Burseraceae

The Burseraceae is a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The Burseraceae trees or shrubs are characterized by resins (having triterpenoids and ethereal oils) that are present within the plant tissue from the vertical resin canals and ducts in the bark to the leaf veins. The resins from these trees are used in Chinese herbal medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine to treat several ailments. Pills containing small doses of frankincense and other ingredients are valued in oriental medicine for promoting blood flow and the movement of the qi (‘life force’ or ‘spiritual energy’). And myrrh is similarly claimed to promote blood flow, stimulate the stomach and digestion, and to be useful in treating diabetes, menopause, uterine tumors, amenorrhoea, and dysmenorrhea. Both frankincense (containing triterpene acids) and myrrh are used to relieve pain and inflammation as in arthritis and asthma.