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 (EMAILWIRE.COM, February 21, 2012 ) Wilmington, NC -- Boswellia serrata, also known as Indian frankincense or Salai, is being hailed by researchers as one of the most potent pain killers nature has to offer. Among these researchers are M. Abdel-Tawab, O. Werz and M. Schubert-Zsilavecz.
In his review entitled “Boswellia serrata: an overall assessment of in vitro, preclinical, pharmacokinetic and clinical data”, M. Abdel-Tawab together with O. Werz and M. Schubert-Zsilavecz from the Central Laboratory of German Pharmacists located in Eschborn, Germany tackles the high prevalence of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects associated with the intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
The review highlights the better tolerability of Boswellia serrata gum resin extract (BSE) in treating inflammatory-related diseases compared to NSAIDs. However, these observations are based on clinical trials made on animals. Thus, the review recommends further study to verify the effects of BSE in humans.
In the past, the effectiveness of BSE in fighting inflammation was attributed to two acids: acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) and 11-keto-β-boswellic acid (KBA). These two forms boswellic acid were supposed to suppress the formation of leukotriene (fatty signaling molecules that can, in large quantities, cause inflammation in asthma and allergic rhinitis). However, further studies showed that KBA and AKBA failed to inhibit the formation of leukotriene in human whole blood. This means that BSE does not fight inflammation through stopping leukotriene production. Instead, BSE targets two enzymes that can cause inflammation: serine protease cathepsin G and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1.
The paper also emphasized the slow progress in discovering NSAIDs that do not adversely affect the cardiovascular system and the gastro-intestinal tract. It also noted the growing popularity of using BSE for treating various types of inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease as well as asthma. This increasing popularity has been observed in the Western countries for the last 20 years.
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Source: EmailWire.com
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