Uses of the Homeopathic First Aid Creams
Arnica montana cream: shock, trauma, head injuries, ankle sprains, sore muscles after overexertion; sore bruised sensation all over the body or of affected part. This remedy is an amazing remedy for healing bruises. It is great for back and hip joint injuries with lameness and soreness. It helps with back pain from over lifting. Arnica reduces the swelling and pain from traumatic injuries. Arnica stops external and internal bleeding. Arnica should not be used on open wounds. A great fear of being touched is a guiding symptom. The sensation as if the bed is too hard is another guiding sensation. Nightmares after an accident. They say there is nothing the matter with them after an accident.
Calendula officinalis cream: wound healing, best topical application in homeopathy for wound healing. It helps to prevent too early granulation of the wound so it heals better with less scarring. It helps with dry skin and soothes in eczema and psoriasis. Helps heal cracked skin. It helps with painful wounds, the chronic effects of wounds, wounds that break open. It helps with diaper rash.
Hypericum perforatum cream: This remedy/cream is for injuries to areas rich in nerves like the fingers and toes. It is also one of the most important remedies for injuries to the spine, and is practically specific for injuries to the coccyx. One of the big indications that this remedy is called for is that the pain has extension. For example if someone injures their mid-back, they also feel pain in the low back and in the neck, and in the head, so it has extension along the course of the nerves. It is also one of the most important remedy for head injuries and convulsions after head injuries. Shooting pains along the nerves extending from the seat of the injury, with crawling and numbness. It helps with neuralgic pains where the parts are excessively sore. Painful hemorrhoids can find fast relief with this cream. You can think of Hypericum for whiplash injuries. It is very good for the pain of forceps deliveries and epidurals. It is an important remedy for insect and animal bites (compare with Ledum).
Ledum palustre cream: Whenever you have a patient who feels so much better from ice cold applications, think of this remedy, as this is the big guiding symptom. They may feel cold, but they also feel better from cold applications, and heat is intolerable. It is an important remedy for gout. One of the characteristics in gout is that the pain begins in the feet and travels upwards. They are worse from motion and worse motion of the affected part. The remedy also helps with black eyes from a blow. It is listed in bold for sprained ankles and the tendency to sprain the ankles. Ledum helps with arthritic nodosities of the fingers, wrists, elbows, toes and knees. Rheumatism begins in the lower extremities and ascends. In arthritis and gout the joints are swollen, pale and hot, and the peripheral joints will be affected first. The patient will want to uncover, and the part feels better from cold applications. This is a big remedy for insect bites and puncture wounds. When Ledum is needed for an injury or insect bite the affected part often looks swollen, mottled and purplish. Ledum is a great remedy for the local effects from vaccinations.
Ruta graveolens cream: This cream is our number one best seller. It is for injuries to ligaments and tendons and overstrain injuries. It is listed for lameness after sprains, especially of wrist and ankles. It is a big remedy for eyestrain. Sensitive nodules on the periosteum and tendons after injury. This remedy also helps can also help with pain after a chiropractic adjustment (compare with Hypericum). Ruta is good for fractures or bruising of the bone and the periosteum from injuries such as a blow from a hammer. Ruta helps with muscle pulls and strains. Injuries where the muscles are twisted can be helped with Ruta. It is a wonderful remedy for injuries to the thigh. Tennis elbow and carpal tunnel are also helped by Ruta. Ruta is great for ganglion cysts and nodules over the bone. Ruta is a great back pain remedy. A bruised sensation is characteristic, as if the person had received a blow on the back. Ruta is a big remedy for herniated disks, with the overstrain causation. Weakness and lameness of the back from overstrain is another guiding symptom. It is a big remedy for knee injuries, and is good for bursitis of the knee. Lameness after sprains of ankles, wrists and knees are also helped by Ruta. Pains in the bones and tendons of the feet can also be helped by Ruta.
Urtica urens cream: This is the brilliant homeopathic remedy for first degree burns. You will be impressed by how fast remedy works to relieve the pain of burns. For second and third degree burns, and scald burns, you may need remedies like Cantharis, Arsenicum album or Causticum, but for the everyday kitchen burn nothing works as well as this.
How Often to Use the Creams:
Some people are helped by a single application of the needed cream. Other people may need to apply the creams frequently. Here is a good guide on how to use the creams: if the affected part feels much better or significantly worse after an application of the cream, that is a sign that you need to pause from it and wait. If the part felt better do not reapply until the symptoms that were relieved start bothering you again, or you feel there has been a relapse.
If the part felt significantly worse after an application of the cream it means that the cream has found the symptom and it is working on it. With homeopathic remedies and creams, there is often an intensification of the symptoms (or aggravation) where the remedy finds the symptom and tries to push it on through. The medicinal reaction has to be stronger than the patient’s own symptoms in order to overcome the patient’s symptoms.
After an aggravation of symptoms, an amelioration, or gradual improvement of symptoms should follow. You do not need to reapply the cream until the process has gone full circle – that is the aggravation has been followed by an amelioration, and then a return of symptoms, indicating that it is time to redose.
If the patient does not experience a strong aggravation or strong amelioration after applying the creams, then they can continue to apply them one, two, three or even four times a day, until they experience either the aggravation or amelioration of the symptoms, indicating that it is time to stop. If there is no response, the cream may not be homeopathic to the case. At this point it is advisable to consult a homeopath for further guidance. I hope that this will bring some clarity as to how to use the creams.
In love and service,
Deborah Olenev CCH RSHom (NA)