Arnica’s Humble Beginnings

As the folklore tells it, humans learned the value of arnica when mountain goats would clamber to find the Arnica plant after falling or stumbling. Thus locals began to apply it herbally for bruises, mostly in external salves or steeped in teas. Thus its German name, Fallkraut or Fall herb.

Homeopathy’s founder, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, conducted provings of Arnica initially on ten fellow doctors. Provings consisted of  controlled tests in which doctors consumed large quantities of the original plant while other doctors took meticulous notes on every possible symptom that was experienced. A homeopathically prepared dose was then given to antidote the original substance.

They found that if a very large quantity of the raw plant is eaten, Arnica actually disorganizes tissues and encourages stagnation. The principle of homeopathy, like cures like, means that taking a very diluted amount of the original substance will help cure the symptoms that a large, natural dose would induce. Therefore, it is reasonable to accept that the remedy has the answers to the needs of the body to heal injuries efficiently,  minimizing bruising and swelling.

Since then, many more provings have confirmed and expanded the uses of homeopathic arnica.