The studies cited below were conducted to test the use of boswellia on rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. The effectiveness of boswellia on general low back pain and/or sciatica are not associated with rheumatoid arthritis and/or osteoarthritis has not been studied and can only be speculated.
According to a review of unpublished studies, preliminary double-blind trials have found boswellia effective in relieving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis . 1 Two placebo-controlled studies, involving a total of 81 people with rheumatoid arthritis, reportedly found significant reductions in swelling and pain over the course of 3 months. In addition, a comparative study of 60 people over 6 months found that boswellia extract produced symptomatic benefits comparable to oral gold therapy. However, this review was rather sketchy on details.
A more recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study that enrolled 78 people with rheumatoid arthritis found no benefit. 2 However, about half of the patients dropped out, which seriously diminishes the significance of the results. Asthma
In a double-blind study of 30 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, researchers compared boswellia against placebo. 4 Participants received either boswellia or placebo for 8 weeks and were then switched over to the opposite treatment for an additional 8 weeks. The results showed significantly greater improvement in knee pain, knee mobility, and walking distance with boswellia compared to placebo.
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The gummy resin of the boswellia tree has a long history of use in Indian herbal medicine as a treatment for arthritis among other conditions. Low back pain and/or sciatica that results from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis may benefit from using boswellia as a treatment.
The gummy resin of the boswellia tree has a long history of use in Indian herbal medicine as a treatment for arthritis among other conditions. Low back pain and/or sciatica that results from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis may benefit from using boswellia as a treatment.
