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Recipes for using the healing properties of mountain arnica
Arnica mountain – an interesting plant
Arnica montane is a perennial herbaceous plant with straight, pubescent stems. Its leaves are basal, oblong, ovoid in the form of a rosette. The flowers are orange or yellow, collected in baskets. The fruit of the plant has the shape of a cylindrical pointed achene. Arnica reaches a height of 50-60 cm, blooms in June-July.
Arnica is found in the Carpathian regions of Western Ukraine, in Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. You can find this plant in clearings in coniferous forests, on mountain meadows and slopes, less often on plains. The parts of the plant used in folk medicine are flowers, less often leaves and roots are used.
Harvesting arnica for medicinal purposes
Flowers and leaves are harvested in June and July, and roots – in the fall. They should be collected at the beginning of flowering, cutting off by hand in dry weather, after the dew has subsided. No need to collect flowers that have fly testicles. You need to dry very quickly at a temperature of 55-60 ° C.
Interestingly, even during drying, the flowering of the plant continues and it turns out that with the late collection of raw materials, the flowers from the baskets crumble and the raw materials eventually come out more crushed. It has a weak smell, rather fragrant, with a sharp-bitter taste.
The collected material is stored in a dark room, cool, without moisture.
Arnica flowers contain essential oil, tannins, ascorbic acid, betaine, alkaloids, fatty oils, sugars and many other useful substances. Rhizomes also contain essential oils, wax, resins and gums.
It is very important to remember that the plant is poisonous.
This plant is also used as an incense, for fumigating the room before meditation.
It is believed that the aroma of arnica normalizes sleep and helps to calm the nervous system.
Arnica has always been considered a symbol of the sun by the ancient alchemists.
The use of mountain arnica in folk medicine
In folk medicine, tincture from the flowers of the plant is mainly used. It is shown to regulate the tone of the central nervous system, as it well reduces the reflex excitability of the cerebral cortex. The tincture has a good anticonvulsant effect. Appreciate it for a strong sedative effect.
A decoction prepared from arnica flowers is considered a good remedy for worms and is successfully used to treat enterobiasis.
The infusion has a hemostatic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect.
In addition to tincture, a decoction of the roots is popular, because it has a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system, and most importantly, it helps to improve the functioning of the heart muscle, expands the coronary vessels. It is important to note that the decoction has the property of accelerating the heart rate and increasing the amplitude of contractions of the heart muscle.
A decoction of arnica helps in the treatment of bloody diarrhea, gout, bronchitis, gastric diseases, influenza, epilepsy. It is often used for convulsions that are caused by lifting weights.
Preparations prepared from arnica have a pronounced choleretic effect. They are valued for their ability to lower blood cholesterol levels.
Alcohol tincture of flowers is taken orally for various bleeding – for example, nasal. Tincture helps with external use in case of muscle pain, fractures, dislocations. An effective remedy for nervous diseases, inflammation of the veins, and various gastrointestinal problems. Outwardly, an aqueous infusion of arnica flowers is also used. It is effective for poultices, compresses, rashes on the skin and lips, furunculosis, bruises, small abrasions, small cuts, rheumatism and lumbago. The infusion copes well with hematomas, various pustular skin diseases, light burns and frostbite.
Arnica effectively treats trophic ulcers and strengthens the vessels of the brain.
Arnica tincture is popular not only in traditional medicine, but also in the official one. With success, alcohol tincture is used in gynecological practice, especially for internal bleeding.
Arnica is used for myocarditis, hypertension, thrombophlebitis, heart failure, sclerosis, angina pectoris, and it is also effective in the recovery and severe rehabilitation of patients after stroke and heart attack.
Even dentists recommend using arnica for various inflammations of the mouth and throat. To do this, rinse and rinse the oral cavity with arnica. The fact is that the plant well enhances blood circulation, and thus stimulates the resistance of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Half a teaspoon of arnica tincture is diluted in a glass of warm water and gargled. You can use for these purposes and just tea from arnica.
Mountain arnica recipes
One must be very careful when taking arnica internally, as it is a poisonous plant. These tinctures of mountain arnica are suitable for the treatment of cardiosclerosis, hypertension, angina pectoris, myocarditis.
1st recipe: 1 teaspoon of flowers is required to pour two glasses of water, leave for 2 hours in a sealed container, then strain. You need to take the remedy 1 spoonful several times a day before meals. The infusion can be stored in a dark place, but not more than two days.
2st recipe: 2 teaspoons of dry roots must be poured with two glasses of water, boiled in a sealed container, insisted for one hour, then strained. Take the drug 1 tablespoon several times a day, do it before meals.
3st recipe: 3 teaspoons of dried flowers should be poured with two glasses of water and infused for two hours. It is used for gargling, as well as for washing and lotions.
You can make arnica alcohol. To do this, fresh arnica flowers must be mixed in the same proportion by weight with 30% alcohol, then insist for fourteen days. After this time has elapsed, the mixture is filtered through several layers of fabric.
You can prepare a special decoction that will help get rid of kidney and bladder stones. It is prepared like this: wiped leaves of mountain arnica, bearberry and horsetail herb must be taken 10 grams each, pour one liter of boiled water, boil in an enamel bowl for five to seven minutes. Then you need to insist the broth for at least 3 hours. Take the remedy should be half a glass three times a day in between meals.
Compress for tired legs. You need to take 4 teaspoons of arnica, pour one liter of hot water, leave it better for ten minutes. There is another way: mix 1 tablespoon of the prepared arnica solution with a quarter liter of warm water. Then soak the gauze in the solution, wrap your feet. Lie calmly with your legs raised for about 30 minutes. Such a compress will help with stretching the muscles and tendons, and even if they break. It is worth remembering about it with dislocations, especially if there is a hemorrhage. The compress is very effective, it contributes to the rapid resorption of hematomas and thus stimulates the rapid healing of injuries. It relieves pain well, if they are received with such injuries.
Drug overdose
Overdose of preparations prepared from arnica may cause sweating, nausea, chills, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, and vomiting. In severe cases, the activity of the cardiovascular system can be disrupted. If you have any of the above symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.
External use of arnica can also cause side effects. These can be allergic reactions, itching and burning, bubbles can form on the affected area.
Contraindications to the use of arnica mountain
This is a poisonous plant. You need to follow the exact dosage. It is strictly forbidden to use arnica for people with increased blood clotting, with individual intolerance to arnica.