Safety of Arnica/Echinacea Powder in the Care of the Umbilical Stump

The main concerns about neonates’ umbilical stump are delay in its falling, umbilical cord infections and bleeding. Optimal umbilical cord care is therefore an important issue for both nurseries’ staff and neonates’ caregivers. Many investigators have explored the optimal cord care treatment. Among current umbilical cord care options, topical application of chlorhexidine decreases omphalitis and neonatal mortality, both in primary and community care settings in developing countries; whereas dry cord care has proved to be adequate in hospital settings, in developed countries.
We here report our experience on arnica/echinacea powder, a safe method of treating the umbilical cord in developed countries.