Ingredient list: Distilled Water, Calendula Flower Infused Olive Oil (1:5), St. John’s Wort Infused Olive Oil (1:5), Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, Kokum Butter, Hydroalcoholic Arnica Extract, Lecithin, Borax, Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Use: Apply a pea size amount to reduce pressure and pain associated with inflammation
Our arnica cream is different than most available on the market. It is a non-homeopathic arnica cream. (Learn a bit about homeopathy here) At a non-homeopahtic level, arnica works as an anti-inflammatory through a different pathway than most. Most anti-inflammatories, like NSAIDs and herbs like calendula, reduce the production of inflammatory cells. Arnica works differently and the main molecule, helenalin, actually kills t-cells, reducing inflammation symptoms quickly. This cream has the arnica, that kills inflammatory cells, and calendula, that reduces the production of inflammatory cells, and St. John’s Wort that works to heal nerve damage that is common with inflammation.
These actions makes arnica great for acute inflammatory pain, in the first 24-48 hours after an initial injury. In general, arnica does not have nearly as strong an impact on inflammation and pain after 48 hours. It does great at reducing inflammation right after exercise to prevent additional damage and pain from the inflammation that is common in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. But if you are looking for pain relief after about 48 hours you want to look more at the Warming Salve.
Helenalin, the main constituent of arnica, promotes T-cells to stop replicating and go through apoptosis (Lass 2008). This novel mechanism of inflammation reduction shows great promise for osteoarthritis (Jager 2009) and for cancer treatment (Lim 2012). Topical arnica has been found to be as effective as NSAIDs at reducing pain of osteoarthritis (Widrig 2007, Ross 2008). Because of the quick ability of arnica to reduce inflammation this also prevents much of the damage and pain that can occur due to inflammation such as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) (Adkison, Bauer, & Chang, 2010) commonly experienced by athletes and other individuals with frequent movement.
St. John’s wort has been found to be effective at healing linear incisions, circular excisions, and thermal burns (PRISĂCARU 2013). This is because of the hyperforins and hypericins which are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and stimulate keratinocytes. It is currently being studied for skin cancer and UV protection (Wolfle 2013).
Calendula is anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor promoting (Ukiya 2006), protective against UVB (Fonesca 2010), effective at healing Achilles tendon tears (Aro 2015), improves skin firmness and hydration (Ahktar 2011), has protective effects against contact dermatitis (Fusch 2005), and shows angiogenesis through neovascularization (Parente 2011).
While we do not claim our products will heal certain conditions we do make sure that all of the herbs we include in our products are throughly researched at supporting your physical wellness.
