Boswellia Serrata (Indian Olibanum Tree, Olibanum, Luban, Gond)

Boswellia Serrata (Indian Olibanum Tree, Olibanum, Luban, Gond) — Family Name: Burseraceae

Botanical Name: Boswellia Serrata

Common Name: Indian Olibanum Tree, Olibanum, Luban, Gond

Part Used: Bark, Gum Resin

Uses: The bark is sweet, cooling and tonic. It is good in vitiated conditions of Pitta, cough, asthama. It is useful in fevers, urethrorrhea, diaphoresis, convulsions, chronic laryngitis, jaundice and arthritis.

Introduction

Boswellia is the gummy resin of the boswellia tree. It is native to India and used for centuries by Ayurvedic doctors. It is an Ayurvedic plant that contains anti-inflammatory terpenoids called boswellic acids.

Boswellia Serrata is also known as Indian frankincense. When the tree trunk is tapped, a gummy oleoresin is exuded. A purified extract of this resin is used in modern herbal preparations. Boswellia was found to improve blood supply to the joints and restore integrity of vessels weakened by spasm.

Plant Description

Boswellia Serrata is a medium sized tree with ash coloured papery bark. The leaves are like neem plant and have small white flowers. Boswellia Serrata tree, on injury, exudates an oleo-gum-resin known as Salai Guggal or Indian Frankincense.

History

Boswellin (Boswellia Serrata) is an ayurvedic herb that has been traditionally used in India in folk medicine as a remedy for several inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis and bursitis.

Active Constituents

The gum oleoresin consists of essential oils, gum, and terpenoids. The terpenoid portion contains the boswellic acids that have been shown to be the active constituents in boswellia. Today, extracts are typically standardized to contain 37.5–65% boswellic acids.

Some Special Features:

• Boswellia Serrata Gum Resin is largely used as an incense because of its very unique fragrance.
• Boswellia has been shown to be as effective and, in many cases, better than drugs like Phenylbutazone and other anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Boswellia Serrata Gum Resin is the only non-coniferous source of turpentine and resin in India.
• Boswellia Serrata Gum Resin is widely used in ayurvedic formulations for treating Asthma and Arthritis.