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How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: July 22, 2021
How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes

Arnica, also known scientifically as Arnica montana L., is an evergreen plant that grows in the grassy areas of the mountains in some regions of Europe and North America. This plant, besides being characterized by its yellow flowers, it stands out due to its excellent anti-inflammatory properties and its analgesic action. These benefits have made arnica the perfect ingredient for different natural remedies such as ointments and creams for the treatment of muscular injuries.

If you want to enjoy these wonderful properties, in this oneHOWTO article, we teach you how to make homemade arnica cream in a simple way, and we also tell you about its different health benefits.

You may also be interested in: What is Arnica Gel Used For?

Properties and uses of arnica

Arnica is a mountain plant composed of bitter principles, flavonoids, tannins and numerous acids, among other nutrients, which provide the following medicinal properties:

  • Soothing
  • Rubefacient
  • Antiinflammatory
  • Antibacterial

Thanks to these properties, this plant is used as a medicinal remedy for various health problems. These are the main uses of arnica ointment:

  • It is an excellent treatment for bruises and bumps since, on the one hand, it relieves swelling and pain, and on the other, it prevents the appearance of bruises.
  • It is also used as a natural anti-inflammatory to relieve some symptoms that causes the appearance of blisters on the skin and canker sores.
  • It is a remedy for other muscle injuries such as dislocations and sprains.
  • Finally, arnica treats other problems like unopened ulcers, acne, stretch marks that appear during pregnancy and diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

How to make homemade arnica cream

Now that you know how beneficial this plant can be, if you want to know how to make homemade arnica cream or ointment you will need to pay attention to the following steps:

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of coconut oil: this ingredient gives the ointment moisturizing and disinfecting properties, ideal for the different treatments explained above.
  • Half cup of dried arnica
  • Half a cup of beeswax: its specially greasy composition will give consistency to our home remedy. In addition, the beeswax has emollient, healing and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • 3 drops of essential oil of lavender or mint (optional): we will use some of these oils to give arnica ointment a better scent.

How to prepare homemade arnica cream

  1. In a pot or bowl, pour the 2 cups of coconut oil and the half cup of dried arnica and mix it a little with a spoon. Now we will heat the mixture for half an hour in a double boiler .
  2. When you have finished heating the mixture, we will sieve the remains with filter paper.
  3. Return the mixture (cleaned of debris) in a pot, then add the half cup of beeswax. Heat the mixture over low heat until melted.
  4. When the ingredients in the pot are well melted, remove everything with the help of a spoon so that it is well mixed. Now, let it stand for a few minutes.
  5. In this step, you must beat everything again with a blender, until the homemade remedy is left with a creamy texture.
  6. Add 3 drops of lavender or mint essential oil to the bowl to give the cream a pleasant odor.
  7. Finally, pour the mixture into an airtight jar and store it in a dark place until it solidifies. You will already have your natural arnica cream ready.

Another recipe is one which includes arnica oil and Vaseline. To make arnica cream with petroleum jelly, simply apply a few drops of this oil to a jar of Vaseline and stir well. The amount of each ingredient will depend on the final amount you want to make.

How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes - How to make homemade arnica cream

How to apply arnica cream

To apply this natural cream that we have made at home, we just have to follow these simple steps:

  1. Before applying the ointment, we must make sure that our skin is clean and dry in the areas where we want to apply it.
  2. When it is clean, we'll take a little of this homemade cream with the hands without going over the top in quantity.
  3. Now, with your hands covered in arnica, we massage the injured areas making circular and smooth movements.
  4. It is important that the movements are not abrupt and you should avoid applying pressure on the injuries as you could worsen the symptoms. Massage for 2-3 minutes in each area to be treated.
  5. When you have finished, remove the ointment with warm water.

You can apply this treatment with this homemade cream made between 2 and 3 times a day and for a maximum of one week. If you think you need to use it for longer then consult your doctor before proceeding.

Contraindications of arnica

It is also necessary to take into account the following recommendations on the contraindications of arnica before using this cream:

  • Do not apply ointment to open wounds.
  • It is also not recommended for you to apply the ointment on sensitive or irritated skin.
  • Do not use if you are pregnant or lactating.
  • Finally, you should not use the ointment in children under 10 years.

Also, we recommend that you rinse your hands well before and after using this treatment and do not put this ointment near the eyes or mucous membranes.

If you have found it useful to know how to make homemade arnica cream you may also be interested to know How to make arnica oil.

According to a recent study, Arnica has been proven to increase leg pain 24 hours after calf exercise[1].

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes, we recommend you visit our Drugs & supplements category.

References
  1. Adkison, Julie D., David W. Bauer, and Terence Chang. "The effect of topical arnica on muscle pain." Annals of Pharmacotherapy 44.10 (2010): 1579-1584.: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1345/aph.1p071

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2 comments
Rating:
Big Little Farm GA
What does this recipe yield? 8oz, 4oz, 2oz?
Rating:
Cécile
Hey, I think the photo under "properties and uses" are Black Eyed Susan (black center and yellow petals) not Arnica montana. (Yellow center and yellow petals)
Matthew Nesbitt (oneHOWTO editor)
Hi Cécile,

Thank you for pointing this out, we have remove the photo!
How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes
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How to Make Homemade Arnica Cream - Best Recipes

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