Boswellia glabra
Boswellia serrata · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (524 studies) · ★★★★★
Boswellia glabra, scientifically known as Boswellia serrata, is a prominent medicinal tree native to India. Renowned for producing frankincense resin, it contains potent boswellic acids. These compounds are widely utilized in traditional medicine to reduce inflammation, making it a powerful natural remedy for managing arthritis and various inflammatory conditions.
Names
Common Names
- Indian Frankincense
- Indian Olibanum
- Indian olibanum-tree
- boswellia
Regional and Traditional Names
German:
- Boswellia glabra
French:
- arbre à encens
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Boswellia serrataSynonyms
- Boswellia serrata var. glabra
- Boswellia serrata var. bivalvis
- Boswellia glabra
- Boswellia thurifera
- Chloroxylon dupada
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Sapindales, it is classified under the family Burseraceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Boswellia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Sapindales | WCVP |
| Family | Burseraceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Boswellia | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant is primarily distributed across several key regions within the Indian Subcontinent. It can be found growing naturally throughout many parts of India. Its presence is also noted in the diverse landscapes of Assam. Additionally, the species extends its range to the island of Sri Lanka. Finally, it is also distributed across the West Himalaya region.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Subcontinent | Assam | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | India | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Sri Lanka | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | West Himalaya | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as Indian frankincense, is highly valued for the therapeutic properties found within its various anatomical components. The primary medicinal interest lies in the oleo-gum resin, which is harvested from the stem and bark of the tree. When the bark is wounded, the tree produces a viscous gum resin exudate as a healing response. This substance, often referred to simply as resin, is collected in its crude form and can be processed into a purified gum resin used extensively in traditional medicine to treat inflammatory conditions.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf | Analytical sciences : the international journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| stem | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Boswellia serrata has 83 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include AKBA, Boswellic acid, 3-O-Acetyl-11-keto-beta-Boswellic Acid, Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid, 11-Keto-beta-boswellic acid.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| AKBA | 8 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Boswellic acid | 8 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| 3-O-Acetyl-11-keto-beta-Boswellic Acid | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| 11-Keto-beta-boswellic acid | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| 3-O-Acetyl-beta-boswellic acid | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| beta-Boswellic acid | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| BAS | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| EO | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Incensole | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
AKBA
- DNA and cell biology
- International journal of colorectal disease
- Cytokine
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Acta poloniae pharmaceutica
View 3 additional sources
- OncoTargets and therapy
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
- Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
Boswellic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
- Nutrients
View 3 additional sources
- OncoTargets and therapy
- Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
- Current medicinal chemistry
3-O-Acetyl-11-keto-beta-Boswellic Acid
- Dr. Duke
- Planta medica
- BioFactors (Oxford, England)
- Journal of natural products
Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Cancer research
- International journal of colorectal disease
- Arzneimittel-Forschung
11-Keto-beta-boswellic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Planta medica
- BioFactors (Oxford, England)
3-O-Acetyl-beta-boswellic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Planta medica
- BioFactors (Oxford, England)
beta-Boswellic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Planta medica
- BioFactors (Oxford, England)
BAS
- The New phytologist
- Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
EO
- Dr. Duke
- Journal of food science
Incensole
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- PloS one
Activities
Boswellia serrata has 228 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Analgesic, Anticancer, Antiinflammatory, Antimicrobial.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 8 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| Analgesic | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antiinflammatory | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Pharmaceutics (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antitumor | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cytotoxic | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Neuroprotective | Neurochemical research (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antiarthritic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Boswellia serrata has 64 reported medicinal uses identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, arthritis, atherosclerosis.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| inflammation | Agents and actions (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| oxidative stress | Nutrients (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| lipid peroxidation | Nutrients (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| arthritis | Chemistry Central journal (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| atherosclerosis | Recent patents on inflammation & allergy drug discovery (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| pain | The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| COVID-19 | Scientific reports (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Crohn's disease | Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| SARS-CoV-2 | Scientific reports (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| analgesic | ACS omega (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| gum resin | Nutrients (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| resin | Neurochemical research (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Boswellia serrata gum resin | Journal of evidence-based integrative medicine (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| extracts | Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| gum resin preparation | European journal of medical research (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| n-hexane extract | ACS omega (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| 99 mg daily dose of Boswellia serrata | The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Aqueous Extracts | Phytotherapy research : PTR (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| BS extract | Indian journal of experimental biology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| BSAE | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |