Wednesday, November 29, 2006

New Look On Boswellia OLEO-GUM RESIN


SULEIMAN AFSHARYPUOR, MUSTAFA GHANADIAN
Pharmaceutical Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, I.R. Iran
ABSTRACT : This article aims to review the published data on Boswellia in order to evaluate its use in nowadays. A computer as well as manual search was made to collect the relevant data published in various books and journals. Description, historical uses, identification, specifications, chemistry, pharmacology, clinical studies, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of this historical drug are described.

INTRODUCTION
Olibanum is an oleo-gum resin obtained by incision from the bark of Boswellia sacra )grows in Oman,Yemen and Somalia) ,B. papyrifera(grows in tropical north east and west Africa) , B. frereana (grows in Somalia), B. serata(grows in India) and other twenty five known species of Boswellia indigenus to north eastern Africa and Arabia and India. It occurs in more or less ovoid tears, 5-25 mm long , which are sometimes stock together. The surface is dusty and of a yellowish, bluish or greenish tint fracture and the inner surface is waxy and semitranslucent .Odour is characteristic especially when burned; taste, slighty bitter. The drug contains 3-8 % volatile oil consist of numerous terpenes (e.g p-cymene) and sesquiterepenes, about 60-70% of resin and 27-35 % of gum [1].

More ...