Boswellia

Traditionally, Boswellia gum has been used for the treatment of diabetes, skin and blood diseases, fever, cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders, rheumatism, dysentery, diseases of the testes, and myriad of other disorders. Today, boswellia's major use is as an anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, low back pain, myositis, fibrositis, and osteoarthritis. Scientific evidence also suggests Boswellia extract may lower cholesterol, as does the guggul of Commiphora wightii (guggulipid), and provide liver protection.
Boswellia serratta, of the botanical family Burseraceae, is the scientific name for a tree of moderate height which grows in the dry hilly areas of India. The therapeutic value of the dried resinous gum (guggul), derived from tapping the Boswellia tree, has been known since antiquity.
At the laboratory in Jammu the therapeutic effectiveness of Boswellia extract has been demonstrated by a battery of rigorous tests designed to provide information on anti-arthritic agents. Boswellia extract proved as effective, or in some cases more effective, than phenylbutazone (a standard anti-inflammatory drug) in standard animal model tests such as carrageenan induced paw oedema and formaldehyde-induced arthritis. Unlike nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, Boswellia extract proved to have zero ulcerogenic activity - in other words, it had no tendency whatsoever to induce ulceration. In fact, boswellia is often used for ulcerative conditions of the digestive system such as gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome.
Boswellia works for these problems because it contains anti-inflammatory triterpenoids called boswellic acids. Boswellic acid and its derivatives have anti-carcinogenic, anti-tumor, and blood lipid lowering activities.
Boswellia reduces inflammation. It inhibits pro-inflammatory 5-lipoxygenase chemicals and blocks leukotriene synthesis.