Boswellia

Possible Boswellia Benefits*

Boswellia is very effective in relief from joint pain, arthritis, joint care and joint inflammation.  Boswellic acid, (a principal constituent of gum resin) is found in Boswellia Serrata or Shallaki. Boswellic acid has shown to be have anti- atherosclerotic, anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory properties. Boswellia is a gentle caring herb for joints in a safe and natural way, providing optimum health for joints. It is also called as Indian Frankincense due to its fragrance and, has been used traditionally for preparing incense sticks. Boswellia also has many triglyceride and cholesterol lowering properties, like the cousin herb Guggul. 

Many Pharmacological studies show that the Boswellic acid imitates the 5-lipoxygenase to same extent as of high doses of steroids. It doesn’t lead of formation of gastric ulcer or any of the side effects that are caused by some non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Gum Resin and the bark are used for preparing medicines. The bark of Boswellia is sweet in taste, cooling and a good tonic. By taping the tree trunk, a gummy and sticky oleoresin is extracted. These resin extracts are purified and then used for herbal preparations. Some of the properties of Boswellia make it anti-carcinogenic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-arthritic, anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory. 

Burseraceae family has about 17-18 genera, about 540 different species for of flowering plants. It is also called as Torchwood family or as incense tree family. The family consists of trees as well as shrubs, and has an origin in the regions of Asia, some parts of America and Africa. Some of these trees/shrubs produce some fragrant resins which are used for preparing incense and perfume, notably myrrh and frankincense. Frankincense was one among the gifts that wise men had brought for celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and Boswellia and similar properties to frankincense. In Bible, Boswellia is referred as Boswellia Carteri, which is similar, but does have different properties from Boswellia Serrata being discussed here. Boswellia Carteri is the oil extract from gum resin from a tree which is native to Middle East and Africa. 

• Provides gentle care for joints and is used in Arthritis.*
• Very effective anti-inflammatory agent.*
• Reduces joint, neck pain and back (lower back especially) pain.*
• Leads to providing overall well-being.*
• Has triglyceride and cholesterol lowering properties.*
• Immunomodulating properties offer a broad health.*
• Has remarkable analgesic and sedative action.*
• Helps in body weight reduction.*
• Effective for treating ulcerative colitis, ringworms, pulmonary disease and dysentary.*
• Useful for treatment of cough and bronchial asthma.*
• Effective for treatment of brain tumours.*
• Useful for relieving fever, diaphoresis, chronic laryngitis, jaundice, urethrorrhea and convulsions.*

Boswellia Herbal Research & References

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*The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and information provided on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, consult your physician. All information is provided for educational purposes only. Please consult your doctor if your pregnat. Keep these and all supplements out of the reach of children.

Boswellia Research and Clinical Studies

Clinical trials conducted convey of the great effects of Boswellia in cases of ulcerative colitis and bronchial asthma. Researches published in the BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy have shown that the patients who suffered from knee osteoarthritis has a significant improvement when consumed Boswellia. 

Boswellia Serrata is studied by combining to other herbs. The herbal combination having boswellia Serrata, curcumin and Ashwagandha was given to patients and showed a significant pain reduction.  It also showed improvements in asthma, reducing the asthma attacks.  

Some scientists at Medical Department I, Technical University Hospital, and Fetscherstrasse, Germany carried out studies to observe the effects of Boswellia serrata extract (BSE) on patients having collagenous colitis. The study proved of its good effects in this condition. The pure compound obtained from Boswellia serrata extract has anti-inflammatory properties in human PBMCs, as well as mouse macrophages by inhibiting TNFalpha, NO, IL-1beta and MAP kinases.  

Studies were carried out by Gayathri B, Manjula N, Vinaykumar KS, Lakshmi BS, Balakrishnan A. Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, India, using crude extracts and pure compound. The results indicated that crude methanolic extracts along with isolated pure compound were capable as natural anti-inflammators, where chronic inflammation was present. 

At university hospitals of Bochum and Giessen, patients having gliome tumours had been administered a higher dosage of BSE. In few days only, a lot of symptoms of brain tumours like headaches, lameness, etc were significantly reduced. These reports are preliminary and further researches are still carried out to not the long term effects to see if the tumour growth can be arrested.  

Other Names For Boswellia

Latin Name - Boswellia serrata
Family Name – Burseraceae
Common Names - Shallaki, Indian olibanum tree, Gond, Luban, Olibanum.

Boswellia in Ayurveda

Boswellia is extensively used in Ayurveda for providing joint support and overall sense about well-being. It is also called ‘Salai Guggul’, it has lot of properties of cousin herb, Guggul and offers broad health plus immunomodulating benefits.

Earliest texts by Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita have detail about various symptoms connected to joint pain, and use of Boswellia for it. Bones have minerals stored and they also absorb environmental toxins. Bone gets nourished with hard resinous herbs like Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) and Guggul (Commiphora mukul). They work through blood as media for feeding the bones. They specifically repair the bone tissue.

Boswellia acts upon all vata disorders as it has the ushan virya pontency. It also has tickt, madhur and kashaya rasas, which make it a kapha suppressant. These qualities make it a good suppressant for the disorders arising due to kapha and vata dosha. Boswellia gum oleoresin contains essential oils, terpenoids and gum. Terpenoid portion has Boswellia acids, the active ingredient in boswellia. Boswellia can inhibit pro-inflammatory mediators in body, like leukotrienes. Contrary to NSAIDs, prolonged usage of Boswellia doesn’t cause irritation or stomach ulcers.