
Common Names
- Indian frankincense
For Patients & Caregivers
Tell your healthcare providers about any dietary supplements you’re taking, such as herbs, vitamins, minerals, and natural or home remedies. This will help them manage your care and keep you safe.
What is it?
Boswellia is an herbal extract taken from the bark of the boswellia tree. It is also known as frankincense. The resin (sticky substance found in trees and plants) is used to make an extract.
Boswellia resin is used in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine. You can take boswellia in different ways, including taking it orally (by mouth) in a capsule, pill, or tablet, or using it as an oil that you can put on your body.
What is it used for?
Boswellia is used to:
- Treat arthritis
- Help with asthma
- Treat colitis (inflammation of your colon)
- Help with inflammation (swelling and redness)
- Help reduce fluid cerebral edema (brain swelling) after radiotherapy, in patients with brain tumors
- Help reduce skin damage due to radiotherapy, in breast cancer patients
It’s generally safe to use boswellia. However, talk with your healthcare providers before taking supplements. Herbal supplements can have higher amounts of boswellia compared to Ayurvedic formulas.
Supplements can also interact with some medications and affect how they work. For more information, read the “What else do I need to know?” section below.
What else do I need to know?
For Healthcare Professionals
Clinical Summary
Boswellia serrata is a tree prevalent in India, the Middle East and North Africa. The gummy exudate or resin obtained by peeling away the bark is commonly known as frankincense or olibanum. Boswellia, also referred to as Indian frankincense, is used widely in Ayurveda for treating arthritis, ulcerative colitis, coughs, sores, wound healing, and asthma. It is marketed as a supplement to support and improve joint health and mobility.
The major component is boswellic acid (1), a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects (1) (2) (3). It also demonstrated cytotoxic (4) (5) (6) (7) and radio-enhancing properties (21), and prevented intestinal tumorigenesis in a murine model (26). Other animal studies suggest boswellia may improve cognitive impairment and insulin resistance (42). Essential oil of boswellia has been shown to have antimicrobial activities (24).
Small studies have shown beneficial effects of boswellia for bronchial asthma (8), ulcerative colitis (9), mild irritable bowel syndrome (38), and osteo-muscular pain (36). But evidence is unclear or negative on any benefits for collagenous colitis (12) (13) (14), with no significant benefit in maintaining Crohn’s disease remission (15). An enriched boswellic acid extract was reported useful in patients with osteoarthritis (11), and other studies report efficacy with formulations containing boswellia, Terminalia chebula, turmeric (39); and boswellic acid combined with curcumin (40). Larger well-designed studies are needed for clinical recommendation (41).
Other preliminary data suggest that boswellia may be effective in reducing cerebral edema in patients with brain tumors following radiotherapy (23); and in reducing radiochemotherapy-induced cerebral edema in patients with primary glioblastoma multiforme (43). A boswellia-based cream was found useful in preventing skin damage due to radiotherapy in breast cancer patients (32). Other data suggest that a combination of boswellic acid, betaine, and myo-inositol treatment may help to reduce mammary density, a risk factor for breast cancer (33).
Although similar in many functions, boswellia should not be confused with guggul or myrrh.
Purported Uses
Mechanism of Action
Boswellic acid, the major constituent of boswellia, is thought to contribute to most of the herb’s pharmacological activities. In vitro and animal studies show that anti-inflammatory activity occurs via inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (2) (3) and cyclooxygenase-1 (35). It also inhibits nuclear transcription factor KappaB (NF-KappaB) signaling, markedly decreasing production of the key proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) (17). Unlike other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, however, boswellic acid failed to show analgesic or antipyretic effects (16).
Research on cytotoxic effects of boswellic acid indicates that it induces p21 expression through a p53-independent pathway and causes apoptosis in glioma (4) (6) and leukemia (5) cell lines. A boswellia extract induced apoptosis in a cervical cancer cell line by inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (18). Other apoptotic mechanisms include early generation of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species that upregulated time-dependent expression of p53/p21/PUMA (19), inhibition of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), and decreased prostaglandin (PGE2) levels and its downstream targets (37).
A semisynthetic analog of boswellic acid, 3-alpha-Butyryloxy-beta-boswellic acid, demonstrated significant growth inhibition in Ehrlich Ascitic Tumour (EAT), Ehrlich Ascitic Carcinoma (EAC) and Sarcoma-180 tumor models, via NF-KappaB downregulation and induction of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage (27). Acetyl-boswellic acids inhibited topoisomerases by competing with DNA for binding sites (20). Acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) inhibited human prostate tumor growth via inhibition of VEGFR2-induced angiogenesis (22). In vitro, antiplatelet effects of boswellia gum resin extracts are attributed to inhibition of clotting factors Xa and XIa. (34).
Adverse Reactions
Generally well tolerated (15).
Case reports
- Allergic contact dermatitis was reported following use of a topical cream containing an extract of Boswellia serrata (28).
- A 17-year-old girl with celiac disease developed a gastric bezoar (accumulation of vegetable fiber, hair or other substances, in the stomach or small intestine) after excessive intake of olibanum (frankincense). Her symptoms, including epigastric pain and vomiting, resolved after the bezoar was surgically removed (29).
- In IBS patients supplemented with Casperome®, mild stypsis was the only unwanted effect recorded (38).
Herb-Drug Interactions
- OATP1B3 (an anion transporter): Both 11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (KBA) and 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) modulated the activity of OATP1B3, in vitro (30). Clinical relevance is not known.
- MRP2 (a multidrug resistant protein): Both 11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (KBA) and 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) modulated the activity of MRP2, in vitro (30). Clinical relevance is not known.
- P-Glycoprotein (P-Gp): A Boswellia extract and keto-boswellic acids inhibit the activity of P-Glycoprotein in vitro, and may affect the transport of drugs mediated by this protein (31). Clinical significance has yet to be determined.
- Anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet drugs: Boswellia extracts can inhibit platelet aggregation and may increase risk of bleeding when used with these drugs (34). Clinical significance has yet to be determined.