Arnica mountain and its benefits

source

Arnica Mountain is a perennial herb with straight pubescent stems. The leaves are basal, oblong, ovoid in the form of a rosette. Orange or yellow flowers are collected in baskets. The fruit of the plant has the shape of a pointed cylindrical 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, in meadows and mountain slopes, less frequently in the plains. The parts of the plant used in folk medicine are flowers, less frequently use leaves and roots.

Flowers and leaves are harvested in June and July, and the roots in autumn. They should be collected at the beginning of flowering, interrupted manually in dry weather, after the dew has decreased. It is not necessary to collect flowers that have fly testicles. You need to dry very quickly at a temperature of 55-60 ° C.

It is interesting that even during drying, the flowering of the plant continues and it turns out that with a late collection of raw materials, the flowers of the baskets crumble and the raw materials finally get more chopped. It has a slight smell, rather aromatic, with a sour and bitter taste.

The collected material is stored in a dark room, in a cool place, without moisture.

Arnica flowers contain essential oil, tannins, ascorbic acid, betaine, alkaloids, fatty oil, sugars and many other useful substances. Rhizomes also contain essential oils, wax, resins and gum.

It is very important to remember that the plant is poisonous.

This plant is also used as incense to fumigate a room before meditation.

It is believed that the aroma of arnica normalizes sleep and helps calm the nervous system.

Arnica among former alchemists was always considered a symbol of the sun.

In folk medicine, they mainly use tincture of the flowers of the plant. It is indicated for the regulation of the tone of the central nervous system, since it reduces well the reflex excitability of the cerebral cortex. Tincture has a good anticonvulsant effect. I appreciate her for a strong sedative effect.

A decoction made of arnica flowers is considered a good remedy against worms and is used successfully to treat enterobiasis.

The infusion has a hemostatic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and healing effect.

In addition to tincture, a decoction of the roots is popular, because it has an exciting effect on the cardiovascular system and, most importantly, improves the work of the heart muscle and dilates the coronary vessels. It is important to keep in mind that the decoction has the property of accelerating the rhythm of the heart and increasing the amplitude of contractions of the heart muscle.

Arnica decoction helps in the treatment of diarrhea with blood, gout, bronchitis, gastric diseases, influenza and epilepsy. It is often used for seizures caused by weightlifting.

Preparations prepared from arnica have a pronounced choleretic effect. They are valued for being able to reduce blood cholesterol.

Tincture of flowers with alcohol is taken orally for various bleeds, 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, with various gastrointestinal problems. Externally, water infusion of arnica flowers is also used. It is effective for poultices, compresses, it is used for rashes on the skin and lips, for tuberculosis, bruises, small abrasions, small cuts, rheumatism and lumbago. The infusion adapts well to bruising, various diseases of the pustular skin, minor burns and freezing.

Arnica effectively treats trophic ulcers and strengthens blood vessels in the brain.

Arnica tincture is popular not only in traditional medicine, but also in official medicine. Successfully, alcohol tincture is used in gynecological practice, especially with internal bleeding.

Arnica is used for myocarditis, hypertension, thrombophlebitis, heart failure, sclerosis, angina pectoris and is also effective in the recovery and severe rehabilitation of patients after a 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 improves blood circulation and, therefore, the resistance of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity is stimulated. Half a teaspoon of arnica tincture is raised in a glass of warm water and gargle. You can use only arnica tea for this purpose.