INTRODUCTION

Indian frankincense is a tree that is native to India and Arabia. It is commonly used in the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda.

Olibanum is another word for frankincense. It refers to a resin or “sap” that seeps from openings in the bark of several Boswellia species, including Boswellia serrata, Boswellia carterii, and Boswellia frereana. Of these, Boswellia serrata is most commonly used for medicine.

Indian frankincense is used for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain(rheumatism), bursitis, and tendonitis. Other uses include ulcerative colitis,abdominal pain, asthma, hay fever, sore throat, syphilis, painful menstruation, pimples, and cancer. Indian frankincense is also used as a stimulant, to increase urine flow, and for stimulating menstrual flow.

USES

Gum resin extracts of Boswellia species have been traditionally used in folk medicine for centuries to treat various chronic inflammatory diseases, and experimental data from animal models and studies with human subjects confirm the potential of boswellia extracts as a treatment inflammatory conditions but perhaps cancer.