“If you can dodge a sofa you can dodge a ball…” No, no, no. That isn’t how the quote goes. It’s “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” (Honestly, I think that’s one of the best lines from the movie “Dodgeball.”) Nonetheless, I had a bit of a run-in with my sofa last week. To be fair, it was entirely my fault. I decided to move the sofa down two steep flights of stairs all by myself. I made it down the first flight of stairs just fine, but the second flight—down into the basement—proved more difficult. The sofa got wedged in the door to the stairway, and I had to tug on it from below. Not my smartest move. Once I got it loose, it tumbled end over end down the stairs toward me. I dodged out of the way and managed to remain relatively unscathed, all things considered. However, by the next morning a few abrasions, contusions and a MULTITUDE of sore muscles had blossomed overnight from my encounter with the sofa. So, I broke out my bottle of the homeopathic remedy Arnica Montana.
(Once again, I’d like to remind everyone that I am NOT a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, naturopath, herbalist or witch doctor. I am just a mom, sharing what I use to help my household. So, please keep that in mind and use your best judgement.)
Arnica Montana
Arnica Montana is part of the Asteraceae plant family. It’s a bright, beautiful yellow sun-flower-like plant that people have harvested for use in salves, oils and balms since the 1500s. When used topically, it can reduce swelling, bruising and inflammation. In more recent years, it has become a popular oral homeopathic remedy to help with inflammation and pain associated with injury, surgery or osteoarthritis. (My grandmother used it for years—she couldn’t take most NSAIDS and told me that the Arnica was the only thing that provided relief for her near-crippling arthritis.) Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center has an excellent page detailing its uses and contraindications.
Homeopathic Medicine
For those unfamiliar with homeopathy, it’s essentially an alternative medicine in which very dilute natural substances are taken, often orally, and used for healing. In its article on Arnica Montana, Healthline does a great job of summing up homeopathy, saying that “in homeopathy, there’s a belief that the dilution makes the remedy more effective because of how it works on an atomic level.” I haven’t done enough research into homeopathy to say whether I fully believe all its tenets or not, but I HAVE used dozens of homeopathic remedies over the years with great success, and I reason that with such dilute formulas, there is relatively little concern of overdose or drug interactions when used properly. This may be why homeopathic remedies have become so much more mainstream over the years. Now I can find homeopathic remedies not only in health-food stores, but also on Amazon and at my local Walmart and Target.
Hylands Arnica Montana
I have been using Hylands Arnica Montana Homeopathic Tablets for 15 years. I have small bottles of this homeopathic remedy stashed in my purse, hiking backpack, pick-up truck, kitchen cabinets, etc. It is one of the most used and most efficacious remedies in my pharmacopeia. I have used it when I’ve worked out too hard, or sprained an ankle, or broken a pinky toe. It always helps. I’ve given it to my children for various bumps and bruises (including a really nasty black eye my eldest accidentally gave my youngest when she was a toddler), and seen small injuries heal much faster than I thought possible. Part of this could just be the resiliency of small children, but I truly believe that the Arnica helped. I’ve even given it to my cats after surgeries or when they landed wrong from a jump off the top of the fridge!
Boiron’s Arnicare Gel
I’ve also used Boiron’s Arnicare Gel dozens and dozens of times. It is non-greasy, absorbs quickly and really does seem to help minor injuries. Most recently, I used it on my wrist for a painful case of tendinitis. My wrist had been hurting for the better part of a week, and I had been contemplating a wrist brace to help with the pain. Then I remembered I had this gel in the cabinet and started using it several times throughout the day. Within 24 hours, the pain subsided to a much more manageable level.
Dr. Bronner’s Arnica-Menthol Organic Magic Balm
This Arnica balm is relatively new to our household. I purchased it recently when I ran out of my usual Now Arnica Warming Relief Massage Oil and discovered that it wasn’t currently available on Amazon Prime and I’d have to wait several weeks to receive it. (Typically, I use the Now Arnica Oil on sore muscles post work-out or post battle-with-large-items-of-furniture.) After using it several times, I have found Dr. Bronner’s Arnica-Menthol Balm to be effective, and very similar to IcyHot but without any of the nasty ingredients. I will definitely buy it again!
Caution
One note of caution regarding Arnica Montana: the plant, when ingested whole, is very toxic. So, unless you are an herbalist or trained homeopathic practitioner, I don’t recommend growing the plant or buying the flowers for the purpose of trying to make your own homeopathic remedies. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even take the Hyland’s Arnica Homeopathic tablets if pregnant or nursing. And, I would not use the topical ointments/balms/gels on any broken skin. That said, I have found Arnica to be incredibly beneficial to my family and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Arnica Montana is my number one weapon for banishing boo-boos!