Boswellia is a remarkable anti-inflammatory herb. But is it remarkable enough to help people with osteoarthritis? Is it remarkable enough even to help reverse the osteoarthritis?
In this just published study, 80 adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis in their knees were give either a placebo or 100mg a day of boswellia extract for 180 days.
Compared to the placebo, boswellia significantly improved scores on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index as well as the patients’ subjective evaluation. It also improved joint function, according to the Lequesne’s Functional Index. The people who took the boswellia also had significant improvement in the six-minute walking test and the stair climb test.
Boswellia significantly reduced markers of inflammation and collagen degradation.
But what makes this study especially exciting is that it added to the evidence that boswellia can not only offer relief to osteoarthritis sufferers, but actually help reverse the osteoarthritis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that there was a significant increase in cartilage volume, thickness, and joint space width.
This is not the first time that boswellia has been shown to actually reverse osteoarthritis. In a previous study, X-ray imaging revealed that 169.33mg of boswellia extract, standardized for 87.3mg b-boswellic acids, taken twice a day for 120 days increased the space between the knee joints and decreased spurs (Phytother Res. May 2019;33(5):1457- 1468).
Importantly, given the side effects of conventional painkillers, boswellia accomplished all of these benefits safely.
J Am Nutr Assoc. 2024 Dec 19:1-12.