Thursday, 17 July 2014 14:33

Boswellia: A Natural Way to Fight Inflammation

Extracts from a Mediterranean tree have been shown to block a powerful inflammatory pathway associated with over 1.5 million deaths.
Remember frankincense, gold and myrrh from the classic Nativity story?

What the wise men knew as frankincense, today medical researchers know as Boswellia.

Boswellia is a gum-like resin scraped from the Boswellia serrata tree, native to India. It is burned for its sweet aroma as the highest quality incense. Yet, it is even more valuable as a natural medicine. Boswellia has been used to treat arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease.

An enzyme in your body called 5-Lipoxygenase transforms fatty acids into leukotrienes, which are molecules related to inflammation. However, too much of 5-Lipoxygenase sets off an inflammatory reaction in your body and can cause health hazards.

The sap from Boswellia contains a key compound known as AKBA. When ingested, this compound can help reduce inflammation.

Dr. Mike explains how the over-activity of 5-Lipoxygenase can have harmful effects on your body and the medical treatments stemming from Boswellia that can help address these effects.

Additional Info

  • Segment Number: 4
  • Audio File: healthy_talk/1429ht4d.mp3
  • Guest Bio:
  • Transcription:
  • Length (mins): 10
  • Waiver Received: No
  • Internal Notes: NO GUEST
  • Host: Mike Smith, MD