By: Adam L.
Pain of any sort is one of the leading causes of drug addiction in the US.
And while many people think of drug addiction in this sense only in terms of opioid abuse, addiction to Tylenol and Motrin are often common to help control pain.
Which is why you’ll be interested to know there’s a natural, plant-based gel that helps with drastic pain relief.
The gel in question is called Arnica gel. People make arnica gel out of the arnica montana flower, a daisy-like flower that grows up and down the American and Canadian Rockies as well as high in the Alps of Europe.
Arnica gel is one of the most potent topical painkillers in the natural world. And when combined with arnica homeopathic tablets there’s a significant power in its ability to banish pain.
Let’s explore what arnica is and how exactly it helps keep pain at bay.
Here’s How Arnica Helps to Control Pain
For hundreds of years Native American tribes here in America, as well as Europeans in the high-alpine of the Alps, have relied on Arnica to help with bruising and pain relief.
Typically, arnica gel is used externally. This is why a lot of people use it instead of Bengay.
Compounds in arnica gel penetrate the skin and move into muscle tissue where they have an analgesic property while also helping improve blood flow to promote healing and bruise reduction.
This is the main use for arnica gel and the one most people will get the most benefit from.
However, homeopathic practitioners believe arnica can also be used internally for added benefit. If you’re not aware, homeopathic medicine is based on the premise that gradual exposure to potentially harmful plants can one day lead to a tolerance that allows for the eventual therapeutic use of said plant.
Arnica is poisonous, but homeopathic experts show it’s a capable pain-reliever.
Before we get into the homeopathic aspect of arnica use, it might be wise to show you that trusted, mainstream sources approve of arnica for pain relief.
Consider this excerpt from the New York Times:
“…scientists have found good evidence that it works.
One randomized study published in 2007 looked at 204 people with osteoarthritis in their hands and found that an arnica gel preparation worked just as well as daily ibuprofen, and with minimal side effects.
Another study of 79 people with [pain] of the knee found that when patients used arnica gel twice daily for three to six weeks, they experienced significant reductions in pain and stiffness and had improved function.
Only one person experienced an allergic reaction.”
Now, that’s external use.
When used internally, homeopathic experts posit it does more than relieve the physical pain… it helps to heal a person holding onto pain.
This is a major criticism of modern-day painkillers. People accuse drug manufacturers of inducing a situation in which the injured become dependent on drugs to manage pain. And so, long after the physical pain is gone, addiction remains and people believe they’re still injured.
Arnica may help to lessen pain and may help to reduce how dependent people are on painkillers.
How Arnica Does More Than Just Relieve Topical Pain
The homeopathic presupposition of using a potentially fatal plant to help relieve pain stems from the long traditions of ancient cultures and how they used arnica.
The Swiss have used arnica for centuries to stay alert at high altitudes and to improve mood. This is why they sometimes refer to it as mountain tobacco. Typically they pick the leaves, dry them, and then chew them.
They claim that in addition to acting as a stimulant, it helps them feel less pain, too.
Homeopathic experts first incorporated it into treatment schemas because of those reasons.
But a prominent homeopathic expert at the British Homeopathic Association believes it could do so much more.
Marysia Kratimenos MB BS FRCS(Ed) FFHom writes:
“Arnica is not just a remedy for the bruised body; it is a remedy of the bruised soul. As Massimo Mangialavori so eloquently phrased it, it is a remedy for ‘someone who doesn’t forget pains’. Indeed the Arnica constitution is one who attracts pain on every level, just as the Staphysagria woman attracts the wife-beater and the Natrum muriaticum girl constantly falls in love with unavailable men.
There is a perverse logic to it all. In repeating our personal histories, we are allowing life to act homeopathically to heal our souls. The ‘why does this always happen to me?’ is the first step towards insight and life changes. “
Kratimenos admits that internal use for Arnica doesn’t have support from clinical trials, but also notes thousands of people have testified to homeopathic use for arnica as a potent painkiller.
There’s enough anecdotal evidence that it should be championed more often and should be included in more clinical trials.
Regardless, the external uses for Arnica are proven and true. This is why top retailers like Walmart to Whole Foods carry it on their shelves.
When it comes to finding the right brand, it’s suggested you read reviews and base your decision on the brand and kind you want to use. Arnica gel and arnica homeopathic tablets are available in different strengths and you’ll need to custom-tailor it to your unique needs.
