| The gummy resin of the
boswellia tree has a long history of use in India herbal medicine as a treatment
for arthritis, bursitis, diarrhea, and respiratory disease. The herb
Boswellia is now being used to fight both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
arthritis because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties. The
therapeutic benefits of herbal Boswellia has been demonstrated by tests
designed to collect information on anti-arthritic compounds. Boswellia has been
shown effective and in many cases better than drugs like Phenylbutazone and
other anti-inflammatory drugs. Also Boswellia proved to have NO ulcer causing
side effects which can occur with anti-inflammatory drugs like: aspirin,
ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin), and others.
Boswellia's two main phyto-chemicals are
boswellin and boswellic acid that both have anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory,
and diuretic properties.
People with "very weakened" immune
systems may not be able to use boswellia.
The next time Christmas comes around, and hear about
frankincense and myrrh; think boswellia. Since the biblical birth of Christ,
frankincense, myrrh, boswellia, and other resin-releasing desert shrubs of the
ancient Holy Land have been confused with one another. Today the wisest of
botanists and chemists cant differentiate among the various members of the
Burseraceae family (especially in the Boswellia and Commiphora genera), all now
thought to be myrrh, even when the plants are in full bloom. We'll probably
never know precisely what resinous substances the three wise men toted across
the desert to present to the Christ child (all of these plants bleed a sticky
resin that was probably burned as incense), but someday we might learn the full
medicinal secrets of these fragrant herbs.
For more info on Boswellia see:
"Boswellin, the Anti-in flammatory
Phytonutrient"
New Natural Healing Encyclopedia,
Nutriscience Publishers, Piscataway, NJ, 1996
Boswellia is also known as:
Boswellia serrata , Indian Frankincense ,
Boswellin, Boswellia commiphora, B. serrata
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