Boswellia serrata
Boswellia Serrata in Nervecept: What 67 mg of Indian Frankincense Can and Cannot Do
Boswellia serrata in Nervecept is Indian frankincense, a tree resin, listed at 67 mg per capsule as line two of eight. That is 9.6% of the 699 mg of actives. Small knee arthritis trials used about 100 to 250 mg of extract and found modest pain relief. No trial has tested boswellia for nerves.
Written by the Nervecept label deskUpdated
The basics01
What is Boswellia serrata (Indian frankincense)?
Boswellia serrata is a tree that grows in dry hills of India. When its bark is cut, it weeps a sticky gum resin. Dried, that resin is Indian frankincense, the same family of resin long burned as incense.
In traditional Indian medicine the resin was used for swollen joints. Modern products are usually extracts, made to hold more of the resin's boswellic acids. Those acids are the compounds most often studied.
The Nervecept label prints it as "Indian Frankincense (Boswellia serrata)(herb)". It does not say whether the 67 mg is plain resin or a concentrated extract, and it gives no boswellic acid percentage.
On the label02
How much boswellia is in one Nervecept capsule?
Each Nervecept capsule lists 67 mg of Boswellia serrata. It is the second line on the panel and makes up 9.6% of the 699 mg of actives.
To picture the scale: glucosamine is 500 mg, so boswellia is a little over one eighth of the top line. It is still the largest plant ingredient in the capsule, ahead of turmeric at 50 mg.
A full bottle of 30 capsules adds up to just over 2 grams of boswellia across a month.
| Name on the label | Indian Frankincense (Boswellia serrata)(herb) |
|---|---|
| What it is | Indian frankincense resin (herb) |
| Place on the label | Line 2 of 8 on the Supplement Facts panel |
| Amount per capsule | 67 mg per capsule |
| Share of the 699 mg of actives | 9.6% |
| Amount used in research | About 100-250 mg a day of extract (joint trials) |
| Strength of evidence | Small joint trials; no nerve trials found |
| Marketed or traditional use | Traditional anti-inflammatory resin |
| Main caution | Stomach upset; may interact with some medicines. |
Research03
Does boswellia help knee and joint pain?
Boswellia shows a modest, uncertain benefit for knee arthritis pain. A 2020 analysis of seven small trials found it lowered pain by about 8 points on a 100-point scale compared with control (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020).
The same trials showed gains in stiffness and daily function too. But the authors flagged small groups, results that varied widely between studies, and an unclear risk of bias (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020).
MSKCC calls the arthritis results mixed: some positive trials, some conflicting data. Other uses, such as asthma, colitis and back pain, still need larger trials (MSKCC, Boswellia).
| Question | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Knee arthritis pain | About 8 points lower on a 100-point scale; 7 trials, 545 patients (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020) |
| Quality of evidence | Small samples, high variation between trials, unclear bias (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020) |
| Other conditions | Asthma, colitis, IBS and back pain need larger trials (MSKCC, Boswellia) |
| Nerve pain or neuropathy | No trials found |
Dose check04
Is 67 mg of boswellia close to the studied dose?
It is below it. The knee trials used about 100 to 250 mg of extract a day, so 67 mg is about two thirds of the low end and roughly a quarter of the high end (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020).
There is a second gap. Trials used extracts with known boswellic acid levels. The Nervecept label lists the herb without a strength, so even the 67 mg may not compare one for one.
Both cautions apply. A lower dose does not prove there is no effect. A matching dose would not prove a nerve benefit either, because the trials measured joint pain.
Low end
100 mg of extract: Nervecept gives 67%.
High end
250 mg of extract: Nervecept gives 27%.
Unknown
Boswellic acid content is not printed.
Nerve evidence05
Does boswellia help neuropathy or nerve pain?
No study shows that it does. MSKCC lists no nerve-related uses for boswellia, and the trial analysis covered joint pain only (MSKCC, Boswellia) (Yu et al., Boswellia meta-analysis 2020).
Boswellia is often described as anti-inflammatory, and that word gets stretched in nerve ads. Swelling in a knee is not the same process as damaged nerve fibers in the feet. The most common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes, and care starts with finding the cause (NINDS, Peripheral Neuropathy).
Read how the whole capsule is meant to work, and where the evidence stops, on the how it works page.
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See packsSafety06
Is boswellia safe with blood thinners?
Ask your doctor first. MSKCC says boswellia may raise bleeding risk with warfarin and other anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, though how much it matters in practice is not yet known (MSKCC, Boswellia).
In Nervecept, boswellia shares the capsule with turmeric, bromelain, glucosamine and chondroitin, which carry their own bleeding or INR notes. Small amounts each, but they add up on paper. Keep taking prescribed medicine on schedule.
Other reported effects are mild: stomach upset, and allergic skin reactions in some people (MSKCC, Boswellia). Stop the capsule if a rash appears.
Blood thinners
Warfarin, apixaban, clopidogrel or daily aspirin: check with the prescriber.
Surgery soon
Tell your surgeon about every supplement, since some affect bleeding (NCCIH, Using Supplements Wisely).
Shellfish allergy
Boswellia is a plant, but the capsule's glucosamine comes from crayfish.
All cautions in one place: the side effects page.
Who should skip it07
Who should not take boswellia supplements?
People who react to boswellia resin, and anyone on a blood thinner without a doctor's go-ahead, should not take it. Pregnancy, nursing, being under 18 or having a known medical condition all mean a physician visit first, per the bottle's caution.
For Nervecept as a whole, the shellfish allergen is the firmer rule. A person fine with boswellia may still need to skip the capsule because of its glucosamine.
In the formula08
Why is boswellia in the Nervecept formula?
Boswellia is in Nervecept as its main plant ingredient, the kind of resin often paired with glucosamine in joint products. The label does not say why it was chosen.
Its likely partner in the formula is turmeric root at 50 mg, another traditional anti-inflammatory plant; see the turmeric page. All eight lines are side by side on the ingredients page.
FAQ09
Nervecept questions people ask
Is Indian frankincense the same as Boswellia serrata?
Yes. Indian frankincense is the common name for the gum resin of the Boswellia serrata tree. Nervecept's label prints both names on one line: Indian Frankincense (Boswellia serrata)(herb), 67 mg per capsule.
What are boswellic acids?
Boswellic acids are compounds in the resin that researchers study most. Trial products were extracts with known boswellic acid levels. The Nervecept label does not print a boswellic acid percentage for its 67 mg.
Does 67 mg of boswellia match the trials?
Not quite. Knee arthritis trials used about 100 to 250 mg of extract a day. Nervecept's 67 mg is about two thirds of the low end, and its strength is not printed.
Can boswellia upset your stomach?
It can. Stomach upset is one of the mild effects reported, and some people get allergic skin reactions. Stop the capsule and ask a doctor if a rash, swelling or ongoing stomach trouble appears.
Should I stop boswellia before surgery?
Ask your surgeon. MSKCC notes boswellia may raise bleeding risk with blood thinners, and NCCIH advises telling every provider about supplements before surgery. Nervecept also contains turmeric and bromelain, which carry bleeding notes.
Has boswellia been studied for tingling feet?
We found no trial of boswellia for tingling, numbness or neuropathy. The studies were about knee arthritis pain and stiffness. Tingling feet need a doctor's check, since diabetes and low vitamin B12 are common causes.
Who wrote this10
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a Nervecept licensed U.S. outlet, not by the manufacturer or the distributor. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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