Incense Trees

ABSTRACT: The medicinally and historically significant plant species Boswellia sacra, shown to be effective in addressing numerous illnesses and stabilizing desertification in arid areas, has been noted for having an extremely low germination rate. The low rate of genetic variation among wild stands, which is leading to a possible genetic bottleneck, is exacerbated by the common practice of vegetative propagation through tree cuttings in cultivated stands, which produces clones. Stimulation of seeds to germinate under various conditions at Kibbutz Ketura, Israel was attempted in order to increase genetic variability. Seeds were collected from three source locations and screened via sink tests to identify viable seeds as those that were heavy enough to sink in water. The greatest amount of viable seeds came from a tree in Kibbutz Naot Smadar, which was 400 m above sea level and had a higher germination rate (by a factor of four) than those from trees at elevations much closer to sea level. This conspicuous correlation is discussed as a reason for future research to further understand causes and ways of addressing the extraordinarily low regeneration rate of both wild and cultivated stands.

CITATION:

Swartout, Benjamin T., and Elaine Solowey. “Increasing Boswellia sacra seeds’ germination viability and genetic variability utilizing various methods.” Net Journal of Agricultural Science 6, no. 3 (2018): 29-34.

ABSTRACT

The biblical balm of Gilead (Commiphora gileadensis) was investigated in this study for anticancerous activity against tumor cell lines. The results obtained from ethanol-based extracts and from essential oils indicated that β-caryophyllene (trans-(1R,9S)-8-methylene-4,11,11-trimethylbicyclo[7.2.0]undec-4-ene) is a key component in essential oils extracted from the balm of Gilead. β-Caryophyllene can be found in spice blends, citrus flavors, soaps, detergents, creams, and lotions, as well as in a variety of food and beverage products, and it is known for its anti-inflammatory, local anaesthetic, and antifungal properties. It is also a potent cytotoxic compound over a wide range of cell lines. In the current paper, we found that Commiphora gileadensis stem extracts and essential oil have an antiproliferative proapoptotic effect against tumor cells and not against normal cells. β-caryophyllene caused a potent induction of apoptosis accompanied by DNA ladder and caspase-3 catalytic activity in tumor cell lines. In summary, we showed that C. gileadensis stems contain an apoptosis inducer that acts, in a selective manner, against tumor cell lines and not against normal cells.

CITATION:

Amiel, Eitan, Rivka Ofir, Nativ Dudai, Elaine Soloway, Tatiana Rabinsky, and Shimon Rachmilevitch. “β-Caryophyllene, a compound isolated from the biblical balm of gilead (Commiphora gileadensis), is a selective apoptosis inducer for tumor cell lines.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine (2012).