Frankincense {Boswellia sacra}

 

Frankincense or True Frankincense as distinct from Boswellia Serrata or Indian Frankincense

 

Ayurveda Characteristic and Uses

  1. Effect on doshas – Balances all doshas, but mainly Vata and Kapha
  2. Taste – Sweet, pungent, and bitter
  3. Energetics – heating
  4. Main Traditional Action: Respiratory complaints, dental disease, skin conditions
  5. Other Traditional Uses: Digestive troubles, expectorant used to clear phlegm from the head and chest in cases of colds, flu and conditions, improve memory and dispel lethargy, and to treat severe and persistent headaches.

 

 

Modern Research

Frankincense and components extracted from the Boswellia species have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects induce tumor cell-specific cytotoxicity and suppressing aggressive tumor phenotypes in human breast cancer cells, and used in the treatment of asthma, brain tumors, colitis, Crohn’s disease, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.