Arnica Montana (Leopard’s Bane)
Key Characteristics
- Primary action: Simulates effects of physical trauma (injuries, falls, blows, contusions)
- Best for: Plethoric individuals; less effective for debilitated persons
- Main influence: Blood, venous system, muscles, brain
Main Therapeutic Actions
- Traumatic injuries and their after-effects
- Muscular tonic
- Septic conditions and putrid phenomena
- Hemorrhages and ecchymosis
- Rheumatism of muscular and tendinous tissue
- Neuralgias from pneumogastric disturbances
Key Symptoms
Mental Symptoms (Highlighted)
- Fears touch or approach of anyone
- Indifference; inability to perform continuous active work
- Says there is nothing wrong when very sick
- Wants to be let alone
- Agoraphobia (fear of space)
- Nervous; cannot bear pain; whole body oversensitive
Physical Symptoms (Key symptoms highlighted)
- Head: Hot head with cold body, vertigo when walking
- Eyes: Diplopia from trauma, bruised feeling after close work
- Ears: Tinnitus, dullness of hearing after concussion
- Nose: Bleeding after coughing, dark fluid blood
- Mouth: Bitter taste, soreness after tooth extraction
- Chest: Cough from cardiac issues, pneumonia approaching paralysis
- Heart: Angina pectoris, weak pulse, cardiac dropsy
- Extremities: Pain as if bruised or beaten, sprained feeling
- Skin: Black and blue marks, bed sores
- Sleep: Sleeplessness when overtired, horrors in the night
- General: Everything on which he lies seems too hard
- Characteristic: Sore, lame, bruised feeling all over body
Modalities
- Worse: Touch, motion, wine, damp cold
- Better: Lying down, head low
Dosage
- Potency: 3rd to 30th
- Locally: Tincture (never on open wounds or hot)
Relationships
- Complementary: Aconitum, Ipecacuanha
- Compare: Aconitum, Baptisia, Bellis, Hamamelis, Rhus, Hypericum
- Antidote: Camphor
Remember: Arnica is often the first remedy for any physical trauma or its after-effects, with marked action on blood and blood vessels. It’s particularly useful for the “bruised, sore feeling” that accompanies many conditions.
Here are key uses of Arnica Montana and its recommended combinations for specific conditions:
