Arnica montana

Arnica montana, sometimes mistakenly referred to as leopard's bane,has also been called wolf's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica, is a European flowering plant with large yellow capitula. It also grows at about 4000 feet in the mountains of British Columbia.

Arnica has been used in herbal medicine. for many years. It has been used by first nations healers in British Columbia, for centuries.

Distribution and habitat

Arnica montana is endemic to Europe, from southern Iberia to southern Scandinavia and the Carpathians. It is absent from the British Isles and the Italian and Balkan Peninsulas. A. montana> grows in nutrient-poor siliceous meadows up to nearly 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). It is rare overall, but may be locally abundant. It is becoming rarer, particularly in the north of its distribution, largely due to increasingly intensive agriculture. In more upland regions, it may also be found on nutrient-poor moors and heaths.

Form

A. montana has tall stems, 20â€"60 centimetres (7.9â€"23.6 in) high, supporting usually a single flower head. Most of the leaves are in a basal rosette, but one or two pairs may be found on the stem and are, unusually for composites, opposite. The flower heads are yellow, approximately 5 cm in diameter, and appear from May to August.

Uses

Arnica montana is sometimes grown in herb gardens and historically has been used as medicine.

The roots contain derivatives of thymol, which are used as fungicides and preservatives and may have some anti-inflammatory effect.

When used topically in a gel at 50% concentration, Arnica montana was found to have the same effect when compared to a 5% ibuprofen gel for treating the symptoms of hand osteoarthritis.

A scientific study by FDA funded dermatologists found that the application of topical arnica had no better effect than a placebo in the treatment of laser-induced bruising.

Toxicity

It contains the toxin helenalin, which can be poisonous if large amounts of the plant are eaten. It produces severe gastroenteritis and internal bleeding of the digestive tract if enough material is ingested. Contact with the plant can also cause skin irritation.

References

External links

• Royal Society of Medicine Article concerning testing involving Arnica (RSM)
• Botanica.com Arnica
• "Arnica montana". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved May 23, 2006. 

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