BOSWELLIA SERRATA
Boswellia is a tree that is native to India, Africa, and Arabia. It is commonly used in the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda. Olibanum is another word for boswellia. It refers to a resin or "sap" that seeps from openings in the bark of several boswellia species, including boswellia serrata, boswellia carterii, and boswellia frereana. Of these, boswellia serrata is most commonly used for medicine.
Boswellia is taken by mouth for brain injury, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, swelling of the fluid-filled pads in the joints (bursitis), and swelling of tendons (tendonitis). It is also taken by mouth for ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease that affects the colon (collagenous colitis), Crohn's disease, and abdominal pain. It is used for asthma, hay fever, sore throat, syphilis, painful menstruation, pimples, bruises, headache, diabetes, and cancer. Boswellia is also used as a stimulant, to increase urine flow, and for stimulating menstrual flow. Boswellia is applied to the skin to tone the skin and decrease wrinkles. It is also used to reduce skin damage caused during radiation treatments for cancer.
The resin of boswellia contains Boswellic acid that may helps decrease inflammation and increase immune response.1
The medicinal part of the tree is the resin gum exuded when incisions are made in the bark of the trunk. Content:– 11-keto-β-boswellic acid (C30H46O4 ; Mr 470.7): minimum 1.0 per cent (dried drug). Ph.Eur.2
Boswellia serrata contains oils, terpenoids, and gum. Up to 16 percent of the resin is essential oil, the majority being alpha thujene and p-cymene. Four pentacyclic triterpene acids are also present, with ß-Boswellic acid being the major constituent.3
Boswellia serrata is antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic, emmenagogue, analgesic, sedative, hypotensive. Also used in obesity, diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, urinary disorders, scrofulous affections. Nonphenolic fraction of boswellia serrata exhibited remarkable sedative and analgesic effect. Boswellic acid is main active ingredient isolated from the Boswellia serrata which has anti-inflammatory activity (boswellia serrata is used in osteoarthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue fibrositis and spondylitis, also for cough, bronchitis, asthma, mouth sores).4
Boswellia appears to be a specific inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase.5,6 Boswellia has also been shown to inhibit human leukocyte elastase (HLE), which may be involved in the pathogenesis of emphysema. HLE also stimulates mucus secretion and thus may play a role in cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome.7,8
Leukotrienes are suggested to play a role in the inflammatory process of ulcerative colitis. Boswellia extract (350 mg three times daily) was compared to sulfasalazine (1 g three times daily) in ulcerative colitis patients. Patients on the boswellia extract showed similar improvements as patients on sulfasalazine, although 82 percent of boswellia patients went into remission, compared with 75 percent on sulfasalazine.9
It is known that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can disrupt glycosaminoglycan synthesis which can accelerate joint damage in arthritic conditions. Boswellia significantly reduced the degradation of glycosaminoglycans compared to controls, whereas ketoprofen reduced total tissue glycosaminoglycan content.10
References:
1. Burçin Ö., Sultan P., Didem D. O., A Clinical Approach to The Effect of Boswellia Serrata in Osteoarthritis, Academic Journal of Homeopathy and Integrative Medicine, Acad. J. Homeopat. & Integ. Med. 2023;1(1):11-9.)
2. 1480p, 10th Ed. (European Pharmacopoeia, Tenth Edition, Volume I).
3. Monograph, Alternative Medicine Review ◆ Volume 3, Number 4 ◆ 1998, 306p.
4. Indian Medicinal Plants, C.P. Khare, B-1/211, Janak Puri, New Delhi-110 058, India. 99p.
5. Safayhi H, Mack T, Sabieral J, et al. Boswellic acids: novel, specific nonredox inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase. J Pharmac Exp Ther 1992;261:1143-1146.
6. Ammon HPT. Salai guggal – Boswellia serrata: from a herbal medicine to a specific inhibitor of leukotriene biosynthesis. Phytomedicine 1996;3:67-70.
7. Rall B, Ammon HPT, Safayhi H. Boswellic acids and protease activities. Phytomedicine 1996;3:75-76.
8. Safayhi H, Rall B, Sailer ER, Ammon HPT. Inhibition by Boswellc acids of human leukocyte elastase. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1997;281:460-463.
9. Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhotra P, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with ulcerative colitis. Eur J Med Res 1997;2:37-43.
10. Reddy GK, Chandraksan G, Dhar SC. Studies on the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans under the influence of new herbal anti-inflammatory agents. Biochem Pharm 1989;38:3527-3534.