Want to know how to make arnica salve for pain relief? Discover our arnica salve recipe and make your own at home.
Arnica is one of the few medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory properties due to the helenalin content, but also to the flavonoids that strengthen the blood vessels. Currently, arnica is one of the most popular homeopathic remedies used to treat bruises and pain. If you are looking for a natural remedy for muscle pain, varicose veins, or joint inflammation, we recommend the arnica salve recipe below. But before we show you how to make arnica salve for pain relief, here is how to harvest arnica.
In This Article You Will Find:
How to Harvest Arnica
Arnica (Arnica montana) grows on alpine hay fields, is 30-40 cm tall, and has a big, yellow, and beautiful flower, that looks like a miniature sunflower. Arnica blooms from June to the end of August, when it can also be harvested. Ideally, it should be picked only on sunny days, between 11 and 13 o’clock in the afternoon. When harvesting, take only the flower (leaving the root, leaves, or stem).
After drying, arnica loses half of its therapeutical properties, thus it should be used right away or a maximum of 4 hours after harvesting to make arnica oil and tincture, the base ingredients for arnica salve. If you want to use the dried arnica though, you can dehydrate it at 45°C/113°F to keep most of its therapeutic properties, but this is not ideal.
In some parts around the world arnica is labeled as an endangered species and is protected by law, so please get informed before deciding to harvest arnica.
Health Uses of Arnica
Arnica has beneficial effects on the blood vessels, connective tissue, and muscles. It stimulates the blood supply of the affected area, stops inflammation, soothes pain, and helps absorb hematomas. Arnica poultices and salves speed up the healing process of injured joints, tendons, and muscles. Even more, there have been many cases of people healing dislocations or even fractures very fast with this miraculous plant.
How to Make Arnica Salve for Pain – 100 % Natural
Ingredients
- 30 ml arnica oil
- 15 g lanolin
- 4 g beeswax
- 30 ml arnica tincture
- 20 drops of camphor essential oil
- 15 drops of mountain pine essential oil
- 15 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
Optional
- Rosemary, cinnamon, or black pepper essential oils for muscle cramps.
- Tea tree, lavender, or benzoin essential oils – for eczemas or wounds that have a hard time healing.
Preparation
Put the arnica oil, wax, and lanolin in one bowl, and the arnica tincture in another one. Put both these bowls into a double boiler and steam until the wax and lanolin are completely mixed. Remove from the heat, and add the tincture over the melted wax and oils, and mix continuously until the composition reaches body temperature. Then, add the essential oils and continue mixing for a few seconds. Pour the arnica salve into a glass cream container and keep it in the refrigerator. You can find the ingredients for the arnica salve recipe below.
Arnica Salve Uses
- Muscle Pain – Arnica is a good natural pain reliever, a safer alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other conventional analgesics.
- Varicose Veins – Arnica improves blood circulation, and when used topically it improves peripheral circulation and helps the resorption of ecchymoses (bruises) and post-traumatic edema. It also has an antiseptic and cicatrizing effect.
- Joint Inflammation – Arnica is one of the few medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory properties, as it contains helenalin.
Read Also: Cabbage Salve Recipe for Pain Relief
Do not apply arnica salve directly to open or bleeding wounds. If you are sensitive to arnica, long time use can cause allergic skin rashes. Arnica is not recommended during pregancy. If you’ve enjoyed learning how to make arnica salve for pain relief, joint pain, and varicose veins, please share this article so more people can make their own arnica salve. Stay healthy, naturally!
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