Homeopathy & Arnica
A wee reminder
The use of homeopathic Arnica for the treatment of acute pain is common and shown, to prevent excessive haematoma and surgical sequelae
being similar in efficacy to conventional over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,1
with perioperative arnica having a mitigating effect on bruising.2
The use of arnica in trauma induced via sporting injury, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions is also well supported.3
A 2021 review4 suggests that in addition, as it shows fewer adverse effects and lower associated costs, arnica could be a helpful adjunct in both acute and persistent pain management.
Arnica can be purchased fairly cheaply over the counter at your local pharmacy or health food shop etc., without a prescription (30c or under in Australia).
N.B., it is not advised to take any Arnica preoperatively, just a few doses as required postoperatively - it is always important to be under the care of a competent homeopath able to guide you through. Seek out a registered homeopath, always! Do not DIY your health…
Two interesting and recent arnica trials:
Ovariohysterectomy (OH) is one of the most frequent surgical procedures in veterinary practice. The aim of this blinded 2022 study was to evaluate analgesia with Arnica 30c during the postoperative period after elective OH. Thirty healthy female dogs, were selected at the Veterinary Hospital in Campo Mourão, Paraná, Brazil. The dogs underwent the surgical procedure with an anaesthetic protocol and analgesia that had the aim of maintaining the patient's wellbeing. The Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale was used The Arnica 30c group maintained analgesia on average for 17.8 ± 3.6 hours, whilst the hydroalcoholic solution group did so for 5.1 ± 1.2 hours and the saline solution group for 4.1 ± 0.9 hours (p ≤0.05).5
A total of 30 people underwent impacted mandibular 3rd molars extraction at the Al-Farabi Private College, School of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia. On Day 2, subjects in the Arnica 30x group reported significantly lower VAS(pain) scores compared to control group (3.09 ± 2.22 versus 4.75 ± 1.28). In addition, bleeding, extraoral bruising, edema, and decrease in maximum mouth opening were significantly less reported in the arnica group. This study describes the potential benefit of arnica in reducing Post Surgical Sequels following dental extractions.6
For more on homeopathy and pain (with links to at least 10 additional articles):
‘In contrast to frequent claims, the available Meta Analyses of homoeopathy in placebo-controlled randomised trials for any indication show significant positive effects beyond placebo. Compared to other medical interventions, the quality of evidence for efficacy of homoeopathy was similar or higher than for 90% of interventions across medicine. Accordingly, the efficacy evidence from placebo-controlled randomised trials provides no justification for regulatory or political actions against homoeopathy in health-care systems.’ 7
Gaertner, K., Baumgartner, S., Walach, H. (2021). Is Homeopathic Arnica Effective for Postoperative Recovery? A Meta-analysis of Placebo-Controlled and Active Comparator Trials. Front Surg. Dec 17;8:680930. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2021.680930
Knackstedt, R., & Gatherwright, J. (2020). Perioperative Homeopathic Arnica and Bromelain. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 84 (3), e 10–e 15. doi.org/10.1097/sap.0000000000002043
Toma, CC., Marrelli, M., Puticiu, M., et al. (2024). Effects of Arnica Phytotherapeutic and Homeopathic Formulations on Traumatic Injuries and Inflammatory Conditions: A Systematic Review. Plants (Basel). Nov 4;13(21):3112. doi.org/10.3390/plants13213112
Smith, AG., Miles, VN., Holmes, DT. (2021). Clinical Trials, Potential Mechanisms, and Adverse Effects of Arnica as an Adjunct Medication for Pain Management. Medicines (Basel). Oct 9;8(10):58. doi: 10.3390/medicines8100058
Travagin, DRP., Balbueno, MCS., Coelho, CP. (2022). Use of Homeopathic Arnica montana 30cH for Postoperative Analgesia in Female Dogs Undergoing Elective Ovariohysterectomy. Homeopathy. May;111(2):134-138. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1732352
Mawardi, H., Ghazalh, S., Shehatah, A. et al. (2020). Systemic Use of Arnica Montana for the Reduction of Postsurgical Sequels following Extraction of Impacted Mandibular 3rd Molars: A Pilot Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Dec 12;2020:6725175. doi: 10.1155/2020/6725175
Hamre HJ, Glockmann A, von Ammon K, Riley DS, Kiene H. (2023). Efficacy of homoeopathic treatment: Systematic review of meta-analyses of randomised placebo-controlled homoeopathy trials for any indication. Systematic Rev. 2023 Oct 7;12(1):191. https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-023-02313-2#Abs1
I gave some Arnica to my son's girlfriend to take post wisdom teeth extraction. She recovered quickly with less pain, swelling and bruising than her TWIN sister who used pharmaceutical pain killers. They saw the dentist on the same day.
My son also took Arnica post wisdom teeth removal. He did not take any prescription or OTC pain killers. Two weeks later, when we went for examination, the oral surgeon did a double take looking at the extraction sites. A couple of the sites had healed so fast, he was checking the charts to see if he had actually removed a tooth there.