Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study.
The gum resin of Boswellia serrata, known in Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine as Salai guggal, contains boswellic acids, which have been shown to inhibit leukotriene biosynthesis. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study forty patients, 23 males and 17 females in the age range of 18 - 75 years having mean duration of illness, bronchial asthma, of 9.58 +/- 6.07 years were treated with a preparation of gum resin of 300 mg thrice daily for a period of 6 weeks. 70% of patients showed improvement of disease as evident by disappearance of physical symptoms and signs such as dyspnoea, rhonchi, number of attacks, increase in FEV subset1, FVC and PEFR as well as decrease in eosinophilic count and ESR. In the control group of 40 patients 16 males and 24 females in the age range of 14-58 years with mean of 32.95 +/- 12.68 were treated with lactose 300 mg thrice daily for 6 weeks. Only 27% of patients in the control group showed improvement. The data show a definite role of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in the treatment of bronchial asthma.
Gupta
I
I
Pharmakologie für Naturwissenschaftler, Pharmazeutisches Institut der Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Gupta
V
V
Parihar
A
A
Gupta
S
S
Lüdtke
R
R
Safayhi
H
H
Ammon
H P
HP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004804:Eosinophils; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012116:Resins, Plant / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014797:Vital Capacity
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012116:Resins, Plant; D014315:Triterpenes; C049844:salai guggal