Arnica Montana: Should not be used locally in damaged skin, however it can be applied locally and orally simultaneously in trauma cases in healthy skin tissue. (Organon of Medicine)
Figure 3 Arnica contraindicated locally in skin abrasions
ARNICA MONTANA
Leopard’s Bane (ARNICA)
Figure 4 Arnica Montana Plant
It produces conditions on the system quite similar to those resulting from injuries, falls, blows and contusions. Tinnitus aurium, putrid phenomena.
Septic conditions; prophylactic of pus infection. Apoplexy, red and full face are also produced by Arnica during proving process.
It is especially suited to cases when any injury, however remote, seems to have caused the present trouble ( one single dose of 200 c is usually enough). After traumatic injuries, overuse of any organ, strains it can be used. Arnica is disposed to cerebral congestion. Acts best in plethoric people, feebly in debilitated with impoverished blood, cardiac dropsy with dyspnea. It is a muscular tonic. Traumatism of grief, remorse or sudden realization of financial loss. Limbs and body ache as if beaten; joints as if sprained. Bed feels too hard. It has marked effect on the blood.
Affects the venous system inducing stasis (can be used in varicose veins). Echymosis and hemorrhages. Relaxed blood vessels, black and blue spots. Tendency to hemorrhage and low-fever states. It has tendency to tissue degeneration, septic conditions and abscesses that do not mature. It exerts sore, lame, bruised feeling. It has neuralgias originating in disturbances of pneumo-gastric nerve(11th cranial nerve). It also has rheumatism of muscular and tendinous tissue, especially of back and shoulders. It has aversion to tobacco( can be used to quit smoking cigarettes and tobacco). Influenza, thrombosis and haematocele are among its symptoms.
Mind.–Fears touch, or the approach of anyone ( Patients in Arnica state think they are healthy in spite of being hurt). Unconscious; when spoken to answers correctly, but relapses. Indifference; inability to perform continuous active work; morose, delirious. Nervous; cannot bear pain; whole body oversensitive. Says there is nothing the matter with him.
Wants to be let alone. Agoraphobia (i.e. fear of crowded places). Can be used after mental strain or shock.
Head.–Hot, with cold body; confused; sensitiveness of brain, with sharp, pinching pains. Scalp feels contracted. Cold spot is felt by patient on forehead. Chronic vertigo; objects whirl about especially when walking.
Eyes.–Diplopia from traumatism, muscular paralysis, retinal hemorrhage. Bruised, sore feeling in eyes after close work. Must keep eyes open. Dizzy on closing them. He/she feels tired and weary after sight-seeing, moving pictures, etc.
Ears.–Noises in ear caused by rush of blood to the head. Shooting in and around ears. Blood from ears. Dullness of hearing after concussion. Pain in cartilages of ears as if bruised.
Nose.–Bleeding after every fit of coughing, dark fluid blood. Nose feels sore; cold.
Mouth.–Fetid breath. Dry and thirsty. Bitter taste (Colocy). Taste as from bad eggs. Soreness of gums after teeth extraction (Sepia). Empyema of maxillary sinus.
Face.–Sunken; very red. Heat in lips. Herpes in face.
Stomach.–Longing for vinegar. Distaste for milk and meat. Canine hunger. Vomiting of blood. Pain in stomach during eating. Repletion with loathing. Oppressive gases pass upward and downward. Pressure as from a stone. Feeling as if stomach were passing against spine. Fetid vomiting.
Abdomen.–Stitches under false ribs. Distended; offensive flatus. Sharp thrusts through abdomen.
Stool.–Straining of tenesmus in diarrhea. Offensive, brown, bloody, putrid, involuntary. Looks like brown yeast. Must lie down after every stool. Diarrhœa of consumption; worse lying on left side. Dysenteric stools with muscular pains.
Urine.–Retained from over-exertion. Dark brick-red sediment. Vesical tenesmus with very painful micturition.
Female.–Bruised parts after labor. Violent after-pains. Uterine hemorrhage from mechanical injury after coition. Sore nipples. Mastitis from injury. Feeling as if fetus were lying crosswise.
Respiratory.–Coughs depending on cardiac lesion, paroxysmal, at night, during sleep, worse exercise. Acute tonsillitis, swelling of soft palate and uvula. Pneumonia; approaching paralysis. Hoarseness from overuse of voice. Raw, sore feeling in morning. Cough produced by weeping and lamenting. Dry, from tickling low down in trachea. Bloody expectoration. Dyspnœa with hæmoptysis. All bones and cartilages of chest painful. Violent spasmodic cough, with facial herpes. Whooping cough, child cries before coughing. Pleurodynia (Ranunc; Cimicif).
Heart.–Angina pectoris; pain especially severe in elbow of left arm. Stitches in heart. Pulse feeble and irregular. Cardiac dropsy with distressing dyspnea. Extremities distended, feel bruised and sore. Fatty heart and hypertrophy.
Extremities.–Gout. Great fear of being touched or approached. Pain in back and limbs, as if bruised or beaten. Sprained and dislocated feeling. Soreness after overexertion. Everything on which he lies seems too hard. Deathly coldness of forearm. Cannot walk erect, on account of bruised pain in pelvic region. Rheumatism begins low down and works up (Ledum).
Skin.–Black and blue. Itching, burning, eruption of small pimples. Crops of small boils (Ichthyol; Silica). Ecchymosis. Bed sores (Bovinine locally). Acne indurata, characterized by symmetry in distribution.
Sleep.–Sleepless and restless when over tired. Comatose drowsiness; awakens with hot head; dreams of death, mutilated bodies, anxious and terrible. Horrors in the night. Involuntary stools during sleep.
Fever.–Febrile symptoms closely related to typhoid. Shivering over whole body. Heat and redness of head, with coolness of rest of body. Internal heat; feet and hands cold. Nightly sour sweats.
Modalities.–Worse, least touch; motion; rest; wine; damp cold. Better, lying down, or with head low.
Relationship.–Antidotes: Camph. Vitex trifolia.
–Indian Arnica (Sprains and pains, headache in temples, pain in joints; pain in abdomen; pain in testicles).
Complementary: Acon; Ipec.
Compare: Acon; Bapt; Bellis; Hamam; Rhus; Hyperic.
Dose.–Third to thirtieth potency. Locally, the tincture, but should never be applied hot or at all when abrasions or cuts are present. (In chronic cases of remote or delayed trauma a single dose of 200 c is usually effective to restore health).
Duration of Action: Short but not definite.
