Boswella Update:  Helping Joints, Killing Germs, & Reducing Inflammation

The management of pain and inflammation with natural compounds that are free of the adverse side effects of prescription and OTC drugs is one of the great advantages of nutrition. The standardized extracts of Boswella—an herb with a long medicinal history—offers one of the top choices.  I have reviewed this previously in my article, Boswella – Helping Joints, Killing Germs & Even Boosting Your Brain. A new human clinical trial with knee osteoarthritis Degenerative joint disease. Most common type of arthritis that causes a chronic, progressive, breakdown in cartilage in middle-age adults and older. confirms the benefits of Boswella to joint health. Another new study confirms its ability to disband problematic germ gangs. A number of new studies demonstrate its anti-inflammatory benefits in a variety of health situations.

The knee osteoarthritis Degenerative joint disease. Most common type of arthritis that causes a chronic, progressive, breakdown in cartilage in middle-age adults and older. study¹ was a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled 90 day study involving 60 people. It tested two different standardized Boswella extracts and both were found to produce statistically significant improvement in pain and joint mobility. This adds to the human data I outlined in my previous article (link above). 

Boswella continues to demonstrate potent germ disrupting properties. It was shown to be effective against all 112 pathogenic Capable of causing disease or pathology. gram positive bacterial strains² tested. It inhibited biofilms (germ gangs) being formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis and could also disrupt already existing biofilms. This is of particular importance due to the widespread emergence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus superbugs (MRSA).  As I recently reported, Staphylococcus aureus and even MRSA widely contaminate the meats produced in factory farms as the animals are so unhealthy. Disrupting any germ gangs that may be residing in your digestive tract is vital if you struggle with body weight.

Boswella has shown it can reduce the inflammation and free radical damage that occurs in asthma patients³, including the reduction of inflammatory nitric oxide (iNOS Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase. This enzyme influences genes located in the neuro-immune and cardiovascular system and provides immune defense against pathogens and contributes to disease progression including neurogenic inflammation (iNOS2). ), thereby helping them improve their health. In patients undergoing radiation therapy for brain tumors boswella significantly reduced the inflammatory swelling and edema in the brain⁴. Inflammatory processes typical promote cancer to spread. Researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center⁵ have found that Boswella can deactivate the key receptor on cancer cells (pancreatic and breast cancer cells were tested) that allows the cancer to spread and invade. Another recent study on mice with implanted tumors found that Boswella reduced tumor size⁶ and increased survival time. A detailed analysis of the Boswella-treated tumors showed that Boswella had activated gene signals that had caused tumor cell death. The researchers concluded, “The present study sheds light on the potent antitumor property of the boswellic acid and can be extended further to develop therapeutic protocols for treatment of cancer.”

The bottom line is that Boswella continues to impress as a pain reducing anti-inflammatory compound and also helps control germ populations while offering support for inflammation-related health issues. Boswella is a very good nutrient to have on your team.