A common first aid among athletes and sports enthusiasts is arnica ointment. It is a herbal topical medicine which is used for bruises, muscle soreness and swelling due to injuries, blows and falls. It is applied as treatment to those having skin problems too such as acne and other skin inflammation that are caused by insect bites and stings. However, it is not recommended for open wounds.
The preparation comes basically from arnica, a genus, with about 30 perennial, herbaceous species. It belongs to the same family as the sunflower. Its yellow and orange flowers have slight aromatic fragrant. Arnica plants has been used for centuries as treatment to muscle and skin injuries. But current product developments made it readily available in the market in the form of ointment, tincture, salve and oil. Many would prefer the ointment though as it is non-greasy, non-sticky and quickly absorbent. Most ointments also do not contain artificial colors and perfumes.
The healing component that is in arnica ointment is sesquiterpene lactones, it reduces swelling by delaying the normal immune reaction. Usually when an injury takes place, the body would react by rushing the blood to the affected area. But when arnica ointment is applied, it facilitates the normal blood flow by dilating subcutaneous blood capillaries so blood would not coagulate. As an effect, discoloration which appears from bruises is lessened.
For best results, Arnica ointment should be applied in thin layer on the affected area immediately after acquiring the bruises or injury. Make sure that the affected area is cleaned first before the application. The same procedure can be done three times. Make sure that it does not come in contact with eyes and open wounds. Its application must be limited to a particular period of time and must be stopped once healing is evident. Prolonged use of the ointment often leads to blisters, eczema, peeling and other skin conditions. Thus, when irritation begins, its use should be temporarily stopped.
Although generally arnica ointment is safe for use but its application must not be combined with other ointments as it can sometimes trigger a reaction. It is advised that it should be applied exclusively since other people might be hypersensitive and allergic to combined applications.
So the next time that you have headache, muscle pains and body aches, and even skin problems such as acne, look no further for treatment. Keep an arnica ointment or arnica cream in your first aid kit so that it comes handy when minor bodily complaints set in. For a product of one, it is amazing how multiple problems can be treated. Truly, nothing beats mother nature’s healing and caring power.
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