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| Latin Name |
English Name |
Sanskrit Name |
Hindi Name |
Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex
colebr / B. glabra Roxb. (Burseraceae) |
Boswellia |
Shallaki |
Semul or
Simul |
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| History |
 In
'Mahabharata' it is related that 'Pitamaha' after having created the
world, reposed under the tree. In the 'Yajnavalkya', it is mentioned
as one of the trees of the infernal regions. Roots of the very young
tree have astringent, aphrodisiac and alterative properties. In Holland,
the gum is used as an astringent. In Madras, the young fruits are
dried and used as a demulcent and astringent. Also the gum is used
in diarrhea and dysentery.
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| Habitat |
It is found in India,
Burma and Sri Lanka. It grows throughout the hotter parts of India,
Eastern Himalayas and is abundant in Assam, Andamans and West Bengal.
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| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
A large sized tall,
deciduous tree having straight, buttressed trunk with a clear bole
and widespread branches. The trunk and branch bark are gray in color
having hard, sharp and conical prickles. Leaves are large, deciduous,
digitate and glabrous. Leaflets 3-9, entire, lanceolate or oval, cuspidate
and tip is acute. Petiole is long (up to 20 cm), petiolules 1,2-2.5
cm long, and stipules small and caducous. Flowers solitary or clustered,
axillary or sub-terminal, fascicles at or near the ends of the branches,
when the tree is bare of leaves. Calyx is cup-shaped usually 3 lobed.
Corolla red or white, petals 5, oblong, recurved, fleshy, tomentose
on the out side and sparingly pubescent inner. Staminal tube is short,
more than 60 in 5 bundles. Ovary conical, glabrous, stigma 5, capsule
ovoid, 5 valued dehiscing by 5 leathery, woody valves and lined with
white silky hairs. Seeds are numerous, long, ovoid, black or gray
in colour and packed in white cotton.
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| Principal
Constituents |
Preliminary tests
show the presence of glycosides and tannins from root, stem and leaf.
In the stem some alkaloids and in root proteins are identified1.
The stem bark contains lupeol and b-sitostrol2. The root
bark has 3 naphthalene derivatives related to gossypol (toxic principle
of cotton seed) and called as 'semigossypol'3. Flowers
contain b-sitosterol, traces of essential oil, kaempherol and quercetin4.
On hydrolysis gum yield arabinose, galactose, galacturonic acid and
rhamnose.
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| Pharmacology |
Aqueous extract
has moderate oxytoxic activity on gravid and non-gravid isolated rat
uteri and guinea pig and rabbit uterine strips. It has musculotropic
action in guinea pig ileum and cardiac stimulant action on frog's
heart5. It has a negligible blood-pressure elevating action
in anaesthetized dog6.
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| Toxicology |
No adverse effect is reported
on use of the plant as a drug.
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| Indications |
The gum has aphrodisiac, astringent,
demulcent, hemoptysis of pulmonary tuberculosis, influenza, malena,
menorrhagia and acute dysentery with beneficial results. Flowers are
used for hemorrhoids.
The root has stimulant, tonic and aphrodisiac properties.
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| Product
Range |
Rumalaya forte,
Rumalaya gel, Shallaki.
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| References |
- Mehra, Indian J Pharm, 30, 284, 1968.
- Mukherjee, J Indian Chem Soc, 48, 789, 1971.
- Seshadri, Curr Sci, 40,630, 1971; Indian J Chem, 11, 825, 1973.
- Harish Gopal, J Pharm Sci, 61, 807, 1972.
- Misra, Indian J Pharm, 30, 165, 1968.
- Misra, Indian J Physiol & Pharmacol, 10, 59, 1966.
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