Arnica Oil: A Must-Have for Your NYC Marathon

Arnica Oil: A Must-Have for Your NYC Marathon
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Joseph Mercola
Updated:

Arnica oil is becoming popular for its pain-relieving and health-promoting properties. It’s a wonderful addition to your alternative first aid kit, especially if you’re prone to exercise-related injuries, such as bruises or sprains. Keep on reading to learn more about arnica oil, especially if your going to run the NYC Marathon.

What Is Arnica Oil?

Arnica refers to a clan of flowering perennial plants from the daisy family (Compositae) that’s native to Europe and Siberia but also grows in North America, especially in mountainous regions. It is well-known for its use in natural medicine and is recognizable through its flowers, which have yellow petals and an orange center. Arnica grows between one to two feet high, with one to three flower blossoms per plant.

There are several species of arnica, but the most famous is Arnica montana, also known as Leopard’s Bane, Mountain Tobacco, and Wolf’s Bane. This alpine plant grows in meadows up to 3,000 feet above sea level. The higher the altitude, the more aro­matic the flowers become. Arnica montana blossoms are used to make arnica oil, an aromatic, yellow essential oil.

Its diluted form can help reduce pain. (endopack/iStock)
Its diluted form can help reduce pain. endopack/iStock
Joseph Mercola
Joseph Mercola
Author
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com. An osteopathic physician, best-selling author, and recipient of multiple awards in the field of natural health, his primary vision is to change the modern health paradigm by providing people with a valuable resource to help them take control of their health.
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