Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Boswellia serrata
Family: Burseraceae
Part used: Resin
Taste: Bitter, pungent, slightly astringent
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Drying

No pre-1900 source found for this exact plant and part. Frankincense is a traded resin that several Boswellia trees make, and the old books either describe that shop drug or describe the tree rather than its resin.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient safety data — avoid during pregnancy as precaution

While breastfeeding

Insufficient lactation data; avoid high medicinal doses during breastfeeding.

For children

Not well-studied in children; use only under practitioner guidance

Cautions

GI upset, reflux, nausea at high doses; known Boswellia allergy; resinous quality may aggravate sensitive stomachs

General contraindications

Known resin allergy; use caution with peptic disease

Stewardship

Boswellia serrata is wild-harvested resin in India; over-harvest has impacted some stands. Choose sustainably-sourced certified. Stewardship: the resin trees of frankincense/myrrh/boswellia teach that incense is also medicine.

In the traditional record

Frankincense (Boswellia sacra / serrata) — referenced in Exodus 30:34 as a component of the sacred incense (lebonah) and in Matthew 2:11 as one of the three gifts presented by the Magi to the infant Christ; classified in Ayurveda as Salai Guggul and used historically across Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, and Indian traditions for inflammation, respiratory, and joint complaints.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.