If you take physical training seriously then you're probably walking around some minor aches and pain. You tell yourself that pain is apart of the "game". If you were to walk around browse CVS for pain relievers you will see a ton of brands that will alleviate things from headache, colds, and fevers to joint and muscle cremes that numb the area. Some of these products you can take short term such as two or three days, without major concerns about the side effects. I'm concerned about NSAID like Tylenol and then going to a MAX effort run or a HIIT routine where your heart rate is 90% from max. Is there a natural alternative to these? Today's blog will discuss Arnica Montana.
Arnica Montana is a widely known and very well established herb that relieves muscle soreness and helps to reduce or eliminate bruising. You can find arnica cream and gel in stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts, or my favorite Amazon.
The Good
Anti-inflammatory: Arnica Montana has benefited athletes who have experienced swelling after suffering sports-related injuries. It is also linked to arthritis relief. Some studies suggested that the use of Arnica decreases muscle soreness and cell damage after a marathon in well-trained athletes.
Heal damage or bruises tissue: Supposedly Arnica Montana speeds up wound healing because it improves blood cell movement and tissue repair. Some clinicians even trust Arnica Montana to heal burns and scars, so there’s nothing wrong with applying Arnica on wounds. There are also studies on skin creme that have Arnica Montana when applied more effectively to heal bruises.
Natural pain reliever: Athletes who suffer from a sore muscle, pain, and inflammatory pain have used Arnica Montana as a natural solution without any side effects, and available without a prescription.
The Bad
According to the NIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) Arnica Montana is categorized as homeopathic medicine. If you're unfamiliar with homeopathy, it is a medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago.
It’s based on two unconventional theories:
“Like cures like”—the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people
“Law of minimum dose”—the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic products are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain.
In dumb-dumb terms, I can understand its KINDA like Granny's Home Remedies. If you thinking HIPPIES! Then you're following me.
Summary
At present, I will continue to use Arnica Montana as a natural means of inflammation control and without going too much into research findings and having a long breakdown of the pros and the cons, we know athletes will do whatever is needed to win. We know of herbal medicinal products and supplements have increased during the last decades partly due to the effects of the much more potent opium-based pain relievers that lead to this "epidemic" we now see if America. So I for one recommend giving this herbal product a try, plus its much cheaper than a heroin addiction.
Resources.
Sellami, Maha & Slimeni, O. & Pokrywka, Andrzej & Kuvačić, Goran & Hayes, Lawrence & Milić, Mirjana & Padulo, Johnny. (2017). Herbal medicine for sports: A review. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 15. 10.1186/s12970-018-0218-y.
Iannitti, Tommaso & Morales Medina, Julio Cesar & Bellavite, Paolo & Rottigni, Valentina & Palmieri, Beniamino. (2016). Effectiveness and Safety of Arnica Montana in Post-Surgical Setting, Pain and Inflammation. American Journal of Therapeutics. 23. 184-197. 10.1097/MJT.0000000000000036.