Pain: A signal that can be soothed
Pain is an important signal, alerting us to damage, wounds, infection, or trauma. Over time, we’ve developed many ways to manage it, both therapeutic and otherwise. Today, the reflex reaction is often to take a pain pill — NSAIDs, acetaminophen, or other medication depending on the gravity of pain. However, for most causes of pain, there are solutions that can help patients delay or even avoid taking these medications, which have well-documented serious side effects.1 Chiropractors can help their patients using these safe alternatives. One such option is Arnica.
Using Arnica for pain relief
Arnica is a plant with a long history of use for muscle pain and swelling from injuries. According to the World Health Organization, its traditional indications include “topical treatment of pain and inflammation caused by minor sprains and accidents (bruises, hematomas).”
Historically, Arnica was not taken orally, because in the form of an herbal extract it is dangerously potent and can cause fatigue, pain, irritation, increased bleeding and spontaneous bruising. These traits are exactly what make the plant ideal for homeopathic preparation.
Understanding homeopathy
Homeopathy is a therapeutic method based on the principle of “like cures like.” It draws on experimental and empirical knowledge that highly diluted substances stimulate the body’s natural healing response to relieve the same symptoms the substance would cause when not diluted enough. This knowledge has been largely confirmed by clinical research.
Depending on the dilution level, a homeopathic medicine targets different types of symptoms. Low dilutions — such as topical forms, 6C, 6X — address local pain, while high dilutions relieve more generalized pain and pain-induced behavioral responses, such as sleeplessness and apprehension.
Homeopathic dilutions follow specific scales:
- X scale: Each step dilutes by a factor of 10.
- C scale: Each step dilutes by a factor of 100.
- CK scale: Each step dilutes by a factor of 100, but uses the Korsakovian method, which requires ultra-specialized machinery to guarantee precision and stability.
How does homeopathy work with chiropractic?
Lauri Grossman, DC, president of the non-profit National Center for Homeopathy, points out that homeopathy and chiropractics enable complementary paths of healing. Chiropractic adjustments restore proper nerve function through spinal alignment, allowing the body to heal itself — rather than simply dulling pain as painkillers do. Homeopathy also focuses on supporting the body’s natural healing process. “If you have restored nerve function from good, carefully applied chiropractic care together with a properly prescribed homeopathic medicine, then you create optimal conditions for the body to recover from pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion,” she says.
How to choose the right dilution of Arnica
The right dilution of Arnica depends on the severity of the injury and how much of the body is affected. Follow these guidelines:
Low dilution: 6C
According to Grossman, the lowest dilutions are best for minor, localized physical issues that are confined to one area of the body without systemic effects.
- Indication: Very minor injuries, small bruises, mild swelling
- Recommended use: Take immediately after injury, then three times per day until the bruise fades.
Medium dilution: 12C
A 12C dilution serves as a bridge between low and high dilutions. Grossman recommends this dilution for lingering muscle pain or soreness that extends beyond a minor injury but does not affect the entire body.
- Indication: Post-workout soreness and stiffness that doesn’t impact sleep
- Recommended use: Take three times a day until soreness improves.
- Indication: Post-operative recovery from major procedures, orthopedic and plastic surgery
- Dosing protocol: Take three times a day two days prior to surgery. Continue three times a day after surgery until symptoms improve. If symptoms worsen or increased redness or swelling develop, further evaluation may be needed, as these could indicate a more serious condition.
High dilution: 30C
Grossman considers 30C the most versatile dilution, making it a good starting point for both acute and chronic ailments.
- Indication: Pain from significant overexertion, such as muscle pain, backache and moderate to severe bruising, intense enough to interfere with sleep
- Recommended use: Take once a day or as needed for two days.
- Indication: Acute injuries such as sprains, strains or contusions
- Recommended use: Take four times a day for up to two weeks.
Specific use: 200C or 200CK
Dilutions, such as 200CK, are usually recommended by professionals with extensive knowledge of homeopathy.
The making of high-quality homeopathic Arnica
The reliability and consistency of an Arnica remedy depends on how the plant is grown, harvested and processed. One company that has worked with Arnica for more than 90 years is Boiron, a French homeopathic manufacturer known for its commitment to sustainability, traceability and scientific rigor.
Growing Arnica
Boiron uses only fresh, hand-picked Arnica montana grown in the mountains of Europe to create its OTCs — not the Arnica native to North America, Arnica chamissonis. Arnica montana is a delicate plant with strict growing requirements. Thriving only at moderate and high altitudes, it needs intense UV exposure and nutrient-poor soil to develop its active compounds.
To meet demand while preserving wild plant populations, Boiron sources the majority of its Arnica — about 90% — from family growers who tend semi-cultivated patches in the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Vosges mountains of France, while the remainder is sustainably wild-harvested. Its network of farmers never uses pesticides or fertilizers, working with nature instead of against it to cultivate the plant. Whether wild-harvested or semi-cultivated, only a portion of the plants are gathered, allowing them to regenerate and ensuring future harvests.
Boiron maintains a close relationship with its growing partners, regularly visiting the fields to ensure sustainable practices and quality standards are met. In turn, growers visit Boiron’s manufacturing facility, which deepens their understanding of the company’s strict harvesting requirements.
From field to tincture in under 72 hours
Fresh Arnica is delicate. To preserve its full potency, Boiron follows a meticulous process from field to facility. Each plant is carefully harvested by hand and swiftly transported in refrigerated trucks to preserve freshness. Once it arrives — often within 24 to 48 hours — the Arnica undergoes strict quality checks for botanical identification, purity testing and radioactivity screening. It is then chopped, macerated for two weeks and extracted.
The fruit of all this labor, the Arnica liquid extract (mother tincture or 1X), is used to create all Boiron’s homeopathic and topical products. The company offers an extensive range of Arnica homeopathic preparations, in dilutions ranging from 3X–200X, 3C–30C, 1M–10M and 200CK. In addition, they manufacture a range of topical products that can be used alone or in combination with oral pellets, including Arnicare® creams, gels and ointments — some in convenient roll-on applicators.
To learn more, visit BoironUSA.com/hcp.
References
- Davis A, Robson J. The dangers of NSAIDs: Look both ways. Br J Gen Pract. 2016;66(645):172–173. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27033477/. Accessed February 25, 2025.
