Boswellia Serrata

Boswellia serrata is a large tree. The gum resin from this tree has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. The major modern use is as an anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory substance.

The anti-inflammatory properties of the gum resin are attributed to the presence of "boswellic acids."

Boswellic acids have been found to inhibit two key enzymes that promote inflammation. This ability to inhibit these two different enzymes that cause inflammation is unique to boswellic acids.

The four major boswellic acids, known as beta-boswellic acids, are:

* b-boswellic acid
* acetyl-b-boswellic acid
* 11-keto-b-boswellic acid (KBA)
* acetyl-11-keto-b-boswellic acid (AKBA)

Recent studies on isolated Boswellic Acid components show that only these four beta-boswellic acids are the effective components that address inflammation. Tests show that acetyl-11-keto-b-boswellic acid provides the most potent anti-inflammatory activity. 

In the natural foods industry, the principal active parts of Boswellia serrata are usually labeled as “boswellic acids.” Standardized extracts are typically labeled as containing about 50% to 70% boswellic acids.

However, the labels on these products are usually not accurate because, without thorough analysis, the label claims of these products are actually referring to "total organic acids," not just "total boswellic acids."

Even more important, many commercial products containing extracts of Boswellia serrata claim more than 50% total boswellic acids but they actually contain only negligible amounts of the two key boswellic acids: 11-keto-b-boswellic acid (KBA) and acetyl-11-keto-b-boswellic acid (AKBA) which are the more potent anti-inflammatory compounds.

It is most important then, to use the most potent standardized extract of Boswellia serrata.

The extract should be 75% (minimum) total boswellic acids and 50% (minimum) beta-boswellic acids. Complete analysis of this extract should show the content of each of the four primary beta-boswellic acids, including 30% acetyl-11-keto-b-boswellic acid, which has been shown to provide the most effective results in addressing inflammation.