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Boswellia
Boswellia serrata
Potential as a new treatment
for asthma
Indian and German researchers conducted
the first study of boswellia's effect on the symptoms of asthma.
The double-blind, randomized pilot study involved 80 patients
with a history of asthma. Seventy percent of patients treated
with 900 mg of powdered boswellia gum resin per day showed a significant
decrease in symptoms after six weeks. Twenty-seven percent of
control group patients (treated with lactose) showed improvement.
Boswellic acids in the resin have been shown to inhibit the synthesis
of leukotrienes, which trigger many of the symptoms associated
with asthma. While boswellia has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine,
clinical studies on its medicinal benefits are scarce. The authors
suggest further studies using a standardized resin product at
variable doses. Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects
of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma:
results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical
study. European Journal of Herbal Medicine 1998; 3:511-14.
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