Does Arnica Really Work on Bruises?
I purchased this item myself. If you click and buy, I may receive a small commission, thank you. I recently had to give myself Lovenox (blood thinner) injections, and while I followed the instructions (at least, I think I did!), I was left with bruises that left me wondering: does arnica really work on bruises?
To be honest, I had never heard of arnica before joining the natural parenting world. If you’re not familiar, it’s an herb used in homeopathic formulas. Some experiments have shown it to reduce bruising, swelling, and bacteria, but more studies are needed.
If you are considering trying it, I highly recommend speaking with your doctor first. There are many warnings, side effects, and contraindications that vary based on the source, and not all are clear on whether they’re referring to oral or topical treatments, nor the herb itself or homeopathic remedies.
Now that the I am not a doctor/this is not medical advice is out of the way, on to my experiment!
When I ordered the Boiron Arnicare Gel, my bruises were already more than two weeks old, yet still pretty terrible.
I took these photos on a Friday, then did my best to apply the gel semi-consistently on the group of 2 bruises for 3 days.
The gel dries pretty quickly, doesn’t feel sticky after it dries, and just has an alcohol smell until it dries.
I feel like there was a pretty noticeable improvement to the group of 2 bruises (to which the gel was applied) and a slight improvement to the single bruise (to which no gel was applied).
I then continued to apply gel to the group of 2 bruises for another 3 days and began applying it to the single bruise.
I don’t have another photo of the group of two bruises because they were completely gone! Again, I believe the remaining bruise seemed to improve more with the gel, and it quickly disappeared after this photo was taken
So, does arnica really work on bruises?
My answer is…
Maybe?
It’s hard to say since the bruises were already older, and was it a coincidence or did the gel really help? Sorry y’all, I’m not dedicated enough to purposely give myself two bruises on the same day in the same location and apply the gel to one but not the other. 😉
That said, so many people swear by it, and as long as it’s okay’ed by your doctor, I think it’s worth a try!
Have you used arnica for bumps and bruises?
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
