Boswellia called Indian Frankincens, is derived from beneath the bark of the Boswellia serrata tree, which is native to India, the Middle East and Northern Africa. The resin has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. The gummy exudate or resin obtained by peeling away the bark is commonly known as olibanum long used to treat inflammatory conditions.  

• Boswellia is used widely in Ayurveda for treating arthritis, ulcerative colitis, coughs, sores, wound healing, and asthma. It is also available in supplement forms to support joint health.
• The bioactive compound in boswellia is boswellic acid (1), a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. It has been documented in studies which confirm its anti-inflammatory actions- anti-arthritic (1) (2) (3), cytotoxic (4) (5) (6) (7) and radio-enhancing effects (21), and also has been shown to prevent intestinal tumorigenesis in animal studies (26). Some animal models suggest boswellia may improve cognitive impairment and insulin resistance (42); and the essential oils in boswellia show antimicrobial properties (24).

Boswellia serrata extracts have been made available in supplements and used by western practitioners as helpful for many inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, colitis and asthma. Boswellic acid by inhibiting the synthesis of 5-lipooxygenase it decreases the production of downstream pro-inflammatory biochemicals. Boswellia serrata extracts have been reported to be effective in alleviating symptoms of asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and osteoarthritis, although the magnitude of these effects is not clear and Boswellia serrata extracts are available over-the-counter in varying concentrations, the usual recommended dose being 250 to 500 mg two or three times daily. 

In Ayurveda, as well as  treating arthritis, asthma and  ulcerative colitis, it is used for coughs, sores, and wound healing. 

Other published articles have listed to the following as uses for Boswelya:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Colitis
• Inflammation 
• Help reduce fluid cerebral edema (brain swelling) after radiotherapy, in patients with brain tumors
• Help reduce skin damage due to radiotherapy, in breast cancer patients

Boswellia serrata is also found in many multi-ingredient products advertised for joint health and gastrointestinal complaints. Side effects are few and largely mild and transient gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, diarrhea or constipation. In most controlled studies, adverse events were no more frequent with Boswellia extracts than with placebo. Despite wide scale use as an herbal supplement, Boswellia is often included in multi-ingredient dietary supplements some of which have been implicated in liver injury, but a specific contribution from Boswellia to the injury could not be established. And according to an NIH published review no indicaion of liver toxicity has been found.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563692/

In clinical studies, boswellia extracts (11) (44) (52) (53) (55); and combination formulations containing boswellia are used with terminalia chebula and turmeric (39); as well as boswellic acid combined with curcumin (40) .They have documented utility were for  patients with osteoarthritis although (48). Supplements containing boswellia have also been shown to alleviate symptoms of tendinopathy (45), and were shown to be comparable to acetaminophen in helping to reduce musculoskeletal pain (46), and also, drug induced induced joint pain (54). Other studies suggest benefits in patients with oral aphthous lesions (49), bronchial asthma (8), ulcerative colitis (9), mild irritable bowel syndrome (38) (50), knee pain (56) and osteo-muscular pain (36). 

There have been observations to suggest that boswellia may be able to reduce cerebral edema in patients with brain tumors following radio- and radiochemotherapy (23) (43), and it has also been used topically to prevent radiation-induced skin damage in breast cancer patients (32). Also, boswelya may help to reduce mammary density, which is a risk factor for breast cancer (33), it may inhibit breast cancer proliferation (57), and decrease genitourinary pain in men with prostatitis(47).

It’s generally safe to use boswellia. However, it should be taken into account that herbal supplements may have higher amounts of boswellia when compared to Ayurvedic formulas. One should talk to their healthcare providers before taking supplements. Also, advise your doctor if you’re taking blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin®) as Boswellia may increase your risk of bleeding if you take it with blood thinners.