This double-blind trial, published on 18 September, randomised 60 adults aged 40 to 75 with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis to a standardised Boswellia serrata extract, 100 mg once daily, or placebo for eight weeks.
The extract group had lower total WOMAC, pain and stiffness scores, better function and lower high-sensitivity CRP than placebo, with differences from the first week. No safety concerns were reported. The abstract gives P values but not the size of the differences.
Boswellia is widely used in India, and patients often ask about it. This trial is small and short, from a single extract, and cannot be generalised to other Boswellia products. It supports, at most, not discouraging a patient who wishes to try a standardised extract alongside core treatment.
- Keep exercise, weight management and education as the core of knee osteoarthritis care.
- If a patient wishes to try Boswellia, a standardised extract is preferable to unstandardised products.
- Ask about all supplements at review; patients often do not volunteer them.
- Do not assume one extract's result applies to other Boswellia products.
Why it matters
Patients will ask about it, and the honest answer is promising but thin.
Don't overread it
A 60-patient, eight-week trial of one extract; effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.
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