My friend Louise brought me a small vial of oil from her trip to Egypt. She said, "drop a little anywhere you hurt." So I put it on my arthritic wrist. It felt fine, no burning or tingling. "Okay, but what is it?" I countered. Turns out it was frankincense--the ancient herb wise men carried to Bethlehem as a gift for the infant Jesus. So I applied it before bed. On the fourth or fifth morning I realized I was sleeping better than in a long time. Guess I need more than collagen and more than a tiny vial to figure out if this would help me.
Turns out the active ingredient in frankincense is Boswelia, a chemical known to significantly decrease pain in people with arthritis. It's active ingredient AKBA, slows down inflammatory chemicals and enzymes that break down cartilage and collagen. Thanks to consumerlab.com, an independent laboratory that evaluates supplements, many reliable sources of Boswelia are available commercially.
I chose to try Life Extension ArthroMax (this is not a paid endorsement). It contains a potent Boswelia AKBA extract plus glucosamine and type 2 collagen. I've been taking two capsules in the morning for at least four weeks. My wrist feels less achy, as does my back, which was not even on the list. I'm waking less at night too!
I was also steered towards Aura Cacia frankincense roll-on by consumerlab.com . Between ArthroMax and topical frankincense, I am feeling fine these days. For those who already started type 2 collagen, keep it up. If you have arthritis with soreness like me, think about giving Boswelia in combination with type 2 collagen a try.
Who would have thought, an ancient herb would relieve my modern aches and pains?
--Robyn