Arnica: Flowering plant ~ Folk healer
Abstract
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Arnica is a versatile herb that can be used for a wide range of things. There are many groups of people around the world that use and have used this plant as a part of their cultural practice of healing. The flower (various parts of the plant) is used and understood to address all these issues and others: to help bruising heal, to sooth joint pain by reducing inflamation in the body, postoperative clinical conditions (including contusions and sprains), in pain management and for symptomatic relief in osteoarthritis. It also has uses for muscle pains and during childbirth. This plant even has had uses in treating obstetric issues and for wound care and more. Arnica use has come a long way and is still used today.
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*Word of Caution⚠️
Although Arnica contains many powerfully healing and medicinal properties including the various compounds in the plant that have been proven to help the human body with coping with illness and discomfort;** Arnica does contain toxins and so dosage and frequency of consumption should be carefully considered. Generally, for the bulk of its usage it is considered safer to use the plant topically rather than orally to reduce the possibility of side effects. For Some people there are safe ways to consume depending on your own bodies reaction. For information on the most cautious ways to internally ingest parts of the Arnica plant for health and medical reasons sincerely consider consulting homeopathic medicines as these doses are micro sized. I personally have used Arnica in homeopathic form for internal ingestion and have had positive results without negative side effect.*** Please do not just pick and eat an entire flower this can be dangerous. Please do thorough research or consult with a professional who has before ingesting. Note: topical use is much less specific and safe for most people when used as directed.
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Today Arnica can be found in drugstores, grocery stores and all over the world sold commercially. How did Arnica become so popular and what were some of the origins of its usage?
The answer to this question has proven to be more complex and diversified than I can fathom into a single website however, I’ve tried here to be thorough in compiling relevant information in the short time I’ve had to create this webpage.
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Some of the names for Arnica (limited list):
Arnica Montana = Wolfsbane, Wolf Flower, Mountain Tobacco, Moutain Daisy
Family: Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Anatomy of the plant
(Arnica Montana)
This plant has basal green ovate leaves with rounded tips and has yellow or orange flowers. The stem is a one to two foot stalk. The leaves of this plant form a basal rosette which is an arrangement of leaves spreading from the base of the stem and usually placed close to the ground. See image above
But this is only one species of the Arnica plant, taxonomists have recognize about 29-32 species of Arnica across the Northern Hemisphere alone.
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What conditions does Arnica grow in?
This plant grows in high elevation mountainous regions, and rocky slopes. You can also find different species of Arnica growing in other regions such as meadows (known as meadow arnica). Another example is hairy Arnica (also known as lanceolata or Arnica mollis) This is an Arnica found on the St.Johns river in Maine where this plant can be seen at low elevations along the St. John River, as well as on side slopes of Mt. Katahdin. This species can be found in other parts of the world living in varying conditions.
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Give example of collection process here And where those processes were and are taking place. Will include culturing processes here. Why was it important to know how to process to address heal issues and dosage..How its processed changes and differs around the world. Folk practice of processing is it where was it passed down in families.. familial knowledge folk PPractitioner stories involving passing along arnica… how did people know about arnica.. How people understood its value..
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Why does the plant matter to people?
This depends on who you ask. This plant has been used in Mexican folk medicine for example where it has economic significance as it is sold commercially, it is cultivated and gathered and is in high demand. Among the plants used medicinally in Mexico, H. inuloides is one of the most important native species with a high market demand (García de Alba et al., 2012; Huerta, 1997; Juárez-Rosete et al., 2013; Monroy-Ortiz et al., 2013).But that is certainly only one side of the story of why people find it important in Mexico. There are many different traditions in different parts within different ethic groups that place value on arnica in there own special ways throughout Mexico.In some cultures in Germany there is belief about the plants spiritual power. Other German belief includes belief that humans learned the value of Arnica by observing mountain goats, who would clamber to find the Arnica plant after falling or stumbling. This explains another German name for the plant : Fallkraut or “fall herb”In Russia and other places there is complex long standing traditions about summer solstice that include the use of Arnica. Some parts of Europe and Siberia smoke the plant.The early uses of the plant date back as far as the 1800-1900s.Some online forms mention arnica use can date back to the MiddleAges claiming the 1st written record from 1500s In TM - used as bruise & anti swelling treatment I’ve yet to confirm this please let me know if you have any information on this and email me at starryser1@gmail.com By the 1900s arnica had centuries of use in multiple locations people understood its value.People have used the plant all over the world including but not limited to use in Europe, Russia, the United States, Mexico, and Germany.In Germany the plants historical usage can be tied back to one of its names, its common name in Germany is Wolfsblume. This is not because the flower represents the animal the wolf rather it is because wolf is a skin condition in Germany that Arnica is used to treat.
Why do people put in much effort to process and produce arnica medicine?
Part of the answer to this question is because of the numerous benefits of both perceived and evident effects people achieve with use of this plant. Some benefits are social, economic, spiritual, and medicinal.
~ ☆ Description of some of the physiological processes Arnica interacts with:Arnica interacts with biological processes of the human body. The responses that are caused by using the herb are varied in there functions. Some of the ways Arnica is effective is by its anti-inflammatory properties. Arnica also is effective because the plant contains lactones which are the naturally anti-inflammatory chemicals and can work to bring down swelling and alleviate pain, and also are antimicrobial.
According to PubMed a compositional analyses of Arnica complex had shown that there is a presence of carbohydrates (26%), uronic acids (12%), phenolics (1.25mM or 213mg of GAE/1g), and low protein content (∼1%). The carbohydrate moiety was rich mainly in rhamnogalacturonan and arabinogalactan.
Also I found, from this same source a snippet of information about some of the lab testing resulting in the further understanding of the medicinal compounds abilities of Arnica; a model based on histamine-induced increase of vascular permeability, pretreatment of Arnica Montana 6cH blocked the action of histamine as it enhanced the vascular permeability.
And yet another from this site lead to even further understanding of conclusions of its medicinal viability : Arnica Montana and A. absinthium extracts, rich in | | flavonoids | | and phenolic acids, showed a good antioxidant activity and cytoprotective effect against oxidative damage in fibroblast-like cells. These results provide scientific support for the traditional use of A. montana and A. absinthium in treatment of skin disorders. PMID:22958433
| | Flavonoids | | alone contain many medicinal benefits, and as stated above arnica contains an abundance. The medical benefits of flavonoids include anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. They have also been shown to have neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects.
The properties of this plant are extensively beneficial and worth looking into further if your looking for medicine in the form of herbs or just interested in studying chemistry, biology or other related topics that can relate to plant physiology and compounds .
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Representation & Symbolism ¤---}-
What else does using Arnica mean to people (what meaning does using homeopathic medicine hold for people); such as what importance and ideas about health do people hold and help protect when they use these traditional or alternative medicines and when they use the practitioners or other peoples in there community that provide them?According to case studies arnica in the form of a powder has been used to promote healing and sterilization after child birthing with success and improvements in the healing process. In Canada some midwives home kits, kits for mothers after birthing , provide Arnica as a way to help the women organs and labia heal from bruising. Homeopathy is a form of medicine used in midwifery practices. Arnica is a medicine used by some midwives. The midwife-mother-baby relationship is sacred, symbolic and even ritualistic. The mother forms an alliance with the midwife she has chosen to help her birth her baby. The midwife supports the mothers decision to birth her child in a way she sees as natural and often in many ways taking steps to avoid or reduce biomedical intervention unless necessary if complication occurs. During reoccurring check ups including after birth care the midwife will provide guidance including guidance about what remedies are available to cope with the discomfort of the birthing process, sometimes these remedies include Arnica. The midwife-mother-baby relationship is just one of the dynamic relationships communities of people invest time, money, and interpersonal connection into that relates to herbal medicine. Other examples of relationships with folk cultures of there own, relating to herbal remedies (including Arnica) includes; local homeopaths, familial knowledge passed down by members of one’s family about the medicines such as by a grandparent or an elder in the community, traditional medicines of indigenous communities, the arnica Farmer-to-Purchaser relationships and so many more in between. _____________________________________🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼 _____________________________________
To draw the end of the webpage to a close and back to someof our original questions:
(Image Hairy Arnica)
Why is the Arnica plant so prominent? Why do people go through so much to preserve this plant in their cultures? Why does the plant matter to people? Why do they use Arnica?▪¤• A simple answer would be that when something is successful it is repeated. But, It is much more in depth, much more deep, much more engrained is societies through the intricate bonds, and collaborations made by the people that come into contact with Arnica and stories of hundreds of pages could be written about each of the different ways Arnica has continued to stick around in the lives of many.
