The side effects of ru xiang 乳香 (Pistacia lentiscus)

Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Health Benefits of Ru Xiang

Boswellia carteri, Bird. [ru xiang 乳香; Pistacia lentiscus, L.; Gummi Olibanum;
nyuko; yuhyang; sheng ru xiang, xun lu xiang; Frankincense Carterii, mastic]

乳香來源於橄欖科植物卡氏乳香樹及同屬植物滲出的油膠樹脂。主要靠進口，屬常用中藥，具有活血
止痛,消腫生肌之功。

What is Boswellia carteri, ru xiang or Pistacia lentiscus? What does it contain?

Boswellia carteri is common in Mediterranean region. Traditionally, it has been
used to treat pain (related to blood clot) spastic muscle, gum bleeding, gum
inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, liver cirrhosis, amenorrhea and certain injuries.

Romani A and co-workers from Università degli Studi, Italy, found : (i) gallic acid
and galloyl derivatives of both glucose and quinic acid; (ii) flavonol glycosides, i.e.
myricetin and quercetin glycosides; and (iii) anthocyanins, namely delphinidin 3-O-
glucoside and cyaniding 3-O-glucoside and trace amounts of catechin from the
leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L. [5] Duru ME from Muğla University, Turkey found
alpha-Pinene, beta-pinene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol and alpha-terpineol as the
major components from the leaves and resin of Pistacia lentiscus. [7]

Are there any health benefits of Ru Xiang or Pistacia Lentiscus (with scientific
support)?

Researchers noticed Pistacia lentiscus could reduce the gastric mucosal damage
induced by pyloric ligation, aspirin, phenylbutazone, reserpine and restraint + cold
stress in rats. [1] While other researchers demonstrated extracts of Pistacia
lentiscus was against Helicobacter pylori, Sarcina lutea, Staphylococcus aureus,
Escherichia coli, some fungal cells and even mosquito Culex pipiens molestus
(Diptera: Culicidae). [2-4]

As discussed before, aqueous extracts of Pistacia lentiscus habe been alleged to
be effective in the treatment of jaundice in Jordanian folk medicine. Janakat S and
Al-Merie H. from Jordan University of Science and Technology found that aqueous
extract of P. lentiscus showed marked antihepatotoxic activity against carbon
tetrachloride by reducing the activity of the three enzymes (alkaline phosphatase
(ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and
the level of bilirubin in an animal study. [6]

Baratto MC and co-workers, from Università degli Studi di Siena Italy, showed the
antioxidant-activities of galloyl quinic derivatives isolated from Pistacia lentiscus L.
leaves. [8] Andrikopoulos NK from Harokopio University, Greece, found chiosmastic
gum (CMG) (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia resin) was effective in protecting human
LDL from oxidation in a test-tube study. [9]

Researchers from Israel observed long-term administration of the extract from the
dried leaves of Pistacia lentiscus induced hepatic fibrosis and an inflammatory
response, mild cholestasis and depletion of reduced glutathione associated with
an increase in its oxidized form in healthy rats. In thioacetamide-treated rats, long-
term administration of extract aggravated the inflammatory and fibrotic and
glutathione depleting responses without affecting the extent of lipid peroxidation.
[10] Besides its potential health benefits on liver, some test-tube studies also
suggest its potential use in support of patients suffered from cancers, such as
colon cancer and leukemia [11-12]

Reference:

[1] [1] Longo L, Platini F, Scardino A, Alabiso O, Vasapollo G, Tessitore L.
Autophagy inhibition enhances anthocyanin-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular
carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2008 Aug;7(8):2476-85. [2] Iauk L, Ragusa S,
Rapisarda A, Franco S, Nicolosi VM. In vitro antimicrobial activity of Pistacia
lentiscus L. extracts: preliminary report. J Chemother. 1996 Jun;8(3):207-9. [3]
Marone P, Bono L, Leone E, Bona S, Carretto E, Perversi L. Bactericidal activity of
Pistacia lentiscus mastic gum against Helicobacter pylori. J Chemother. 2001 Dec;13
(6):611-4. [4] Traboulsi AF, Taoubi K, el-Haj S, Bessiere JM, Rammal S.Insecticidal
properties of essential plant oils against the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus
(Diptera: Culicidae). Pest Manag Sci. 2002 May;58(5):491-5. Romani A, Pinelli P,
Galardi C, Mulinacci N, Tattini M. Identification and quantification of galloyl
derivatives, flavonoid glycosides and anthocyanins in leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L.
Phytochem Anal. 2002 Mar-Apr;13(2):79-86. [6] Janakat S, Al-Merie H. Evaluation
of hepatoprotective effect of Pistacia lentiscus, Phillyrea latifolia and Nicotiana
glauca. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Nov;83(1-2):135-8. [7] Duru ME, Cakir A, Kordali
S, Zengin H, Harmandar M, Izumi S, Hirata T. Chemical composition and antifungal
properties of essential oils of three Pistacia species. Fitoterapia. 2003 Feb;74(1-2):
170-6. 8] Baratto MC, Tattini M, Galardi C, Pinelli P, Romani A, Visioli F, Basosi R,
Pogni R. Antioxidant activity of galloyl quinic derivatives isolated from P. lentiscus
leaves. Free Radic Res. 2003 Apr;37(4):405-12. [9] Andrikopoulos NK, Kaliora AC,
Assimopoulou AN, Papapeorgiou VP.Biological activity of some naturally occurring
resins, gums and pigments against in vitro LDL oxidation. Phytother Res. 2003 May;
17(5):501-7. [10] Ljubuncic P, Song H, Cogan U, Azaizeh H, Bomzon A. The effects
of aqueous extracts prepared from the leaves of Pistacia lentiscus in experimental
liver disease.J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Aug 22;100(1-2):198-204. Epub 2005 Apr
22. Balan KV, Prince J, Han Z, Dimas K, Cladaras M, Wyche JH, Sitaras NM, Pantazis
P. Antiproliferative activity and induction of apoptosis in human colon cancer cells
treated in vitro with constituents of a product derived from Pistacia lentiscus L. var.
chia. Phytomedicine. 2007 Apr;14(4):263-72. Epub 2006 May 18. [12] Loutrari H,
Magkouta S, Pyriochou A, Koika V, Kolisis FN, Papapetropoulos A,

Roussos C. Mastic oil from Pistacia lentiscus var. chia inhibits growth and survival of
human K562 leukemia cells and attenuates angiogenesis. Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(1):
86-93.] http://alternativehealing.org

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