Boswellia glabra

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Indian Frankincense
• Indian Olibanum
• Indian olibanum-tree
• boswellia

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Boswellia serrata var. glabra
• Boswellia serrata var. bivalvis
• Boswellia glabra
• Boswellia thurifera
• Chloroxylon dupada

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

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.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (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.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Boswellia serrata is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist in its environment over many years. As a deciduous plant, it undergoes seasonal changes in foliage, shedding its leaves during specific periods of the year, which is often an adaptation to environmental stressors or seasonal shifts in moisture availability. This life cycle enables the plant to maintain long-term stability within its ecosystem while managing its physiological resources through periodic leaf senescence.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Boswellia serrata is characterized by its growth form as a woody tree. This self-supporting species typically reaches a plant height with a mean value of approximately 12 m. As a robust, woody organism, it does not exhibit climbing behavior, instead maintaining a stable, upright structure consistent with its classification as a tree.

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

tree

Plant height mean:

12 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Boswellia serrata is characterized by its specific metabolic and nutritional strategies adapted to arid environments. The plant utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, meaning it fixes carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle using the enzyme RuBisCO, a process typical of most woody dicots but one that requires careful stomatal regulation to manage transpiration in its native dry habitats. Furthermore, Boswellia serrata is not a nitrogen fixer; it lacks the specialized symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as rhizobia, required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of available nitrates and ammonium from the soil through its root system.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Boswellia serrata is a complex biological process primarily driven by sexual reproduction through the production of flowers, which facilitate pollination and subsequent seed development. Once fertilization is successful, the plant produces specialized seeds that serve as the primary agents for dispersal and the establishment of new individuals. Detailed morphometric analysis of these reproductive units reveals a highly consistent seed profile; the seed mass exhibits no variability within the observed parameters, maintaining a mean, maximum, and minimum mass of exactly 0.06803 g. This precise uniformity in seed mass suggests a highly regulated physiological process during the maturation phase, ensuring that each propagule carries a standardized nutrient reserve to support early seedling establishment in its natural habitat.

Seed mass mean:

0.06803 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Boswellia serrata has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, stem.

Leaf

1. Analytical sciences : the international journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry

Stem

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

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.

AKBA

1. DNA and cell biology
2. International journal of colorectal disease
3. Cytokine
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica

Boswellic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Nutrients

3-O-Acetyl-11-keto-beta-Boswellic Acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Planta medica
3. BioFactors (Oxford, England)
4. Journal of natural products

Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Cancer research
3. International journal of colorectal disease
4. Arzneimittel-Forschung

11-Keto-beta-boswellic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Planta medica
3. BioFactors (Oxford, England)

3-O-Acetyl-beta-boswellic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Planta medica
3. BioFactors (Oxford, England)

beta-Boswellic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Planta medica
3. BioFactors (Oxford, England)

BAS

1. The New phytologist
2. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

EO

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of food science

Incensole

1. Phytochemical analysis : PCA
2. 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.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
3. Molecular neurobiology
4. Journal of cellular biochemistry
5. Pharmaceutics

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. ACS omega
3. Indian journal of experimental biology
4. Current rheumatology reviews

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Expert opinion on drug discovery
3. ACS omega
4. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Antimicrobial

1. Pharmaceutics
2. Journal of food science
3. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

Neuroprotective

1. Neurochemical research
2. Molecular neurobiology
3. Journal of cellular biochemistry

Antiarthritic

1. Dr. Duke
2. BioMed research international

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Advanced biomedical research

Conditions

Boswellia serrata has 64 reported investigations on conditions identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, arthritis, atherosclerosis.

Inflammation

1. Agents and actions
2. DNA and cell biology
3. Pharmacological research
4. BioMed research international
5. Pharmaceutics

Oxidative stress

1. Nutrients
2. Neurochemical research
3. DNA and cell biology
4. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica
5. Molecular neurobiology

Lipid peroxidation

1. Nutrients
2. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica
3. Journal of cellular biochemistry
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Arthritis

1. Chemistry Central journal
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Inflammopharmacology

Atherosclerosis

1. Recent patents on inflammation & allergy drug discovery
2. Inflammopharmacology
3. Inflammation

Pain

1. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. Inflammopharmacology

Covid-19

1. Scientific reports
2. Vegetos (Bareilly, India)

Crohn's disease

1. Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Sars-cov-2

1. Scientific reports
2. Vegetos (Bareilly, India)

Analgesic

1. ACS omega
2. Indian journal of experimental biology

Preparations

Boswellia serrata has 54 reported preparations identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include gum resin, resin, Boswellia serrata gum resin, extracts, gum resin preparation.

Gum resin

1. Nutrients
2. European journal of medical research
3. DNA and cell biology
4. Chemistry Central journal
5. Planta medica

Resin

1. Neurochemical research
2. International journal of colorectal disease
3. Cytokine

Boswellia serrata gum resin

1. Journal of evidence-based integrative medicine
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Extracts

1. Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
2. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity

Gum resin preparation

1. European journal of medical research
2. Planta medica

N-hexane extract

1. ACS omega
2. PloS one

99 mg daily dose of boswellia serrata

1. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews

Aqueous extracts

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Bs extract

1. Indian journal of experimental biology

Bsae

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology