title: Chemistry and biology of essential oils of genus boswellia.
abstract: The properties of Boswellia plants have been exploited for millennia in the traditional medicines of Africa, China, and especially in the Indian Ayurveda. In Western countries, the advent of synthetic drugs has obscured the pharmaceutical use of Boswellia, until it was reported that an ethanolic extract exerts anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects. Frankincense was commonly used for medicinal purposes. This paper aims to provide an overview of current knowledge of the volatile constituents of frankincense, with explicit consideration concerning the diverse Boswellia species. Altogether, more than 340 volatiles in Boswellia have been reported in the literature. In particular, a broad diversity has been found in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the volatiles with respect to different varieties of Boswellia. A detailed discussion of the various biological activities of Boswellia frankincense is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al-Mouz, 616 Nizwa, Oman ; Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany.
authors.forename: Hidayat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Harrasi
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Rawahi
authors.forename: Javid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hussain