Frankincense
Boswellia sacra Flück.Burseraceae // oleo-gum-resin
Overview
Plant parts
oleo-gum-resin
Known constituents
boswellic acids, incensole derivatives
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include boswellic acids; incensole derivatives; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Frankincense has been used for incense; inflammatory and respiratory complaints; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (incense; inflammatory and respiratory complaints), the evidence assessment is insufficient: Insufficient clinical evidence for B. sacra; most osteoarthritis trials use B. serrata extracts.
LOW · randomized controlled trial · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is oleo-gum-resin; traditional and modern forms include tincture, powder/capsule, topical preparation. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include GI upset, rash; incense smoke irritates airways. Contraindications/cautions include Asthma/smoke sensitivity.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Potential additive antiplatelet effects.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Insufficient pregnancy/lactation evidence.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF resolves Boswellia carteri Birdw. as a synonym of Boswellia sacra. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.
MODERATE · GBIF Species Match API
Botanical synonym
Boswellia carteri Birdw. often applied
Taxonomic identity note
- Frankincense is treated here as Boswellia sacra Flück. in the family Burseraceae; recorded older names include Boswellia carteri Birdw. often applied.
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
EMA monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
WHO monograph
- GBIF Species Match API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database