ARNICA

ARNICA

This plant originally from Mexico became popular several years ago because it found very useful medicinal properties. The main characteristic is that it acts as a healing, disinfectant, and how desinflamante painkiller. With the leaves and branches are cataplasms or through the baking time, building for the wounds. In domestic beatings and bruises on which there is pain, Arnica or False Arnica is used as a tea, but can also be applied macerated or in the form of ointment mixed with lard. It has been recommended, in addition to sores, rashes, infections and chafing of baby - through cooking or application of towels, rheumatism, ulcer pain, stomach, lung, breast, kidney and muscle, whose treatment is the infusion take as water usage.

The False Arnica is a plant that measured less than 1 m in height. The leaves are long and wide. Their flowers are grouped together and placed in a circular shape. Is generally in warm climates, semi, dry and mild. It is grown in gardens, although growing associated with the tropical deciduous and evergreen forest, Xeric scrublands, forests of oak and mixed pine.

Arnica.

Arnica montana.

This is a plant that could qualify as modern, because it was not known, or more precisely, their qualities were not exploited by the sages of ancient Greece. Of the mountain itself (where the shepherds used dry leaves for rolling cigarettes) is used to alleviate bumps and twists.

Used Part.

Chapters floral and popularly also the root of the species Arnica montana L. Arnica chamissonis or Less. ssp. foliosa (Nutt. Maguire.

FEATURES: Plant green, with a rhizome from which emerges a stem less than half a meter high, culminating in a flower made up (like the margaritas) with the center red orange and yellow petals. At the base will form a rosette of leaves whose appearance recalls a long spear, and sometimes one's own stem ramifications arise for couples that culminate in separate flower clusters. Is also called snuff mountain.

LOCATION: Only found in the mountains, in siliceous soils, in cold weather, with snow in winter.

ACTIVE: Active Principles.

Sesquiterpenes lactones (0. 2 - 0. 8%) type pseudoguayanólido (helenalina 11th, 13 - hidroxihelenalina, and their esters with acetic acid, isobutyric, methacrylic, tíglico. Arnica chamissonis contains the highest proportion of lactones: 0, 6 - 1, 7%, being arnifolina addition, camisonólido and its esters. Essential oil (0, 2 - 0, 3%) n - alkanes, thymol derivatives, mono and Sesquiterpenes (alpha - phellandrene, humuleno, mirceno, delta - cadineno, Caryophyllene oxide) Cinnamic acid and its derivatives (caféico acid, chlorogenic, cinarina) flavonoids; cumarinas (umbeliferona, escopoletina) poliacetilenos; hill; xanthophylls pigments, tannins; phytosterols. Traces of alkaloids pirrolizidínicos (tusilagina, isotusilagina)

The European Pharmacopoeia indicates that the dried flowers of Arnica montana must contain at least 0. 7% of lactones sesquiterpénicas. Posee essences, but curiously those of the flowers are different from the rhizome of two bodies, the only pharmacologically active, possess, in addition of the essence, a substance made up of several chemical compounds and are known as arnicina. The latter is responsible for the properties of the plant, while the essences of flowers to give a perfume like the chamomile, and the rhizome smells like wet radishes.

Medicinal properties: The arnica promotes blood circulation, so its use is indicated no external injuries that have caused injury: shock, sprains, bruises. It is also a heart tonic.

Drug Action.

Anti - inflammatory, analgesic, healing, antiseptic, antimicrobial (against gram positive and negative) antifungal, antihistamine. Cardiotonic, analéptico cardiorespiratory (see precautions) lipid lowering, antiplatelet. Colagogo, slightly sedative, spasmolytic.

The roots and leaves are popularly used as febrífugo and vulnerary (healing, antiseptic)

COLLECTION: The flowers should be caught immediately, just as it opens, before they are parasitized by flies, that is, at the end of spring. The rhizomes can be started later and entered the fall.

USES AND APPLICATIONS: Used almost exclusively as a dye in external application on the party affected by a blow or a strain. To prepare the tincture, take 100 grams of flowers and placed in a container with one liter of alcohol, is plugged in and let rest for nine days at least. Filtered and stored in a dark bottle. Ever to be used, the amount required is extracted and mixed with equal parts of water, is applied with a gauze strip soaked and what is left over. Its domestic use should be exclusive of specialists, as a high dose could be toxic.

Indications.

Because of its potential toxicity, limited to recommend its use as a topical anti - inflammatory and vulnerary in bruises, dislocations, bruises, bruises, escoceduras, skin irritation, acne, itching, hives, neuralgia, swollen joints, myalgia, stomatitis, gingivitis, pharyngitis and tonsillitis.

Contraindications.

Hypersensitivity to the arnica flower or other composites.

Pregnancy, breast feeding (oral)

Open wounds, dermatitis (topical)

Liver Diseases, although it appears that the tusilagina and isotusilagina not have the hepatoxicidad other alkaloids pirrolizidínicos.

Processes of alcohol addiction, children under two years (with dosage forms for mouth alcohol content)

Caution / Poisoning.

Avoid your prescription via internal: It is a highly toxic plant. High doses can cause nerve disorders: hallucinations, dizziness, digestive problems (it is very irritating to the mucous membranes) dyspnea and heart failure (the helenalina has an effect inotropic indirect sympathomimetic per share)

When prescribed by internal, not exceeding the doses indicated.

In topical use because of the lactones Sesquiterpenes (especially the helenalina and its derivatives) can cause allergic skin reactions in the form of vesicular dermatitis and edema, so it should be used always very diluted. In the event of the occurrence of dermatitis, stopping treatment.

Galenica forms / Dosage.

See section of precautions.

Internal use:

Infusion: 5 g / l. Two cups a day.

Fluid extract (1: 5) 5 - 10 drops, one to three times a day.

Tincture (1: 10) 10 - 20 drops, one to three times a day.

Topical use in the form of lotions or compresses embedded:

Infusion to 2 - 4%.

Tincture (1: 10) diluted to 10% in water.

Fluid Extract: diluted to 20%.

Glycolic extract (1: 5) in the form of creams or gels.

Plant cool: Popularly used in the form of plasters prepared from the flowering tops or crushed root.

Often the flowers of arnica are parasitized by the larvae of a fly that deposits eggs in the flowering ends, so that the flowers should be collected as soon as possible, anticipating the arrival of flies.

Arnica plant in which one can see the detail of one of the tiny flowers that make up the inflorescence, the margarita. This plant grows in the mountains of Europe and North America, but as scarce in its natural state, is protected by law in many countries.

Bibliography.

Benigni, R; Capra, C; Cattorini, P. Piante Medicinali. Chimica, Pharmacology and Therapy. Milano: Inverni & Della Beffa, 1962, pp. 103 - 4.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M. Dans la Plantes Les Thérapeutiques Moderne. 2. Paris: Maloine, 1986, p. 87.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M; Trotin, F. Medicinal plants of temperate Regions. Paris: Maloine, 1980, p. 377.

European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) Monographs on the medicinal uses of plant drugs. Fascicle 4: arnicae flos (Arnica flower) July, 1997.

Fernandez, M; Nieto, A. Medicinal Plants. Pamplona: Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, 1982, p. 35.

James, A; Duke, Ph. D. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. 5. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, 1987, pp. 64; 517; 548.

Lastra, JJ; Bachiller, LI. Medicinal Plants in Asturias, Cantabria and the cornice. Gijón: Ediciones Trea, 1997, pp. 79 - 80.

Paris, RR; Moyse, M. Summary of Matter Médicale. Take III. Paris: Masson, 1971, pp. 467 - 9.

Peris, JB; Stübing, G; Vanaclocha, B. Applied Fitoterapia. Valencia: M. I. Official College of Pharmacists, 1995, pp. 158 - 9.

Van Hellemont, J. Compendium of Phytothérapie. Bruxelles: Association Pharmaceutique Belge, 1986, p. 45.

Villar, L; Palacín, JM; Calvo, C. Gomez, D; Montserrat, G. Medicinal Plants of the Aragonese Pyrenees and other tierrras Huesca. 2. Huesca: Provincial, 1992, p. 36.

WICHTL, M. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceutical. A Handbook for Practice on a scientific basis. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers, 1994, pp. 83 - 7.

Wijnsma R; Woerdenbag HJ; W. Busse Die Bedeutung von Arnika - art in der Phytothérapie. Z. Phytothérapie 1995; 16: 48 - 62.

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