FWD 2 Botanical Adulterants Monitor #14


Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program Releases Boswellia Bulletin

Dietary supplements made with extracts of the oleogum resin of boswellia (Boswellia serrata, Burseraceae), an important medicinal plant in the Ayurvedic medicine system in India, have shown one of the highest sales growth rates in the United States over the past five years. At the same time, reports have emerged that some products sold as Boswellia serrata extracts are actually made from other Boswellia resins, or from resins of altogether different genera of trees.1,2 The issues surrounding B. serrata authenticity have been summarized by Allison McCutcheon, an expert in herbal medicine research in Vancouver, British Columbia. It contains the nomenclature, recent market data, and a concise review on published data on boswellia substitution and adulteration. The assessment of published data on the triterpene chemistry of Boswellia species in commerce (including B. frereana, B. papyrifera, and B. sacra, which are mainly used in the fragrance industry due to their essential oil contents) will be particularly useful for the establishment of identity specifications in a quality control laboratory. As is the case with the previous BABs in this series, the boswellia bulletin is intended to help raise the awareness of the issues with boswellia authenticity in order to help manufacturers of boswellia dietary supplements with taking appropriate quality control measures to prevent purchasing adulterated material. The boswelia BAB is the 15th in this series and the 42nd peer-reviewed publication published to date by the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program.

References

  1. Niebler J, Buettner A. Frankincense revisited, Part I: Comparative analysis of volatiles in commercially relevant Boswellia species. Chem Biodiversity. 2016;13(5):613-629.
  2. Meins J, Artaria C, Riva A, Morazzoni P, Schubert-Zsilavecz M, Abdel-Tawab M. Survey on the quality of the top-selling European and American botanical supplements containing boswellic acids. Planta Med. 2016; 82(6):573-579. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-103497.