TFS Review: Boiron Arnica Gel
Posted January 18th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Valerie Cerami
Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Product Reviews, Sports Medicine, Special Features, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, TFS Reviews
If you’d like to try a holistic approach to muscle soreness, you should give Boiron’s Arnica Gel a try. We found it to have a far superior odor than traditional favorites (i.e. - IcyHot), but yet often more effective for pain relief. Below are the results of TFS’s product testing, small-scale double-blind trials, and overall review.
Product: Boiron’s Arnica Gel
Price: $5.76 (1.5 oz.); $9.12 (2.5 oz.)
Rating: Very Good 7.8/10.0
Pros: Non-greasy; very mild smell; all-natural; quickly absorbed; effective on mild muscle pain and soreness
Cons: More expensive than traditional remedies; comes in tube instead of a more convenient “roll-on” form
Overall: Very good choice for runner’s to use at home for reducing muscle soreness and helping to prevent injuries without the offensive odor inherent to analgesics like Icy Hot and Tiger Balm.
The arnica gel that we tested is made by Boiron, a major manufacturer of homeopathic products. Homeopathic medicines use therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical, and biological substances. Homeopathy has been used for hundreds of years and is currently recommended to millions by health-care providers around the world.
Arnica is an all-natural treatment option that is marketed by Boiron, and many other holistic manufacturers, for the relief of: stiffness, aches and pains, muscle soreness, swelling and discoloration from bruises, and other minor ailments.
Note: Although the review is authored by just one of TFS’s team members, it reflects the cumulative results of the entire groups’ trial and our double-blind test.
Effectiveness – 8 - I tested Boiron’s Arnica Gel primarily on my hamstring muscle, a recurrent strain that nags me. The gel’s consistency was perfect (not too gooey or too firm). Once applied, it was quickly and easily absorbed without fuss. Surprisingly, there was no residue left on my snug fitting, lycra bike pants. I applied it three times a day, as suggested by the directions, and found the relief promised. The tightening of my back leg was greatly eased with continued use. Ordinarily, I use head/ice and rest for muscle aches and minor injury; but Arnica proved to hasten the healing and ease me back to my routine much faster. I repeated this on several occasions with similarly positive results.
The Final Sprint also conducted a small-scale, double-blind test of Boiron’s Arnica Gel; comparing the results of our testers who used the Arnica Gel, Icy Hot and a placebo (simple hand moisturizer). The Arnica Gel performed the best, producing “moderate pain relief” in more than two-thirds of our trials and at least “minimal pain relief” in nearly all trials.
Design - 7 – The Arnica Gel is hands-down a better smelling product than traditional muscle rubs like Icy Hot, Bengay and Tigerbalm. The odor is extremely mild, not offensive and doesn’t even resemble the terrible menthol odor of traditional muscle rubs. You can also take comfort in knowing that it is all natural. The only drawback to Boiron’s design and packaging is that it comes in a tube, instead of a “roll-on” stick form like BodyGlide’s Muscle Formula. However, even in the current tube package, Arnica is not at all messy and doesn’t seem to stain clothes.
Value – 7 - The price is a bit higher than competing products, but as they say: “You get what you pay for.”
If you are looking for a way advance your treatment of muscle pain and soreness, Boiron’s Arnica Gel is definitely worth a shot. We believe that it is a very good addition to a solid muscle treatment program, which should include cold/hot compresses, self-massage ( “The Stick” is a great tool for this), and sufficient rest.
Sources of research and for more information: [Boiron USA], [The Final Sprint], [Innovative Medicine]
Editor’s note - The overall rating was calculated by weighting Effectiveness as 70%, Design as 20% and Value as 10%.
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: arnica, arnica gel, bengay, bodglide, boiron, boiron arnica gel, homeopathic sports medicine, homeopathy, icy hot, muscle fatigue, muscle formula, muscle soreness, pain, product review, review, soreness, tiger balm
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The Final Sprint
[…] And finally The Final Sprint has a long and detailed review of a Gel, Boiron Arnicab Gel, and it’s effects on muscle soreness. This has me interested as it gives everyone one more way to combat this real problem of pushing your body to the limits. […]
February 9th, 2007 at 10:02 pm