I was surprised to find the question "Can I use Arnica for Bee Stings?” as something people frequently ask Google because it's definitely not something I would think of using for a bee sting. Arnica is probably the best known of all the homeopathic remedies but there is quite a lot of confusion around it so I thought I would try and settle some of this.
Arnica Gel or Cream
When you talk about Arnica, this is what many people have in their medicine cabinet. In its cream or cooling gel form, the herb Arnica Montana is well known for its ability to soothe tired and aching limbs or bruises.
However, the warning on the package not to use on broken skin often presents a problem when treating bruises. It’s not often we fall over or injure ourselves without breaking the surface of the skin. Used on the skin it is quite safe but on exposed flesh - as with many of the members of the daisy family, it can cause a nasty itchy rash.
You are better to use calendula or hypericum cream which I have found help to heal wounds quicker than a normal antiseptic cream and treat the bruising internally.
Herbal Arnica
Happily the arnica herb does not cause a rash when taken internally and its use was discovered when shepherds in the alps used to chew the Arnica flowers to give them renewed energy when they felt tired running up and down mountains looking for sheep. If you don’t have access to the flowers or are worried about its interaction with other medicines, the homeopathic arnica is a handy and safer option.
Homeopathic Arnica
As with all homeopathic remedies, the diluting and succussing of the herb not only makes it safer to take but makes its effect deeper, stronger and longer lasting. The remedy is readily available in sugar pills which dissolve easily on the tongue or in water. The most commonly found potency in the UK is 30c which is strong enough to help on the physical and mental/emotional level but also gentle enough not to cause any problems if it is repeated too often.
What can I use Arnica for?
There are a few big indications for Arnica but they contain the same themes of exhaustion, not being able to carry on and a shaken-up, discombobulated feeling.
Battered
This can be physically - after an accident or injury. Or you can feel emotionally as if you have been in the boxing ring, for instance after a horrible encounter with someone which afterwards leaves you feeling shaken or bullied. Or also when you have received some terrible news that’s left you reeling.
Exhaustion
You can also feel like this after a long journey, particularly if there is a big time difference. You're awake and functioning but doing things like putting the keys in the fridge or suddenly overcome with overwhelming tiredness.
These sorts of things are a part of life, but if it leaves you rattled and unable to function as normal, then the homeopathic remedy can help you get back to your normal self within seconds. I've experienced it myself - after taking the remedy you feel more grounded, refreshed and ready to carry on.
Denial
When someone has had an accident, injury or emotional shock and you can see they are upset but are brushing you off and telling you they’re fine when they very clearly are not this is a classic indication that arnica will work like a charm.
My father-in-law fell down a sandbank when we were out with him one day - it was a big fall and he looked very shaken from his tumble. It didn't look as if he’d injured himself but still, he’d gone white and was upset with us for fussing and kept telling us over and over he was fine "I'm fine, I'm fine" he kept repeating. I offered him an arnica pill and after taking it the colour rushed back into his face and he visibly calmed.
Injuries and Operations
My first child was a busy toddler with a love of heights and speed. One week he fell over and got a nasty cut and bruise to the left side of his forehead. I dressed the wound with antiseptic cream and a plaster and a fortnight later all sign of the injury was gone. The very next day he fell over and had the exact same wound on the other side of his forehead. By now I had purchased hypercal and remembered to give him arnica every day. This time all sign of the injury was gone in a week.
The same child another day ran full tilt into the corner of the table, rebounded and my neighbour and I watched with horror as a huge cartoon-style egg started to swell up on his forehead - accompanied by desperate screams. I immediately gave him an arnica 30c and we watched with amazement as the egg reduced at the same rate it had come. Along with the instant ceasing of the screams. That's the photo of the little fella cooking I use for my Beginners Homeopathy courses. Click HERE if you would like to attend one of these and find out more about how you can help your family sail through these minor emergencies.
Post Operative Rehabilitation
Alongside Calendula which helps with wound healing, I have given this remedy to a lot of people who have undergone operations. The story always comes back that the surgeon cannot believe how quickly and well the wound has healed. When my husband had a knee operation, the other patient that day was undergoing the same operation and was the same age/weight/height as my husband. When they both went back for the first check-up, my husband said they had to double-check his notes because they couldn't believe how much better his knee was than the one of the other man. I was treating a young girl who was playing rugby at a high level and she had the same operation at the same time as two team-mates. With exactly the same rehabilitation schedule, she was out back in the field long before they were.
Interesting research by Lotan, A.M, Gronovich, Y, Lysy, I. et al. in Eur J Plast Surg 2020; 43, 285–294 showed Arnica montana and Bellis perennis have been shown to reduce seroma formation and opioid intake following mastectomy and reconstruction.
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