The Efficacy of Topical Oliban Oil (Boswellia Carterii B.) in Relieving the Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background: Oliban oil is frequently used in daily musculoskeletal practice in traditional Iranian medicine, but its benefit remain to be evaluated. The use of oliban oil offers an alternative to oral treatment and topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy. The objective of this trial was to assess the efficacy and safety of topical oliban oil in relieving the symptoms of knee pain.

Methods: We identified 154 men and women with knee pain who had the clinical criteria of the American College of Rheumatology for the classification of osteoarthritis and the inclusion criteria. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups to receive topical treatment for their painful knee for 6 weeks; oliban oil as intervention group, sesame oil as control group, and diclofenac gel as usual and positive control group. The degree of knee pain was quantified using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The side effects of oliban oil were evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE).

Results: In terms of KOOS, the intervention group showed an improvement in pain and symptoms compared with the control group (P = 0.04), but activities of daily living (ADL), sport and recreation (Sport/Rec), and knee-related quality of life (QOL) did not improve significantly. The VAS scores were significantly better for the patients who applied oliban oil and topical diclofenac gel than for those who applied sesame oil (P = 0.02). Furthermore, the intervention group showed an improvement in pain compared with the diclofenac group (P = 0.03). Safety assessments showed that topical oliban oil caused skin pruritus in 0.02% of individuals.

Conclusion: This controlled clinical trial study demonstrates the potential efficacy and safety of topical oliban oil in the symptomatic treatment of knee pain with only minor local skin pruritus.