More and more doctors every day are prescribing Arnica montana for bruising. Particularly interesting is the number of surgeons that are recommending Arnica for both pre-operative and post-operative care.
What exactly is Arnica? Arnica is a flowering plant that is native to Europe. If the plant is eaten in large amounts it is actually poisonous, so it is not available in a traditional herbal capsule. Rather it is marketed as a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic remedies are extremely diluted forms of the original substances that are designed to elicit a response that helps to guide our own biological systems to begin to cure ourselves. In this way substances that may be hazardous in there original state can be made very effective in this diluted form.
Arnica is available in both oral homeopathy and in creams and gels for topical use. Most of the doctors that I have encountered are particularly fond of the oral micro-tablets that are available by a few different well respected manufactures such as Borion, Hylands and Nelsons. But I do believe the topical preparations are also effective for bruising and often for muscle pain as well. A combination of taking the pills orally and using a topical preparation is an extremely effective approach to combating bruising and muscle soreness.
