Natural Remedy « Auto Insurance Brokers

Natural Remedy

Alternative Healing

Boswellia is a traditional natural remedy that has been used for thousands of years to treat swelling and inflamation in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Boswellia is also a traditional medicine in North Africa and the Middle East. Recent medical studies have found boswellia serrata extract to be a viable alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling without irritating the stomach with long term use, and it has also shown promise as an alternative treatment for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and IBS. Are boswellia supplements right for you?

What is Boswellia? How long has boswellia been a traditional natural remedy?

Boswellia serrata is a traditional natural remedy which has been around for millenia. The boswellia serrata tree grows in India, and the gummy resin under its bark has long been used as a natural remedy in Ayurvedic medicine to treat wounds, skin disorders like fungus and boils, and even varicose veins. Boswellia resin is also used in making frankincense, although the resin used to make the sort of frankincense given to Jesus as a baby comes from boswellia sacra, a different species of boswellia than the medicinal boswellia serrata. Sometimes known as Indian Frankincense, boswellia serrata should not be confused with guggul or myrrh.

Boswellia is also well known in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has long been used to treat pain and swelling of the limbs and joints caused by arthritis, bursitis and the like. TCM also uses boswellia to treat oral inflamation and pain in the mouth and gums. Traditional Chinese doctors often mix Boswellia resin with myrrh to treat pain and swelling.

What is boswellia used for today?

Today, boswellia serrata is showing great promise as a treatment for pain and swelling or inflamation caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and bursitis. Boswellic acid may help relieve symptoms caused by carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries.

Boswellia serrata extract is also proving to be an excellent and effective natural remedy for Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and both collagenous and ulcerative colitis.

Are there any studies showing boswellia benefits for arthritis pain, inflammation and digestive complaints?

In 2003, medical researchers conducted a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial of boswellia serrata extract on 30 patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee. Half of the patients were treated with Boswellia serrata extract, half received a placebo, and after 8 weeks the groups switched places.

After taking boswellia serrata extract for 8 weeks, all of the patients in the study reported less pain in their arthritic knees and were able to walk farther without pain than before receiving the boswellia supplements. Patients on boswellia also showed an increased range of motion and less swelling in their knees from arthritis than before they began the boswellic acid treatment.

Boswellia is also a promising natural remedy as a treatment for digestive problems such as colitis, Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Boswellia serrata extract has also shown promise as a treatment for collagenous colitis and chronic diarrhea. The German researchers at the Technical University Hospital in Dresden concluded that the results of their small scale boswellia serrata extract study were successful enough to merit an additional, larger studies.

Are there any side effects from boswellia serrata extract and boswellic acid?

Boswellia serrata extract and its active ingredient, boswellic acid, are generally considered safe for genearl consumption, although preganant women, nursing mothers, children and those with kidney problems or liver disease should talk with their doctors before taking boswellia. Side effects from boswellia may include nausea, acid reflux and other digestive problems, or dermatitis.

How should I take boswellia to treat arthritis, RSI, bursitis, colitis, Crohn's disease or IBS?

Boswellia serrata extract and supplements containing boswellic acid are readily available in both capsules and tablets. To treat pain and inflamation from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel or other RSI, the usual dosage is a total of 150 to 400 mg spread throughout the day, although the colitis study used dosages as high as 1,500 mg daily. You might want to take boswellia supplements with a meal containing healthy oils or other fats to help absorbtion and avoid gastrointestinal side effects.

As always, you should talk with your doctor before taking boswellia serrata extract, supplements containing boswellic acid or any herbal medicine or natural remedy.

Sources

PubMed.gov: Phytomedicine 2003 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12622457

PubMed.gov: Int J Colorectal Dis. 2007 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17764013

http://www.evitamins.com/encyclopedia/assets/nutritional-supplement/boswellia/how-it-works

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69149.cfm

http://www.arthritistoday.org/treatments/supplement-guide/supplements/boswellia.php

Poster Design for Dr. Alternative by szabcsee

First, to the “informed and enlightened” mainstream media: in all the discussions you’ve had with the White House about the spill, did it not occur to you before today to ask how the CEO-to-CEO level discussions were progressing to remedy this tragedy? You never cease to amaze. (Kind of reminds us of the months on end when you never bothered to ask if the President was meeting with General McChrystal to talk about our strategy in Afghanistan.)

Second, to fellow baffled Americans: this revelation is further proof that it bodes well to have some sort of executive experience before occupying the Oval Office (as if the painfully slow response to the oil spill, confusion of duties, finger-pointing, lack of preparedness, and inability to grant local government simple requests weren’t proof enough). The current administration may be unaware that it’s the President’s duty, meeting on a CEO-to-CEO level with Hayward, to verify what BP reports. In an interview a few weeks ago with Greta Van Susteren, I noted that based on my experience working with oil execs as an oil regulator and then as a Governor, you must verify what the oil companies claim – because their perception of circumstances and situations dealing with public resources and public trust is not necessarily shared by those who own America’s public resources and trust. I was about run out of town in Alaska for what critics decried at the time as my “playing hardball with Big Oil,” and those same adversaries (both shortsighted Repubs and Dems) continue to this day to try to discredit my administration’s efforts in holding Big Oil accountable to operate ethically and responsibly…

Please, sir, for the sake of the Gulf residents, reach out to experts who have experience holding oil companies accountable. I suggested a few weeks ago that you start with Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources, led by Commissioner Tom Irwin. Having worked with Tom and his DNR and AGIA team led by Marty Rutherford, I can vouch for their integrity and expertise in dealing with Big Oil and overseeing its developments. We’ve all lived and worked through the Exxon-Valdez spill. They can help you. Give them a call. Or, what the heck, give me a call.

***
Obama ignored Palin’s experience as governor of Alaska, which was considerably bigger than the Obama campaign. But his point was clear: If you’re worried about my lack of my executive experience, look at my campaign. Running a first-rate campaign, Obama and his supporters argued, showed that Obama could run the federal government, even at its most testing moments. He could set goals, demand accountability, and, perhaps most importantly, bend the sprawling federal bureaucracy to his will.

Fast forward to 2010. The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is gushing out of control. The Obama administration is at first slow to see the seriousness of the accident. Then, as the crisis becomes clear, the federal bureaucracy becomes entangled in itself trying to deal with the problem…

Given all that, perhaps candidates in future presidential races will think twice before arguing that running their campaign counts as executive experience.

***
These are days of epic foul-ups, colossal crimes, and ripoffs so grandiose they have plunged our entire economy into recession.

And in the Oval Office sits a silver-tongued president, a born orator and a nuanced thinker, a man who was swept into office on the crest of what seemed to be an irresistible movement for “change.”

A year ago he seemed to be the ideal man for the moment, the sort of leader who could sketch out for us, in the ringing cadences that are his trademark, a framework for understanding the fantastic villainy of these times. He could zero in on the conflict between private wealth and the public good that has defined so many of our crises. He could change the narrative, define the era.

Today our expectations have fallen so far that we wonder why he never seems to get mad, not even at a foreign oil company. Even to figure out “whose ass to kick,” as he put it on Monday, he must convene a panel of experts.

To me, restaurant brunches are about two things: getting sauced, and hollandaise sauce.

But while hitting the hooch is easy (sometimes a little too easy) wherever you are, moving the hollandaise party to your house can be a tricky endeavor. Why? Well, making any emulsion—and making it stay—is whisk-labor enough. In addition, you're dealing with the dangerous meeting of heat and eggs. And finally, there are as many hollandaise recipes as there are brunch junkies out there. So where do you start?

©iStockphoto.com/ozankulaksiz

Since the worst-case-scenario is a broken sauce, let's get that troubleshooting out of the way now. Characterized by graininess, greasiness and dual-coloring, broken hollandaise sauces can almost always be fixed with this little trick. At the first sign of danger in your bowl, grab a clean bowl and add a quick squeeze (a teaspoon or so is fine) of lemon juice to it. Then add a small spoonful of your broken sauce and begin whisking rapidly. Once the sauce smooths itself out, continue adding the rest of the broken batch to the new bowl and whisking away. It'll come right back to life.

Other common woes are too-thick and flavorless sauces. Just dilute the former by whisking in some warm water or cream at the end, and remedy the latter with extra lemon juice, salt or cayenne.

Finally, if you're just too darned lazy to stand over a pot flicking your wrist for 10 minutes, I have seen plenty of recipes for blender-made hollandaise. If this is your preference, just start by blending your eggs and water first on high speed (see the slideshow for some starting measurements), then following with the melted butter (you'll probably only need about half the fat you would if you whipped it by hand, so stop when you hit the consistency you like).

Ready to go? Follow the tips in the slideshow »

Word to the wise: Do it pre-mimosa.

About the author: “Sue Veed” is an editor at a Manhattan-based food magazine and a current culinary student who's trying to learn it all so she can cook it all. She'll take us along for the ride as she makes the journey from home cook to professional. Among things she may never master: looking natural in a chef's hat, and acting demure whenever a pork product hits the table.

More How-Tos

How to Ice a Cake »
How to Make Your Own Breadcrumbs »
How to Make Battuto: The Italian Soffritto »
How to Poach an Egg »
How to Brine Meats »
How to Render Bacon Fat »
How to Salt Food »
How to Blanch Fruits and Vegetables »

5 Comments

Favorite this! (4)