Arnica Montana Helps Postpartum Healing—And More

After both my children's births, they gave me Arnica Montana (or “arnica” for short) to help my body recover faster. When my boys grew up and fell down, pinched fingers, and went through all those little accidents kids have, I gave them arnica to ease their pain. Healing the soreness and wounds of birth and more is what arnica does beautifully.

Whether your birth was vaginal or cesarean, your body went through a lot, and now arnica is ready to soothe pain and restore damaged tissue. It’s gentle enough for most bruises or wounds—even for preemies (once their skin is strong enough).

At BEB Organic, we love arnica—it’s a vital ingredient in our Soothing Serum (formerly named Healing Gel), designed with newborn safety in mind.

Our Soothing Serum contains not only arnica, but cypress to help reduce scars, elderberry to help fight the effects of toxins, microbiota for wound healing and skin hydration, myrrh to promote skin strength, and probiotics to maintain a healthy balance of skin flora.

We use wild-foraged arnica from the Swiss Alps because this flower, which looks-like-a-daisy, both speeds healing time [1], and increases the skin’s ability to absorb [2] medicinal salves. Greater absorption means more soothing in less time—more pain relief, less swelling, faster tissue repair [3].

What is this wonder plant?

Arnica montana grows in the temperate climates of North America, Europe, and Siberia. Its flowers are fundamental to homeopathic and traditional healing—not just for soothing, but because research shows it can act as an antibiotic after injurious events like

surgery or tooth removal [4]
burns [5]
bruising [6]
vision problems due to diabetes, stroke [7]
sore arthritic joints [8]^, [9]
muscle [10]^, [11] and cartilage pain [12]
painful acne [13]
mastitis and breast pain [14]
postpartum perineal pain [15]

Research shows that arnica can be as effective as NSAIDs—like ibuprofen—but without the side effects [16].

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says homeopathic arnica is safe for breastfeeding mothers and their babies [18].

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says, “Arnica is ‘generally recognized as safe.’"

The common wound

Name me one person who doesn’t have a belly button!

Every birth results in the same wound—the umbilical cord stump. It may not be a gash or puncture, but the umbilical cord stump needs special attention until it dries up and falls off. Poor umbilical stump care can cause reddening, bleeding, infection, swelling, or even progress into sepsis—an over-reaction of the body that can cause organ failure [19].

Using a simple, effective healing treatment is important for any baby, and is especially for preemies who are still developing their immune system.

That's why the huge arnica echinacea powder study was so thrilling!

In 2012, an arnica–echinacea combination was used on the umbilical cord stumps of 6,000 newborns. The powder was applied twice a day, beginning on day one in the hospital then continued at home.

Normally, the umbilical stump takes one to two weeks to dry up and fall off,[20] but in the 2012 study, most (89%) had fallen off within four days, and almost all (96%) were gone within six days [21].

Arnica echinacea powder cut healing time almost in half.

Everyone benefits from such fast, economical results. The arnica echinacea powder was so easy to use, parents and medical staff loved it. Babies healed quicker and more easily. It was inexpensive for parents and hospitals.

What’s not to love about saving your baby some discomfort and saving money at the same time?[22]

Choose what works for today

Just like in our Soothing Serum, arnica is an important ingredient in powders, salves, tinctures, tea, or homeopathic remedies.

But each of us has our individual genetic makeup, lifestyle, or extenuating circumstances. Like any therapeutic treatment, your personal reaction—or your baby’s—could be the same or different than studies show. Always check with your doctor if you have questions.

Use the right form of arnica—sometimes salves are better, sometimes homeopathic remedies are better, sometimes tinctures are better. But none work all the time, for every need, so follow these guidelines:

Avoid drinking tea with arnica while you’re breastfeeding [23]
Don’t apply arnica to an open wound [24] or eat the plant directly
Check with your doctor if you’re allergic to the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family that includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and others
Use rationally—if your soreness persists, loading up on arnica for six years probably won’t help…but going to your doctor probably will

What’s better for you and your little baby than healing, soothing, and pain relief all wrapped up in in a bottle of nourishing ingredients that also promote skin vitality?

Because our BEB Organic skincare products are so gentle and filled with health-building ingredients, they are hospital-approved for pregnancy and for all babies—preemies and full-term.

At the hospital or birth center when your healthcare team says it’s A-OK to bring in your own toxin-free skincare, using BEB Organic products for diaper changes, bath time, or skin nourishing, assures you’re giving only growth-promoting nutrients with every touch of your loving hand.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22809174

[2] https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-12-100

[3] https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-12-100

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25171757

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21944657/

[6] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.09813.x

[7] https://www.health24.com/Medical/Eye/Overview/Retinopathy-20120721

[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4105203/

[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833497/

[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23947690

[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085232/

[12]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6691441_Homeopathic_arnica_therapy_in_patients_receiving_knee_surgery_Results_of_three_randomised_double-blind_trials