Boswellia Serrata (Sallaki)
Introduction: The plant has been used for cosmetic purposes since ancient times. It was associated with longevity and memory and burnt as an incense to drive away evil spirits. It is found in India, Burma and Sri Lanka. It grows throughout the hotter parts of India, Eastern Himalayas and is abundant in Assam, Andaman and west Bengal. Boswellia serrata is reported to be effective as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulator, anti-tumor, anti-asthmatic and anti-arthritic. The gum resin has been also used as traditional medicine as anti-rheumatic, stimulant, urinary disorders, obesity, etc.  Major Chemical Constituents: Major chemical constituents of Boswellia serrata are triterpenes and sugars. Pharmacological Actions Anti-inflammatory activity:1,2,3 The study indicates that the crude methanolic extract and the isolated pure compound are capable of carrying out a natural anti-inflammatory activity at sites where chronic inflammation is present by switching off the pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators, which initiate the process. The data of another study suggested that boswellic acids are specific, non-redox inhibitors of leukotriene synthesis either interacting directly with 5-lipoxygenase or blocking its translocation. Improvement of Joint movement: 4,5 Boswellia serrata extract was well tolerated by the subjects except for minor gastrointestinal ADRs. Boswellia serrata extract is recommended in the patients of osteoarthritis of the knee with possible therapeutic use in other arthritis. Boswellia serrata extract, in Swiss veterinary clinical trial, showed symptomatic support in canine osteoarthritic disease. Analgesic activity:6 An investigation of Boswellia’s analgesic and psychopharmacologic effects noted that it  “was found to exhibit marked sedative and analgesic effects” in these animals. Herb Drug interactions:7,8,9,10 Boswellia serrata are moderate-to-potent, non-selective inhibitors of CYP enzymes 1A2/2C8/2C9/2C19/2D6 and 3A4, so dose modification of some drugs are required, ex. Antipsycotic drug like clozapine. Boswellia may potentiate the actions of pharmaceutical leukotriene inhibitors such as zafrilukast and montelukast, which are used in the treatment of asthma. Boswellia has been reported to reduce the degradation of glycosaminoglycans in rats and may act additively or synergistically with agents shown to be efficacious in the treatment of osteoarthritis, such as glucosamine and chondroitin. Studies demonstrate a profound effect of food intake on the pharmacokinetic parameters of boswellic acids. Meals that are high in fat seem to increase the concentration of boswellia in the body, whereas certain boswellic acids are undetectable after boswellia is taken in a fasting state. Safety: 11 There are no know adverse effects and no toxic effects have been found. The maximum tolerated doses in rats of the 50% ethanolic extracts of root, fruit and stem were 50 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg body weight respectively given IP. Reference 1 Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, Khiyani R. Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee--a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine. 2003 Jan;10(1):3-7. 2 Ammon HP, Safayhi H, Mack T, Sabieraj J. Mechanism of antiinflammatory actions of curcumine and boswellic acids. J Ethnopharmacol. 1993 Mar;38(2-3):113-9. 3 Singh, G.B., Singh, S., Bani, S., 1996. Anti-in ammatory actions of boswellic acids. Phytomedicine 3 (1), 81–85. 4 Madisch A, Miehlke S, Eichele O, Mrwa J, Bethke B, Kuhlisch E, Bästlein E, Wilhelms G, Morgner A, Wigginghaus B, Stolte M. Boswellia serrata extract for the treatment of collagenous colitis. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2007 Dec;22(12):1445-51. Epub 2007 Sep 2. 5 Reichling J., Schmokel H., Fitzi J., Bucher S., and Saller R. (2004). Dietary support with Boswellia resin in canine inflammatory joint and spinal disease. Schweizer Arch. Tierheil. 146,71–79. 6 Menon MK, Karr A. Analgesic and psychopharmacological effects of the gum resin of Boswellia serrata. Planta Medica 1971;4:332-341 7 Frank A, Unger M. Analysis of frankincense from various Boswellia species with inhibitory activity on human drug metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after automated on-line extraction. J Chromatogr A. 2006 Apr 21;1112(1-2):255-62. 8 Ammon HP, et al, Inhibition of leukotriene B4 formation in rat peritoneal neutrophils by an ethanolic extract of the gum resin exudate of Boswellia serrata. Planta Med. 1991 Jun;57(3):203-7. 9 Reddy GK, Chandrakasan G, Dhar SC. Studies on the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans under the influence of new herbal anti-inflammatory agents. Biochem Pharmacol. 1989 Oct 15;38(20):3527-34. 10 Sterk V, Büchele B, Simmet T. Effect of food intake on the bioavailability of boswellic acids from a herbal preparation in healthy volunteers. Planta Med. 2004 Dec;70(12):1155-60. 11 Dhar ML, Dhar MM, Dhawan BN, Mehrotra BN, Ray C 1968 Screening of Indian plants for biological activity: Part I. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 6:237