Boswellia serrata
Boswellia serrata is a medium to large tree in the family Burseraceae (genus Boswellia), which grows in the dry mountainous regions of India, North Africa and the Middle East. The drug consists of the resin that is taken from the incision made in the trunk of the tree and then stored in specially made bamboo containers. Then the gum is shredded and during this process all impurities are removed manually. The resin is generally collected throughout the summer and fall after the tree has been carved during the period from March to April. Boswellia produces its valuable resin of good quality for only three years. After that period, the quality of the resin collection decreases considerably, so the tree is left to rest for a few years after the harvest period.
The oil-gum resins contain 30-60% of resin, 5-10% of essential oils, which are soluble in organic solvents, and the rest are polysaccharides. Boswellia resin extracts have been traditionally used in folk medicine for centuries to treat various chronic inflammatory diseases. The resinous part of Boswellia serrata possesses monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, tetracyclic triterpene acids, and four major pentacyclic triterpenes namely β-boswellic acid, acetyl-β-boswellic acid, 11-keto-β-boswellic acid, and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, which is responsible for inhibiting pro-inflammatory enzymes. Of these four boswellic acids, acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid is the most potent as an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, the enzyme responsible for inflammation.
As Boswellia is increasingly in the spotlight of the scientific community's interest, numerous studies are constantly investigating new applications of this plant, and preclinical evidence has even led to speculation of promising chemopreventive action at levels that also involve epigenetic mechanisms.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sharma RA, Verma KC. Studies on gum obtained from Boswellia serrata Roxb. Indian Drugs 1980;17:225.
Gangwal ML, Vardhan DK. Carbohydrate contents of Boswellia serrata. Asian J Chem 1995;7:677.
Howes FN. Age-old resins of the Mediterranean region and their uses. Econ Bot 1950;4:307-16
Shen Y. Takahashi M, Byun HM, Boswellic acid induces epigenetic alterations by modulating DNA methylation in colorectal cancer cells. Cancer Biol Ther. 2012 May;13(7):542-52
Pawar RK, Sharma S, Singh KC, Sharma RK. Physico-chemical standardization and development of HPTLC method for the determination of β-boswellic acid from Boswellia serrata Roxb. (exudate). Int J App Pharm 2011;3:8-13.
Chatterjee GK, Pal SD (1984) Search for anti-inflammatory agents from Indian medicinal plants. Indian Drugs 21: 413-419
