According to evitamins.com, boswellia is a middle-sized to large branching tree found in the dry hills in India. "When the tree trunk is tapped, a gummy oleoresin is exuded," states drugs.com. The resin is then prepared into a herbal remedy. Boswellia is used to treat a number of conditions including types of arthritis, diarrhea, ringworm and pulmonary disease, explains evitamins.com. Studies have shown that there are limited side effects associated with this medication.
Boswellia
Makeup
As evitamins.com explains, "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." The extracts of today are made to contain between 38-65 percent boswellic acids. Boswellia is similar to any NSAID such as ibuprofen that is used to treat inflammation. The main difference is that long term use of boswellia does not cause gastrointestinal problems that many NSAID's do.
Use
Boswellia has been shown to work well in people with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and has even been shown to help those with ulcerative colitis. Those that take boswellia for arthritis will have to take the medication three times a day, and it is most common for treatments to last eight weeks to twelve weeks, states evitamins.com. Common dosages are 150mg of boswellic acids, three times a day. Those using this drug for ulcers will take 550 mg.
Significance
Ayurvediccure.com states that boswellia has been shown to treat other symptoms including low back pain and joint stiffness. In a study done in India, 60 percent of patients tested with boswellia indicated that their pain and stiffness diminished greatly after a few weeks of treatment. Many patients even gained back some of their lost strength. Nearly 75 percent of these patients were bedridden or unable to move properly, thus the results were astonishing.
Side Effects
Both ayurvediccure.com and evitamins.com explain that there have not been any known side effects associated with boswellia use. Boswellia does not adversely effect blood pressure, the cardiovascular system or the gastrointestinal system. Most NSAID's, when used for long periods of time, can cause ulcers in the throat and stomach; boswellia does not. Thus, boswellia is now getting high praises in the United States, and doctors are prescribing it over certain NSAIDs.
Expert Insight
Boswellia may be the best alternative for those treating their pain with NSAIDs. Dr. E.W. McDonagh of Kansas City stated that he has seen drastic improvement in nearly 350 of his patients using boswellia. Many of his patients were having many side effects while taking NSAIDs. After two to four weeks, their pain subsided while on boswellia and they were able to "eliminate other medications or reduce dosages significantly."
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