According to Sheila Humphrey's "The Nursing Mother's Herbal," arnica 
montana, can be readily taken internally as a homeopathic remedy (p. 182).  
Her plant appendix lists it as a toxic plant if taken internally (p. 275), 
but there, she is discussing ingestion of infusion oil, or plant parts -- 
not the teeny tiny amounts in a homeopathic pill.

Arnica is one of my all-time favorites, and the surgeon recommending its 
homeopathic use before and after a procedure gets a real thumbs up in my 
book.  I gave it to my 13 y.o. daughter who got four teeth pulled -- no 
swelling or bruising, although she did have pain that first day that 
required acetaminophen.  A friend used it before her own major oral surgery 
-- at her two-day post-op check, the dentist marvelled at a mouth that 
looked like it had been on the mend for seven days, not two.

I used to carry a tube of arnica gel in my diaper bag -- it is homeopathic 
in strength, but comes in a colorless, odorless gel.  Perfect for all those 
toddler bumps and bruises.  It will prevent or reduce a black eye, too.  My 
15 y.o. son got a horrid concussion -- raised a literal goose egg on his 
forehead within seconds.  I made him rub arnica gel on it as we sped to the 
emergency room.  He had a lump for several days, but never did get a bruise. 
  (Frankly, I think he would have preferred the attention a black eye would 
have brought.)

P.S.  Do not apply arnica gel to broken or bleeding skin -- just those ouchy 
bumps.

Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

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