Specifications
1.Botanical Source:Boswellia carterii Birdwood
2.Spec: 65% boswellic acids
3.Appearance: Milk white fine powder
Brief Information
Boswellia is a tree in the Burseraceae family, from which frankincense, a resinous dried sap, is derived. Boswellia sacra , Boswellia carterii, Boswellia frereana and Boswellia serrata are the primary trees in the genus Boswellia. Some literature identifies B. sacra as growing in Oman and Yemen, and B. carterii as growing in Somalia. The latest scientific opinion is that these are both the same species and should correctly be called B. sacra.

The trees start producing resin when they are about 8 to 10 years old. The resin is extracted by making a small, shallow incision on the trunk or branches of the tree or by removing a portion of the crust of it. The resin is drained as a milky substance that coagulates in contact with air and is collected by hand.

Recent studies have indicated that frankincense tree populations are declining due to over-exploitation. Heavily tapped trees have been found to produce seeds that germinate at only 16% while seeds of trees that had not been tapped germinate at more than 80%.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata) has been used for hundreds of years for treating arthritis. Extracts of Boswellia serrata have been clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. A Boswellia extract marketed under the name Wokvel has undergone human efficacy, comparative, pharmacokinetic studies. Boswellia serrata is used in the manufacture of the supposed anti-wrinkle agent "Boswelox", which has been criticised as being ineffective.

Boswellic acids are a series of pentacyclic triterpene molecules which are produced by plants in the genus Boswellia. Like many other terpenes, boswellic acids appear in the resin of the plant which exudes them; it is estimated that they make up 30% of the resin of Boswellia serrata. The boswellic acids are organic acids, consisting of a pentacyclic triterpene, a carboxyl group and at least one other functional group. Alpha-boswellic acid and beta-boswellic acid, C30H48O3 both have an additional hydroxyl group; they differ only in their triterpene structure. Acetyl-alpha-boswellic acid and acetyl-beta-boswellic acid, C32H50O4, replace the hydroxyl group with an acetyl group.Other boswellic acids include the keto-boswellic acids and their acetyl counterparts.

Boswellic acids are also thought to decrease the symptoms of asthma, a small 1998 placebo-controlled trial of Boswellia extract for the treatment of asthma showed good results.

Boswellia extracts are sold in tablet, capsule and tincture form, but no dosage guidelines have been developed. The risk of hepatotoxicity due to Boswellia administration has not been assessed.

Benefits

Treat Arthritis(osteoarthritis and Joint function)
Anti-wrinkle effect
Anti-cancer
Anti-inflammatory