Where Remedies Grow...

There is an old herbal saying that the cure often grows close to the poison—a reminder that nature sometimes places healing plants in the very environments where we encounter the challenges they may help us navigate.

Arnica montana, for example, grows in the high mountain meadows and grasslands of Europe, thriving in rugged, elevated environments where the body may be challenged by physical exertion, bumps, bruises, and strain. For centuries, Arnica has been valued in traditional herbal medicine for its association with bruising, soreness, and the effects of physical trauma. Perhaps there is something poetic in the way this bright mountain flower grows among the rocks, grasses, and rugged terrain: a reminder to look closely at the natural world around us and consider what it may have to offer in times of need.

So imagine my delight when I came across a North American species of Arnica, Arnica mollis, while climbing the Vernal Falls Trail in Yosemite. Here we were, huffing our way up a mountain, our legs, knees, and thighs screaming at us—and then I rounded a corner and found this beautiful flower shining in the mist from the waterfall.

My eye caught the asymmetrical shape of the Arnica immediately. It looks a bit like a daisy (it is, after all, a member of the same botanical family), but its petals are often uneven and irregular, giving the flower a somewhat battered, rough-around-the-edges appearance. For me, this was a beautiful example of the Doctrine of Signatures—the traditional idea that a plant's appearance or characteristics may offer clues to its healing properties.

Arnica is a remedy we turn to when our bodies—or, in a broader sense, our minds and spirits—feel battered, bruised, overwhelmed, or injured.

And there was something wonderfully fitting about discovering Arnica right there on the trail. The mountain was challenging our bodies, and there was Arnica growing alongside the path. On our way back down, each of us took a dose of Arnica montana 200c, helping us complete the hike with a little more ease. ❤️

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