Herbal Encyclopedia

Common Medicinal Herbs For Natural Health

Arnica

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arnica montanaBotanical Names

  • Family Compositae
  • Arnica montana, A. mexicana

Common Name

  • Mountain Tobacco, Leopard’s Bane, Wolfsbane, Arnica Flowers, Arnica Root, Camphor Weed, Telegraph Weed
  • Spanish: Falsa árnica, Arnica del pais
  • Nahuatl: Tlályetl

Cautions

  • Even in low doses, the plant can be toxic. Therefore, it must be used only under the guidance of a professional.
  • For internal use, Arnica should only be taken in homeopathic doses.
  • Prolonged use can irritate the skin causing inflamed skin conditions.
  • Should not be used on broken skin.
  • If you are allergic to sunflowers, it would be best not to use arnica or products containing arnica.

Description

Arnica montana is a wildflower native to Europe and Western Asia, while the false arnica (Heterotheca inuloides) is a plant native to Mexico and the southwestern US, but used similarly as a topical ointment or liniment.

Arnica is found in Europe from Scandinavia to southern parts of Europe, as well as in southern Russia and central Asia. It is also found in the Pyrenees, Siberia, Canada, and the northwestern US. This aromatic, perennial grows to about a foot high, producing downy, egg-shaped leaves and bright yellow, daisy-like flowers, which are harvested when in full bloom. The rhizomes are unearthed after the plant has died back in the fall.

History

Arnica has been used extensively in European folk medicine. In his old age, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the German philosopher and poet, drank arnica tea to ease his angina.

Key Actions

  • anti-inflammatory
  • antimicrobial
  • circulation stimulant
  • heart tonic
  • topical disinfectant
  • vasodilator

Key Components

  • flavonoids
  • mucilage
  • polysaccharides
  • sesquiterpene lactones
  • volatile oil (including thymol)

Medicinal Parts

  • Flowers, rhizomes

Remedies

  • ointments and compresses to treat bruises, sprains, and muscle pain

Traditional Uses

In North America, the species A. fulgens is used in place of A. montana.

Arnica is a valuable external treatment for bruises and sprains as it improves the local blood supply and speeds healing. It increases the rate of absorption of internal bleeding.

Generally, the plant is now taken only as a homeopathic remedy for shock, injury, or pain. Previously, it was also used in the treatment of angina and a weak or failing heart, but it is rarely used for this anymore because of the risk of toxicity.

Herbalists worldwide have found it effective in treating wounds, hemorrhoids, bruises, toothache, sore muscles, bronchitis, stomachache, diarrhea, and menstrual cramps. (Note that these are external uses.)

In Russian folk medicine, it is used to treat uterine hemorrhaging, myocarditis, arteriosclerosis, angina, exhaustion, cardiac insufficiency, sprains, contusions, and hair loss from psychological causes.

View Items Containing Arnica at Cloverleaf Farm.

Alder

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Botanical Name

  • Family Betulaceae
  • Alnus glutinosa and other Alnus species

Common Names:

  • Black Alder, Common Alder, Owler, Tag Alder

Cautions

  • Not to be confused with another plant called Black Alder (Rhamnus frangula syn.Frangula alnus Family Rhamnaceae) which is closely related to Cascara.

Description

Indigenous to the damp regions of Europe, Asia, and North America, alder is a small tree with fissured, orangey bark, growing as high as seventy feet and producing notched, oval leaves which can be very sticky when young. The male flowers are arranged in stemmed catkins, while the female flowers form ovoid fruits which turn woody and remain on the tree the entire year. Thriving in damp places along riverbanks, it now grows in much of the Northern Hemisphere. It is almost identical in appearance to the oak. The bark and the leaves are gathered in spring or fall and best used fresh or from recent collections.

History

Water resistant, the tree was used in the construction of Venice. Wooster Beech (1794-1868), founder of the Eclectic healing movement, used a decoction of the bark to purify the blood.

Key Actions

  • antimicrobial
  • astringent
  • heals wounds
  • stops bleeding

Key Components

  • anthraquinone (emodin)
  • flavonoids (including hypericin)
  • glycosides
  • lignans
  • tannin (10-20%)

Medicinal Parts

  • Bark, leaves

Remedies

  • Decoctions are used as a tonic and to treat intestinal bleeding.
  • Gargles from the decoctions are used to treat streptococcal throat infections.
  • Compresses soaked in decoction are used to stauch wound bleeding and to help heal them.
  • Washes are used for scabies.
  • Poultices from the leaves are used to help reduce breast engorgement of nursing mothers.

Traditional Uses

Alder is most often used as a mouthwash and gargle for tooth, gum, and throat problems. Its drying action helps to contract the mucous membranes and reduce inflammation.

Since the bark is high in tannin, it can be used in all situations where astringency is needed, including diarrhea, gum inflammations, and sore throats.

For external use, it is good as a wash for cuts, hives, poison ivy, swellings, wounds, and sprains.

In Spain, the leaves are smoothed and placed on the soles of the feet to relieve aching.

The PDR for Herbal Medicines mentions an ophthalmic powder, but gives no further information.

For educational purposes only.
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.