylgeranylacetone was given along with Arnika montana extract for maximizing its effectiveness.

But wait…there is still confusion around what dose is actually safe as no dosing guidelines have been established by clinical trials till date. All of this begs a few points; arnica therefore needs to be used with caution and guidance (take a look at the dangerous side effects mentioned earlier).

Application Techniques Matter More.

Once you have chosen your product, it’s important that we know how to use this wacky ingredient…

Directly Applying On Skin

Arnica in combination with other ingredients is readily available on Sushruta.in so there’s no need for “The One Ring” type stress (but keep everyone safe anyway!).

  • Apply along the skin edges or directly onto bruises/swollen areas.
  • It helps stimulate blood flow while reducing inflammation & swelling.

DIY Infusions At Home

DIY steps may seem easy-breezy but can be disastrous if not taken seriously given strong herbal infusions…so please unplug that oven from turkey duty:

We will still give some high-level pointers:

  1. Avoid raw Arnica flowers as they contain helenalin – seen foreign invasions bring home ground wars? This gets irritating when brought into contact with our skin resulting in allergic reactions such as itching and burning sensations!
  2. Opt for dried-out versions of its roots or flower heads;
  3. Place them inside reusable muslin baggies/gauze cloth bundles after crushing slightly;
  4. Boil water just like preparing usual straightforward tea;
  5. Add these sachets/bundles, switch off heat and let brew undisturbed till steeped light yellow color develops.

For additional quirkiness, could also consider adding valerian root tincture obtained by mixing cups of moonshine vodka & chopped pieces causing quite the ruckus! Ultimately… better play it safe!

Final Words

So then what is arnica made from? We are introduced to astral hippie-dippie skeletons fascinated by healing wonders thanks to nicotine-infused herbaceous liquors infused with arnica while being scared about consuming too much (“I’m starting to get mad cow already!”). The verdict is in – just like any ingredient, its application and preparation techniques should be carefully evaluated preventing side-effects.

Now that we have satisfied our curiosity, maybe it’s time to head off into the world of arnica with a new outlook and be more adventurous! As always, stay safe…stay curious!

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