BOSWELLIA

Boswellia serrata

Boswellia is the selectively fractionated principle obtained from the gummy exudate of the genus, Boswellia Roxb (family Burseraceae). Boswellia serrata is also known as Dhup or "Indian Olibanum" and is widely distributed in India.

It is a moderate to large branching tree about 12 feet in height and three to four feet in girth, generally found in dry hilly areas of India.

The collection of the gum resin from the Boswellia serrata plant is restricted to certain parts of India. The tapping of gum oleo-resin is carried out towards the end of October. It is accomplished by scraping away a portion of stem bark, usually six to eight inches wide. The practice generally used is to make transverse incisions in the upper and lower portions is the tree trunk to be exposed and then the bark is peeled off. The gum exudate is collected for the next 10 to 12 days and the wound.

Thanks to an ancient health science, relief without side-effects may be at hand for many arthritis sufferers. Contemporary researchers and physicians are validating the findings of medical texts more than 1,500 years old which praise the anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic uses of the gummy extract. In a series of recent studies conducted at Indian government laboratories, the extract from Boswellia serrata was found to be both safe and effective.

The Boswellia serrata tree already is a celebrity of sorts. Its oil, called "Indian frankincense," has long been an important ingredient in Oriental perfumes. Researchers and clinicians are showing that boswellia is indeed potent for inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

It effectively shrinks inflamed tissue, the underlying cause of pain, by improving the blood supply to the affected area and enhancing the repair of local blood vessels damaged by proliferating inflammation. This ability is attributed to chemical compounds in the gummy extract, scientifically known as boswelic acids.

In one study conducted at the Government Medical College in Jammu, India, nearly 60 percent of arthritic patients tested experienced good to excellent results against stiffness and pain. Over three-quarters of the patients in the study were either bedridden or incapacitated from doing normal work. Within two to four weeks after starting on the B. serrata extract, they reported a lessening of morning joint stiffness, pain, and improved grip strength. In another study of 26 patients suffering from arthritic knees, dramatic improvement was experienced within four weeks.

Experimental and clinical usage of boswellia indicates it has none of the side effects on blood pressure, heart rate of the gastric irritation and ulcers associated with many anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic drugs. It is now an approved herbal medicine in India for use against osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue rheumatism, low back pain, myositis and fibrositis.

In the United States, physicians are giving boswellia high marks for effectiveness. Dr. E. W. McDonagh, a Kansas City physician, has reported success among some 350 patients suffering from a variety of advanced muscular and skeletal conditions for which other treatments had failed to help. "Many were taking multiple prescription and non-prescription medication and had developed side effects from them," McDonagh says. "Once taking boswellia as prescribed, pain significantly reduced – or even vanished – in two to four weeks’ time. All patients were able to eliminate other medication or reduce the dosages significantly."

In Abilene, Joe B. Alexander, M.D., reported "fantastic results" among 20 patients. Among them was a 56-year old woman with arthritis who previously used many medications but said the effect of boswellia was the "best of anything she had ever had."

Even veterinarians are putting Boswellia serrata to good use. I. L. Jaques, D.V.M., of Seattle, has reported considerable improvement among both cats and dogs suffering from arthritis. Patrick J. Moloney, D.V.M., of Louisville, found that boswellia improved the condition of horses with a variety of chronic soreness and arthritis.

The use of boswella as a medicinal herb springs from the ancient Indian healing tradition known as Ayurveda, which in Sanskrit means "science of life."