Lannea coromandelica and Boswellia serrata

[satish phadke]

These Moi (Lannea coromandelica ) trees have no leaves at present but have started flowering. Being Anacardiceae member :it has very tiny flowers (less than 5mm ,macro photo to show the details of stamens petals etc for identification) and large inflorescence. I was told by some experts that these trees are often accompanied by SALAI( Boswellia serrata) trees which is the case here.
Photo taken on 19feb2008 on Vetal Tekdi,Pune Maharashtra.
The other photograph is of Boswellia serrata (Salai) flowering(size of the flower again around 5mm: Bursaraceae family) taken on 11 jan 2008 in the same area.
--
Dr. Satish Phadke

[J.M. Garg]

Wonderful shot as these are difficult to capture!!!

Boswellia serrata is Indian frankincense or Salai. It is found in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in India. Its aroma is generally considered to be far inferior compared to B. sacra or B. frereana.

Extracts of Boswellia serrata have been clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. A Boswellia extract marketed under the name Wokvel has undergone human efficacy, comparative, pharmacokinetic studies.^[1][2][3]

It is used in the manufacture of the supposed anti-wrinkle agent "Boswelox",[1] which has been criticised as ineffective.^[4]

 

Boswellia is a genus of trees known for their fragrant resin which has many pharmacological uses particularly as anti-inflammatories. The Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, Boswellia sacra.

There are four main species of Boswellia which produce true Frankincense and each type of resin is available in various grades. The grades depend on the time of harvesting, and the resin is hand sorted for quality. Anyone interested in frankincense would be well advised to first obtain a small sample of each type from a reputable dealer in order to ascertain the difference between each resin.

Boswellia has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. Recently, the boswellic acids that are a component of the resin it produces have shown some promise as a treatment for asthma and various inflammatory conditions (Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study. European Journal of Herbal Medicine 1998; 3:511-14.) In West Africa, the bark of Boswellia dalzielii is used to treat fever, rheumatism and gastro-intestinal problems (Arbonnier 2002. Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches de l'Afrique de l'Ouest)

 

Boswellia

The above inf. taken from Wikipedia link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswellia_serrata & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswellia_thurifera

 

--
Dr. Satish Phadke
For my Birds, Butterflies, Trees, Lanscape pictures etc., visit  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/J.M.Garg