Heterotheca inuloides 1:1 extract: Mexican arnica
Heterotheca inuloides is a perennial herb in the daisy family that grows wild in Mexico. It reaches around ninety centimetres, carries upright and often hairy stems, and produces clusters of bright yellow flower heads from June through to November. The Spanish names árnica mexicana and árnica del país come from those flowers, which resemble those of European Arnica montana. Botanically the two sit in different genera within the same family, and that difference is exactly why the Latin name on a label tells you more than the word arnica on its own. In Nahuatl the plant is called Tlalyetl.
In Mexico this is one of the best known herbs on the market stalls: at the Mercado de Sonora in Mexico City, Heterotheca inuloides is the main species among the plants sold there under the arnica name. Material used to be gathered from the wild in the southeast of the State of Mexico, but since the 1990s growers in that region have been cultivating it on a larger scale. The flower heads are what usually goes into the herb cabinet, sometimes together with leaf and stem. This bottle holds that material in liquid, concentrated form; the 1:1 label refers to the ratio the tincture was made at, one part plant material per part of finished product. The bottle contains 10 ml and has a dropper.
Use and storage
Follow the instructions on the label and shake the bottle before use. Keep the tincture cool, dry and dark, out of reach of young children. If you are sensitive to daisy-family plants such as marguerite, chamomile or ragweed, take care, as this family can trigger allergic reactions. If you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or pharmacist first.
About the Avalon herbal tinctures
The 1:1 extracts form a long list of single herbs, each in the same 10 ml bottle, which makes them easy to compare side by side. Alongside Heterotheca inuloides, Avalon Magic Plants stocks Calendula officinalis (marigold), Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile), Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower), Gnaphalium oxyphyllum and Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort). Everything leaves our warehouse in discreet packaging.
