|  | Family Health | Health Care

Safety Precautions for Snow Arnica

According to the Department of Agriculture, Arnica frigida C.A. Mey. ex Iljin, known as snow arnica, grows in Alaska, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Quebec and Yukon. It is not an especially dangerous plant but you should take some precautions if you intend to grow it or wish to use it.

  1. Human and Other Animal Edibility

    • Snow arnica is not suitable as a berry or seed product for humans, as it has no conspicuous fruits or seeds Nor is it suitable as a nut product, for the same reason. The plant is not palatable for humans. Even though it is not classified as toxic, it should not be eaten. It has a low protein potential and no post-product potential. You should not use snow arnica as fodder for animals. It has low palatability for browsing or grazing animals.

    Precautions Regarding Morphology and Physiology

    • Morphology refers to the study of the shape or form of a given organism. Physiology is the study of the function of organisms such as plants. The plant has a medium carbon to nitrogen ratio, which has implications for its suitability as a compost material. You should not endeavor to coppice the plant as it has no coppice potential and you might injure yourself in the attempt. The plant is not fire resistant and so you should not use it as a fire blanket or other safety device to extinguish incipient fires. Snow arnica has coarse foliage texture and so you should not brush it against skin with force as this may cause chafing. The growth form of the plant is rhizomatous, which means it sends out thick horizontal stems. In some cases, these can be above ground, which can cause a trip hazard. You should not attempt to use the plant for allelopathy, as it is not a known allelopath. Allelopathy is where an organism produces biochemicals that have an effect on the development, endurance and reproduction of other organisms. The plant has no leaf retention and so you should not use it for any purpose where leaf retention is critical. Snow arnica has an erect shape and orientation, which you should take into account if you decide to leap over a bush thereof.

    Other Precautions

    • Snow arnica is not suitable as a Christmas tree product. You should not burn it as it is not suitable as a fuel product. You should not attempt to use it as a lumber product as it has no wood. Nor should you use it as a pulpwood product or a veneer product. You should not use it as a nursery stock product. It has no potential as a naval store product. The naval stores industry gathers forest products, which it then processes and sells.

Health Care - Related Articles