Originating from South Asia, Curcuma, or turmeric, is a perennial herbaceous plant and a member of the ginger family. It is particularly valued for its rhizomes (the underground parts) from which the yellow-orange spice is obtained. Though the spice is primarily known as a culinary ingredient, Curcuma also has a number of health benefits.

Super Boswellia has been specifically enriched with AKBA, the boswellic acid with the most pronounced effect on 5-LO. While many supplements are produced from other Boswellia species such as Boswellia carterii, Boswellia frereana and Boswellia bhau-dajiana, Super Boswellia is made from Boswellia serrata, the richest source of boswellic acid.

What's more, it has been shown to be better absorbed (by around 52%) than other extracts on the market.

It is not possible to harvest from boswellia grown in Europe because the overly-humid conditions produce a coating on the resin which makes its extraction very difficult and causes the resin to be impermeable to solvents.

Boswellia is a robust tree which can easily withstand the cuts made to the bark when harvesting the resin. Having said that, it has to be allowed to rest for several years after three consecutive years of harvesting.

The suggested daily dose is one 100g capsule, to be taken with the most substantial meal of the day.

While the bioavailability of boswellic acid is relatively low, it can be significantly increased by combining it with lipids. Eating food that’s high in fat (the healthy kind, of course) will thus increase the absorption of Super Boswellia, which is why it’s advisable to take it with a meal.

Turmeric/curcuma supplements such as Natural Curcuma and Super Curcuma also help reduce inflammation and combining them with boswellia is likely to have a synergistic effect. There are two other supplements available to buy at Supersmart worth mentioning here: Smart joints cream a topical cream for the joints based on boswellia and eucalyptus, and UC II® 10 mg, a undenatured type II collagen supplement.

This product’s capsules are composed of HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), a plant substance derived from cellulose. HPMC is widely used for medicines and dietary supplements. It contains no animal ingredients, is recognised as safe by health authorities and is considered more sustainable than synthetic alternatives.