Curcumin plus boswellia: what can the combination do?

Osteoarthritis is a wear and tear disease that affects around half of all women and a third of men in old age. As the joint cartilage wears down more and more, the final stage can lead to bone rubbing against bone. There are several approaches to alleviating this painful discomfort and halting the wear and tear of the cartilage. One of these is curcumin plus boswellia. This article shows what effects the active ingredients can have.

What is curcumin and what is boswellia?

Curcumin is the yellow-orange pigment that gives the spice turmeric its distinctive colour. But it can do much more than just colour: The so-called polyphenol has numerous positive effects on health. Curcumin is said to be able to alleviate mild digestive complaints and have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Curcumin is also used in products to strengthen the immune system . It is also being investigated in relation to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Boswellia is better known as frankincense . Boswellia serrata in particular is used to obtain a health-promoting extract. It is also considered anti-inflammatory and has a positive effect on the skin, intestines, joints, connective tissue and many other areas.

What effect does curcumin plus boswellia have?

Curcumin and boswellia make a good team – this has already been demonstrated by the experiences of some sufferers. This is because they support each other with their anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric is often combined with boswellia because curcumin itself has poor bioavailability. This means that it cannot be absorbed well by the intestine. It is quickly excreted without having any effect at all. Boswellia, on the other hand, has a completely different chemical structure to curcumin and better bioavailability. However, it may have other weak points. Curcumin and boswellia therefore complement each other very well.

Curcumin plus boswellia is primarily used for osteoarthritis and other joint and cartilage diseases. The combination can also be used well for rheumatism.

However, not only people with joint problems benefit from the effect of curcumin plus boswellia. People with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome can also benefit from the corresponding active ingredients.

What processes underlie the effect of curcumin plus boswellia?

In order to fully understand the effect on the body, we need to take a look behind the scenes. It can be very exciting to observe which processes certain active ingredients trigger in the human organism.

In the case of curcumin plus boswellia, various mechanisms are set in motion. After all, these are two active ingredients that are clearly different from one another.

The effect of boswellia is based on boswellic acids. These are called AKBA and KBA. These act in the body in a special way: They manage to convert an otherwise anti-inflammatory enzyme in such a way that it suddenly has an anti-inflammatory effect. The enzyme in question is 5-lipoxygenase.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory effect, curcumin also has an antioxidant effect. This means that it can fight free radicals. These negative environmental influences react with fatty acids, DNA and proteins, for example, and cause diseases. Curcumin activates the body’s own antioxidants so that the negative effect is minimised.

The polyphenol curcumin is also considered effective against heart disease. This is because it strengthens the functionality of the so-called endothelium in the heart. This is a vascular coating that is responsible for regulating the exchange of substances between the blood and the blood vessels. If the endothelium does not function properly, blood pressure cannot be regulated correctly and heart disease can set in.

Curcumin plus boswellia – what you should bear in mind when taking it

If you want to take curcumin plus boswellia, you should pay attention to the composition of the preparation. Only natural ingredients should be used in food supplements. It is also important that they have a high overall bioavailability.

Kingnature products consist of high-quality and selected ingredients. Food supplements with turmeric can be perfectly combined with food supplements with boswellia to achieve the desired effects.

Supplements should never replace a balanced diet. They only serve as a supplement to alleviate or prevent complaints. A joint-friendly lifestyle, which is advised for arthritis and arthrosis patients, as well as regular physiotherapy or occupational therapy prescribed by a doctor, cannot be replaced by taking curcumin plus boswellia.

Are there any side effects or interactions with curcumin plus boswellia?

With boswellia, it is generally possible that nausea or other stomach complaints may occur. To avoid this, the corresponding preparations should always be taken together with a meal or immediately afterwards. There are also cases of allergic reactions.

Although interactions with other preparations are rare, they cannot be ruled out. For example, blood coagulation inhibitors or drugs that are transported by P-glycoprotein can have undesirable effects.

What about the active ingredient curcumin? Depending on how sensitive those affected are, they may also experience nausea, diarrhoea or flatulence. The dosage also plays an important role here, which is why you should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid preparations containing curcumin, as should patients with gallstones.

There is also a lot to consider when it comes to interactions with curcumin. Many medicines are broken down in the body by so-called cytochrome P450 enzymes. Substances that cannot be excreted are converted into excretable substances in this process. Curcumin interacts with these enzymes in the liver, among others, and can change the blood concentration of the drugs. Curcumin is therefore able to increase or decrease them, which is not always advantageous. For example, interactions with anti-cancer drugs have been observed, as curcumin hardly had any effect on them.

Whether curcumin plus boswellia is suitable in an individual case is something that each person must consider for themselves. After all, every body is slightly different. If you are unsure, you can consult a doctor in advance or carefully try out a low dosage.

Conclusion: Curcuma plus boswellia for versatile health benefits

Anyone looking for a natural remedy with an anti-inflammatory effect is ideally advised to take curcumin plus boswellia. According to some experience, the combination of both active ingredients can have a better effect than if only one of the two substances is taken. However, it should be noted that there are potential side effects or interactions with other medications. Therefore, if you are unsure, you should always consult your doctor first.