Boswellia vs Boswellia Serrata for pain & inflammation
Short answer: For pain & inflammation, more users report improvement with Boswellia Serrata — 100% of 6 reports, versus 82% of 17 for Boswellia.
Boswellia has 35 meta-analyses and 78 randomized trials on PubMed; Boswellia Serrata has 22 and 62.
Based on 48 reports about Boswellia and 23 about Boswellia Serrata. Not medical advice.
| Boswellia Supplement | Boswellia Serrata Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 59%helped22 reports · medium confidence | 100%helped7 reports · few reports |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 35 / 78 | 22 / 62 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 82% (17) | 100% (6) |
| Common side effects | hives, increased tinnitus, increased body, elevated liver | None reported |
| Typical dose reported | 1200 mg claimed | 333 mg / 3x daily |
The overall analysis including all trials showed that supplements provided moderate and clinically meaningful treatment effects on pain and function in patients with hand, hip or knee osteoarthritis at short term, although the quality of evidence was very low. Some supplements with a limited number of studies and participants suggested large treatment effects, while widely used supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin were either ineffective or showed small and arguably clinically unimportant treatment effects. Supplements had no clinically important effects on pain and function at medi
Br J Sports Med, 2018 ↗“take curcumin, lots of fish oil, boswellia and devil's claw. I tried every supplement and combination. These worked best for me.”
Based on current evidence, Boswellia and its extract may be an effective and safe treatment option for patient with OA, and the recommended duration of treatment with Boswellia and its extract is at least 4 weeks.
BMC Complement Med Ther, 2020 ↗“Stops the painful, swollen clicking and popping in my arthritic joints better than medication.”
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate