Arnica Flowers • Dried Herbs • Natural Herbs • Arnica Montana • Loose Leaf Tea • Dried Flowers • Medicinal Herbs • Infused Oils •

Botanical Name ~ Arnica montana 🌿Overview ~Arnica montana, also known as wolf’s bane, leopard’s bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica, is a moderately toxic ethnobotanical European flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is noted for its large yellow flower head. The names “wolf’s bane” and “leopard’s bane” are also used for another plant, aconitum, which is extremely poisonous. Arnica montana is used as an herbal medicine for analgesic and anti-inflammatory purposes, but there is insufficient high-quality clinical evidence for such effects, and it is toxic when taken internally or applied to injured skin. 🌿USE IN HERBAL MEDICINE Historically, Arnica montana has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries. Traditional uses for the plant are similar to those for willow bark, with it generally being employed for analgesic and anti-inflammatory purposes. Clinical trials of Arnica montana have yielded mixed results: 🧪CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS Chemical structure of helenalin 🧪The main constituents of Arnica montana are essential oils, fatty acids, thymol, pseudoguaianolide sesquiterpene lactones and flavanone glycosides. Pseudoguaianolide sesquiterpenes constitute 0.2–0.8% of the flower head of Arnica montana. They are the toxin helenalin and their fatty esters. 2,5-Dimethoxy-p-cymene and thymol methyl ether are the primary components of essential oils from both the plant’s roots and rhizomes. The quality and chemical consitution of the plant substance Arnicae flos can be monitored by near-infrared spectroscopy. ⚠️Toxicity The US Food and Drug Administration has classified Arnica montana as an unsafe herb because of its toxicity. It should not be taken orally or applied to broken skin where absorption can occur. Arnica irritates mucous membranes and may elicit stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. It may produce contact dermatitis when applied to skin. Arnica montana contains the toxin helenalin, which can be poisonous if large amounts of the plant are eaten or small amounts of concentrated Arnica are used. Consumption of A. montana can produce severe gastroenteritis, internal bleeding of the digestive tract, raised liver enzymes (which can indicate inflammation of the liver), nervousness, accelerated heart rate, muscular weakness, and death if enough is ingested. Contact with the plant can also cause skin irritation. In the Ames test, an extract of A. montana was found to be mutagenic. 💯Disclaimer is in accordance with the FDA~ This information is intended only as a general reference for further exploration, and is not a replacement for professional health advice. This content does not provide dosage information, format recommendations, toxicity levels, or possible interactions with prescription drugs. Accordingly, this information should be used only under the direct supervision of a qualified health practitioner such as a naturopathic physician.