Page 50 - phytotherapy_ EBOOK_2025

Boswellia

Definition
It consists of the dried gum resin of Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. (Burseraceae).
Chemical constituents
Contains 5–9% essential oil with major constituents being α-thujene (50–61%), sabinene
(5%), α-pinene (8%) and α-phellandrene (2%). Major triterpene constituents of biological
interest are members of the boswellic acids (more than 12) including 11-oxo-β-boswellic
acid, 3-O-acetyl-11-oxo-β-boswellic acid, α-boswellic acid, β-boswellic acid, 3-O-acetyl-
α-boswellic acid, and 3-O-acetyl β-boswellic acid.

Medicinal uses
Taken orally, Boswellia serrata is used to help manage arthritis, bronchial asthma, Crohn’s
disease, and ulcerative colitis.
A controlled clinical study evaluated the effectiveness of Boswellia in chronic colitis
patients who experienced lower abdominal pain, rectal bleeding with diarrhoea, and
tenderness in the descending and sigmoid colon. The study involved 30 patients (17 men
and 13 women) aged 18–48 years.
Participants were divided into two groups:
• 20 patients received Boswellia serrata gum resin (300 mg, three times daily for six weeks).
• 10 patients received sulfasalazine (1 g, three times daily for six weeks) as the control group.
Results showed that 18 out of 20 patients treated with Boswellia experienced improvement
in one or more clinical parameters, including stool consistency, histopathological findings,
scanning electron microscopy observations, and biochemical measures such as
haemoglobin, serum iron, calcium, phosphorus, proteins, and white blood cell counts.
Furthermore, 14 out of 20 Boswellia-treated patients achieved clinical remission, compared
with only 4 out of 10 in the sulfasalazine group, indicating the potential therapeutic benefit
of Boswellia in managing chronic colitis.

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