It's little wonder that medicinal plants often boast pride-of-place in ornamental gardens. After all, the striking orange-yellow tones of arnica and calendula, contrasted with the purple-blue of comfrey flowers, make these bruise and wound treatments a sight for sore eyes, just as their therapeutic properties provide relief for sore muscles. Grow these flowering herbs to treat the inevitable bruising that comes from kung fu training, or look for them as ingredients in topical wound creams.
Kung Fu Injuries
About 3/4 of a million people sustain injuries from martial arts training each year, according to "Medical News Today." Bruises are among the most common injuries. Bruises occur from a direct blow to your body, which results in broken blood vessels at the injury site. The released blood flows toward the surface, where it is trapped in skin tissue. Measures taken to redirect the blood flow and to shrink tissue help reduce the pain and discoloration of the wound.
Arnica
Used exclusively as a topical herb, the flowering plant Arnica boasts a long reputation for healing bruises and sprains. Its anti-inflammatory properties make it one of the first herbs turned to for injuries like bruises, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Look for arnica creams and salves at health food stores. Alternatively, grow the orange-yellow flower in your ornamental garden or medicinal garden and harvest it for "bruise juice." Make an infused oil by use one part dried arnica flowers to five parts vegetable or olive oil. Prepare a cream made up with no more than 15 percent arnica oil, University of Maryland Medical Center suggests. For example, blend 1/2 oz. arnica oil with 2 1/2 oz. olive oil. Gently heat the oils with 1 oz. beeswax until the beeswax melts, then pour the mixture into a wide-mouth jar and allow to thicken. Homemade or store-bought arnica tincture may also be applied directly to bruises in the form of a compress or poultice.
Comfrey
Like arnica, comfrey is a flowering herb with anti-inflammatory properties. The medical website Drugs.com notes that the herb's traditional nicknames, which include bruisewort, knitbone, knitback, boneset and healing herb, underscore its legendary status as a medicinal herb. Comfrey's healing compound, allantoin, occurs in both the leaves and the roots, notes UMMC. Allontoin promotes cells growth and helps shrink blood vessels and swollen skin. You'll likely find formulas or commercial products using either comfrey root or comfrey leaf topical. Either is fine, but avoid applying comfrey to broken skin. If you grow your own comfrey, herbalist Barbara Griggs suggests infusing either the dried leaves or dried roots in olive oil. Steep for several weeks, strain and bottle. Swab painful and discolored bruises with the comfrey oil.
Calendula
The flower calendula, also known as the marigold, may be applied to bruises as a tincture, cream, salve or oil. The flower's flavonoids provide the skin with antioxidant protection, while still-undiscovered compounds appear to provide anti-inflammatory healing. Calendula's effectiveness on healing bruises is believed to stem the herb's ability to direct blood flow to the bruise while also generating collagen, which promotes skin and tissue regrowth. Comfrey is one of Germany's most popular topical treatments for wounds of all types, according to New York University's Langone Medical Center. Look for commercial ointments or tinctures containing comfrey, or prepare your own from dried petals in the manner described in the arnica chapter.
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