Arnica Montana is not a city in the West

I know "technically" there is one more day left in January, and although I am no groundhog, we’ve had some pretty gorgeous days lately and the munchkins have been loving being outside.  At the Yankee House our band-aid consumption for wound coverage versus ornamental decoration has been steadily rising, and so I am predicting we will be seeing spring sooner, rather than later.  Now, to get prepared for the inevitable tumbles all good warm weather brings, I will be reloading on my number one most used treatment for all things boo-boo… Arnica Montana. 

Since we have already established I am not a groundhog, for the record I am also not a doctor.  These recommendations are what we take, and give our kids, but if you have some freakishly rare allergy to herbs that have Western states in their name, I hold no responsibility for you taking Arnica Montana and then developing a terminal rash.

As simple as I can put it, Arnica helps prevent bruising, swelling, and general shock and trauma to the body.  It is one of the few first aid items I keep on me, that and hand sanitizer, and I would feel safe to say it is the first thing I reach for when a tumble is involved.  My Grandmother’s mother gave it to her kids and so on down the line, where I now give it to mine, so I feel like it is pretty great stuff.  Among a thousand minor bumps, I most notably used it after 2 surgeries, one car accident, and accredit it for stopping a potentially major black eye in Monkey Britches when his face met the doorknob. 

Always of the “more is better” school of thought, I like to carry it in two forms for twice the effectiveness.  I buy the 30X pellets and carry an ointment called Hyland’s Bumps N’ Bruises since it's easy to apply and carry in its “chapstick-esque” tube.  In the house we have an Arnica spray and gel, and if I search hard enough I’ll bet we have a cream too, but the 30X pellets and Bumps N’ Bruises are my go-to's. 

It's easily found online- I buy it, and a host of other cures from luckyvitamin.com, but if you feel like you needed this yesterday and  are prone to running in to walls, Whole Foods carries it in their health department.