Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Boswellia (Boswellia serrata), of the Burseraceae family. Moderate deciduous tree with papery bark exuding aromatic resin when cut; native range: the dry hills and deciduous forests of India. Globally recognized as shallaki / susrava in Sanskrit, salai guggul in Hindi, kundur / luban (كندر / لبان) in Arabic, and Indian frankincense, salai, olibanum tree in English. The part used is the oleo-gum-resin (and its bark). Pale amber to reddish tears, brittle and translucent; a warm, balsamic, faintly lemon-piney fragrance released on burning, the taste bitter and aromatic.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BOSWELLIA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Boswellia
- Scientific name
- Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr.
- Family
- Burseraceae
Form
- Part used
- the oleo-gum-resin (and its bark)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · astringent (kashaya)
- Western
- bitter · aromatic · astringent
- Unani
- bitter · aromatic
Temperature
Ayurveda: cooling (sheeta)
Western: warm
Unani: hot (2nd degree) & dry
convergence: the classical Ayurvedic reading (sheeta virya, for pitta-inflammation) sits against the two Galenic witnesses, who feel the resin's aromatic warmth
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- joints · lungs · blood · digestion
- Unani
- brain · nerves · joints · lungs
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- shothahara (anti-inflammatory), sandhaniya (joint-knitting), vata-kapha-hara, vrana-ropana and grahi
- Western
- anti-inflammatory, astringent, expectorant, emmenagogue and vulnerary
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-dimagh (brain and memory tonic), qabiz (astringent), muhallil (resolvent), mujaffif and habis
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy (its emmenagogue action); sensitive stomach in large resin doses
Toxicity: generally well tolerated; occasional acid reflux, nausea or rash
Interactions
- Western
- CYP450-metabolised drugs: boswellic acids inhibit CYP enzymes, altering drug levels
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