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Early Arnica, Arnica cordifolia
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| Drying Arnica flowers |
Heart leaf arnica, Arnica cordifolia, Asteracea family, heart-leaf leopardbane. Arnica grows widely in Cascadia and in the western US, middle to high elevation, with ray disc flowers, ours here is always a single flower with the opposite leaves at the base of the flower a distinctive identifying feature, also called twin leaf Arnica.
https://youtu.be/B89EXbGpuks
I have seen it thriving in open sun, cedar shaded boggy hide aways, in high alpine meadows,and all in between. In general it is a mountain plant, though highly adaptable.. For our purposes here nearly all the Arnicas have similar medicinal qualities. It frequently hybridizes with other arnicas developing a distinct localism.
I have seen it thriving in open sun, cedar shaded boggy hide aways, in high alpine meadows,and all in between. In general it is a mountain plant, though highly adaptable.. For our purposes here nearly all the Arnicas have similar medicinal qualities. It frequently hybridizes with other arnicas developing a distinct localism.
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| New paired Arnica leafs |
It can be recognized by the typical Asteracea ray disc flowers, a bright egg yolk, mustard yellow, sunny color. It can found from Arizona, New Mexico northwards into southern Cascadia, through to British Columbia and Alaska. They are the only genus of yellow-rayed composite, with opposite twin leafs at the base of the flower stalk. There is also a distinctive smell when you crush the leaf or flower head. The lowest basal leaves are heart shaped with a deep notch, other arnica’s usually lack these heart shaped notched leaves. Heart leafed arnica is one of the most widespread arnicas.
Independently European and native Americans described the medicinal qualities of arnica in much the same ways. As a kind of topical pain reliever for bruises, sore muscles, acne, sore throats, aching teeth, and interestingly as a kind of love potion, having used it for this purpose, you rub the above ground portion on a would-be, unsuspecting lover you are wishing to woo. The love potion action works although like the sunny yellow arnica flowers, you may lose your wooed lady queen when the snow flies.
As a topical balm, either oil or tincture it is used for tendonitis, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, impact trauma with bruising and soft tissue damage. It also can be used for DOMS, delayed onset muscular soreness common with athletes and weekend warriors.
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| Visiting a recent young Arnica patch |
Applied externally externally it can aid stimulation of white blood cells and facilitate the movement of trapped fluid outward away from the injury site. So in that sense it could be understood as having anti-inflammatory properties.. It acts on different pathways than let’s say NSAIDS. One of the active constituents is helenalin, 11α,13-dihydrohelenalin, chamissonolid, and their ester derivatives.. Helenalin is a sesquiterpene lactone and other compounds in arnica reduce inflammation by inhibiting the transcription factor, nuclear kB(NF-kB) The factor NF-κB controls the transcription of many genes, including cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor α, as well as adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cellular adhesion molecule 1, and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1.
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| Visiting a recent young Arnica patch |
The anti-inflammatory and pain relief works also by being a vasodilator of subcutaneous blood capillaries, which can promote transport of blood and fluid to facilitate healing.
Known as shan-jin-che in TCM, traditional Chines medicine, it’s considered salty, sweet and cooling. It can tonify Qi, tonify yin and yang, stop pain and dispel internal phlegm. TCM approaches disease, discomfort and bodily states via actual symptoms displayed rather than a rigid framework that attempts to put the person into a framework. The actual signs and symptoms becomes the framework. In healthy persons yin and yang are in balance. Ilness occurs when there is an inequlity between the forces. When the Qi is flowing interactively it flows through 14 major meridians. When the qi becomes blocked or stagnant, illness manifests with particular symptoms. It is Sweet, salty and cool.
Well known in our herbalism as both an oil and tincture for muscular and deep tissue distress. Arnica has european cousins that informed our resilient ancestral spirit. anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, antineuralgic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, counterirritant, without the hotness of cayenne and wound-healing effects.
Generally used on unbroken intact skin for muscular impact trauma with bruising, bruised skin, strains, sprains, aches, pains, sore muscles from overexertion, insect bites, joint pain from rheumatism, and swelling from fractures...think dislocated ankle, tired chronic lower back pain and stiffness, arthritic fingers and such, with soreness, bruising and with or without swelling. Used both with acute injury and chronic osteopathic pain of damaged joints. The Leaves, flowers, and flowerbuds are used although in european tradition the root used, it is unnecessary to use the root as the active principles are present in above ground plant.
The oil is made by partial drying of the flower buds, open flowers and leaf, then lightly adding an ounce or so of alcohol or last years tincture, thoroughly mixing, allowing to dry. You may also use pharmaceutical grade ammonia available at mixed martial art or boxing supply houses in the the same way as alcohol to release and make available active plant constituents to the topical oil medium. Use the oil that works best, avocado, ghee, almond, argan, a neutral cold extracted light cooling oil also works well, if possible use a neutral scented oil, although olive oil works fine and is part of the tradition of Father Yaweh, Yahoshua the Messiah. Leviticus 8:10
“And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.”
Tincturing is FPT 1:2, or dried 1:5.
The same truths and principles that hold true in the Madrean sky islands of the southwest also hold true in Cascadia bioregion, although the low is not as low. Spring and summer change on walking mountains as Eihei Dogen so often stated. The lower indults of Eastern Cascadia at 1200-1500 along the Columbia drainage have an early springun. So that Arnica while known as a midsummer July bloomer, comes early in the shady indults draining into Columbiana.
At full moon in sidereal Virgo, doing Cascadia stuff in the in, the Arnica patch, sitting with the Arnicas, amazing day blooming early, watching A cordifolia getting ready to springun, wild harvesting Smallhead Arnica today Arnica gracilis, Aster family (Asteraceae), Arnica is an amazing topical both oil and tincture. While picking Arnica getting lots of positive warming, hot, peppery deep chi energy from Oplopanax horridus, our amazing Aralia Cascadia bioregional indicator. Telling us we're here, past snowmelt grateful to father Yaweh for this day, watching the moonrise in sidereal Virgo. Psalm 67:2-3 "That Yaweh's way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all Jacob-Israel. 3Let us praise thee, O Elohim; let all Jacob-Israel praise thee." Jacob-Israel praise thee."
and as always...for our people...
Sources: Sugier, D.; Sugier, P.; Jakubowicz-Gil, J.; Winiarczyk, K.; Kowalski, R. Essential Oil from Arnica Montana L. Achenes: Chemical Characteristics and Anticancer Activity. Molecules 2019, 24, 4158.
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doi: 10.1074/jbc.273.50.33508 December 11, 1998 The Journal of Biological Chemistry 273, 33508-33516
Shenefelt PD. Herbal Treatment for Dermatologic Disorders. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 18.
Svoboda K.P. Svoboda T.G. Syred A.D. (2000) Secretory Structures of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. Microscopix Publications, Middle Travelly, UK
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Pljevljakušić D. Rančić D. Ristić M. Vujisić L. Radanović D. Dajić-Stevanović Z. (2012) Rhizome and root yield of the cultivated Arnica montana L., chemical composition and histochemical localization of essential oil. Ind. Crops Prod.39: 177–189
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Krystyna Kromer, Agnieszka Kreitschitz, Thomas Kleinteich, Stanislav N. Gorb, Antoni Szumny, Oil Secretory System in Vegetative Organs of Three Arnica Taxa: Essential Oil Synthesis, Distribution and Accumulation, Plant and Cell Physiology, Volume 57, Issue 5, May 2016, Pages 1020–1037, https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcw040
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.....heart leaf arnica, Asteracea hear-leaf leopardbane, well known in our herbalism as both an oil and tincture for muscular and deep tissue distress. Arnica has european cousins that informed our resilient ancestral spirit. anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, antineuralgic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, counterirritant, without the hotness of cayenne and wound-healing effects.
