Product Review

Arnica is a graceful woodland plant in the same family as the sunflower, native to Central Europe and the western United States. Arnica montana L. or A. chamissonis, leopard's bane and mountain tobacco. There are many medicinally viable species of arnica flowers found around the globe, some of which are found in North American mountain ranges and woodlands. Arnica montana is native to Europe, with a natural range stretching from the southern Iberian Peninsula to Scandinavia. The plant has large flower heads with brilliant yellow coloration. Flowers begin to appear during mid-summer and continue blooming well into autumn. For best results, they should be harvested early in the blooming season. The dried flowers are fluffy and fibrous, and can be irritating to the nose if handled improperly. Arnica contains sesquiterpene lactones of the helenanolid type, predominantly ester derivatives of helenalin and 11,13-dihydrohelenalin. Additionally, Arnica contains flavonoids (e.g., isoquercitrin, luteolin-7-glucoside, and astragalin), volatile oil (with thymol and its derivatives), phenol carbonic acid (chlorogenic acid, cynarin, caffeic acid), and coumarins (umbelliferone, scopoletin).