What Is the Scientific Evidence for Boswellia?
According to a review of unpublished studies, preliminary double-blind trials have found boswellia effective in relieving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis . 2 Two placebo-controlled studies,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. 3 However, about half of the patients dropped out, which seriously diminishes the significance of the results.
