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Open WellbeingWhat the studies actually measured

Joints, muscles and pain

Boswellia serrataand Joint pain (osteoarthritis)

Both sources here measured lower joint pain (osteoarthritis).

How sure anyone can be

Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

Further research may change this.

The most certain of the two findings here; each record carries its own.

The numbers reported

One source’s range, drawn against its own line of no difference and scaled to its own numbers.

-11.19-8.33-5.46

This range stays on one side of the no-difference line.

Bar the confidence interval — the range the true effect is likely to sit inNotch the number the source reportedLine where there would be no difference at all

Two sources, newest first

What we read is the published abstract, not the full paper, so a blank below may still be printed in the paper itself. A fixed rule worked this out from the source’s own fields. Nobody checked this rating by hand.

  • Systematic review, 2024

    Moderate certainty, level 3 of 4

    Efficacy evaluation of standardized Boswellia serrata extract (Aflapin(Ⓡ)) in osteoarthritis: A systematic review and sub-group meta-analysis study.

    Explore (NY). 2024;20(5):102983. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2024.02.001. PMID:38365549.

    Number reported
    -10.71
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    Not in the abstract
    Source’s own words
    visual analogue pain score, mean difference vs control (scale range not stated in the abstract)
    Who was studied
    Adult with osteoarthritis
    Compared with
    control therapy
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, one step down: imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Imprecision brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no confidence interval for the estimateNot in the abstract
    3. Ends at ModerateOne step down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    risk of bias and indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    Source saved; quote checked byte-for-byte against it by software; no signature.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

  • Systematic review, 2020

    Low certainty, level 2 of 4

    Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):225. doi:10.1186/s12906-020-02985-6. PMID:32680575.

    Number reported
    -8.33
    Which way it went
    Lower
    Likely range
    -11.19 to -5.46
    Source’s own words
    visual analogue pain score, weighted mean difference vs control (scale range not stated in the abstract)
    Who was studied
    Adult with osteoarthritis
    Compared with
    placebo or western medicine
    Amount taken
    Not in the abstract
    For how long
    Not in the abstract
    Disagreement between studies
    Not in the abstract
    Kind of record
    Journal article
    How this rating was reachedstarts at High, 2 steps down: risk of bias and imprecision
    1. Starts at High
    2. Risk of bias brought it down to Moderatethe abstract reports no risk-of-bias or quality appraisal, so study limitations cannot be ruled outNot in the abstract
    3. Imprecision brought it down to Lowthe abstract does not state how many participants were pooledNot in the abstract
    4. Ends at Low2 steps down.
    Checked, nothing to step it down for
    indirectness
    Inconsistency
    No disagreement reported, and no count of studies behind it

    Imprecision stops at the first check that applies; others may apply too.

    AI review could not confirm it — an AI agent re-read this finding against the saved source and at least one check failed. The batch record names the check and quotes the sentence that caused the doubt. No person read it.

    Read the abstract on PubMed

What is still missing from these readings

  • One gives no likely range, so how precise that number is is unknown.
  • Two do not say how many people took part.
  • Amount taken — Not in the abstract.
  • For how long — Not in the abstract.

Something nobody wrote down is never a zero and never a guess.

Still to read for Boswellia serrata

Eight of the 13 things on our list for Boswellia serrata have no reading here yet:

  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
  • Equivalent Walking Distance
  • Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
  • Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
  • Hemoglobin
  • Peak Expiratory Flow Rate
  • Physical Function Score (SF-36 Physical Functioning)
  • Serum creatinine

Still to read means nobody here has got to it, not that it was tried and did nothing or that no research exists. A pairing on no list is not a gap: we never set out to read it.

Read next

This is a library, not advice. No recommendation, no dose, no diagnosis, no ranking. We never ask about your symptoms, and nothing here is tailored to you.