Arnica montana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Arnica montana | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Arnica |
| Species: | A. montana |
| Binomial name | |
| Arnica montana L. |
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Arnica montana (also known as leopard's bane, wolf's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica),[1] is a European flowering plant with large yellow capitula.
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[edit] Distribution and habitat
A. montana is endemic to Europe, from southern Iberia to southern Scandinavia and the Carpathians. It is absent from the British Isles and the Italian and Balkan Peninsulas. A. montana grows in nutrient-poor silicaceous meadows up to nearly 3000 m. It is rare overall, but may be locally abundant. It is becoming rarer, particularly in the north of its distribution, largely due to increasingly intensive agriculture. In more upland regions, it may also be found on nutrient-poor moors and heaths.
[edit] Form
A. montana has tall stems (20–60 cm), supporting usually a single flower head. Most of the leaves are in a basal rosette, but one or two pairs may be found on the stem and are, unusually for composites, opposite. The flower heads are yellow, approximately 5 cm in diameter, and appear from May to August.
[edit] Uses and toxicity
Arnica montana is sometimes grown in herb gardens and has long been used medicinally.[2][3] It contains the toxin helenalin, which can be poisonous if large amounts of the plant are eaten. Contact with the plant can also cause skin irritation.[4][5] The roots contain derivatives of thymol,[6] which are used as fungicides and preservatives and may have some anti-inflammatory effect.[7] When used topically in a gel, Arnica was found to have the same effect as the use of NSAIDs (ibuprofen) in treating the symptoms of hand osteoarthritis.[8] A study found that the application of topical Arnica had no better effect than a placebo in the treatment of laser-induced bruising.[9]
Arnica is currently used in liniment and ointment preparations used for strains, sprains, and bruises. Commercial arnica preparations are frequently used by professional athletes. The thymol derivatives concentrated in the plants' roots have been clinically shown to be effective vasodilators of subcutaneous blood capillaries. Arnica preparations used topically have been demonstrated to act as an anti-inflammatory and assist normal healing processes by facilitating transport of blood and fluid accumulations through a dilating action of subcutaneous blood capillaries. If ingested internally, the toxin helenalin produces severe gastroenteritis, and internal bleeding of the digestive tract if enough material is ingested.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Arnica montana
- ^ Arnica in Flora of North America @ efloras.org
- ^ Clonal propagation of Arnica montana L., a medicinal plant Authors: Buthuc-Keul, A.; Deliu, C. Source: In Vitro Cellular and Development Biology - Plant, Volume 37, Number 5, September 2001 , pp. 581-585(5) Publisher: Springer
- ^ Poisonous Plants: Arnica montana
- ^ Edward Rudzki, Zdzisława Grzywa (1977) Dermatitis from Arnica montana Contact Dermatitis 3 (5), 281–281. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1977.tb03682.x
- ^ Weremczuk-Jezyna I, Kisiel W, Wysokińska H (2006). "Thymol derivatives from hairy roots of Arnica montana". Plant Cell Rep. 25 (9): 993–6. doi:. PMID 16586074.
- ^ Braga PC, Dal Sasso M, Culici M, Bianchi T, Bordoni L, Marabini L (2006). "Anti-inflammatory activity of thymol: inhibitory effect on the release of human neutrophil elastase". Pharmacology 77 (3): 130–6. doi:. PMID 16763380. http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=PHA2006077003130. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ^ Widrig R, Suter A, Saller R, Melzer J (2007). "Choosing between NSAID and arnica for topical treatment of hand osteoarthritis in a randomised, double-blind study". Rheumatol. Int. 27 (6): 585–91. doi:. PMID 17318618.
- ^ Alonso D, Lazarus MC, Baumann L (2002). "Effects of topical arnica gel on post-laser treatment bruises". Dermatol Surg 28 (8): 686–8. doi:. PMID 12174058. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/openurl?genre=article&sid=nlm:pubmed&issn=1076-0512&date=2002&volume=28&issue=8&spage=686. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arnica montana |
- Botanica.com Arnica
- Arnica montana (TSN 505925). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 23 May 2006.
- http://healthyherbs.about.com/od/monographs/p/arnica.htm
