Omani university research reveals medicinal properties of Arabian resin

Muscat: Taking Arabian resin helps prevent inflammation and could even help you lose weight, according to a recent study Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) study.
“My colleague Dr. Amna Al Araimi and I conducted this study to evaluate the effect of the Arabian resin on disease activity in the Ulcerative Colitis (UC) by assessing different parameters, and we found that the intake of Arabian resin showed improvement in recovery and also in the level of fibrosis associated with it,” said Dr. Fahad Al Zadjali from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, SQU.
He added, “Additional findings also include weight loss associated with Arabian resin. The effect on weight has been demonstrated in earlier experiments; our findings suggest that Arabian resin has both preventive and protective effect on inflammatory damage to the colon.”
Al Zadjali said the use of steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs to treat inflammation shows adverse effects on patients; on the other hand the potential benefits of herbal medicine could lie in their high acceptance by patients, relatively safe and low costs, and Arabian resin is among the herbs that recently attracted attention in traditional therapies.
According to Al Zadjali, Arabian resin also acts as an antioxidant as revealed by studies on reducing hepatic, renal and cardiac toxicities.
Since UC seriously threatens human health, it is urgent to find an appropriate agent to improve the severity of the disease.
It is a non-digestible polysaccharide complex and is soluble in water, which is derived from the dried exudates obtained from the stems and branches of natural strains of Acacia Senegal or Acacia seyal (family leguminosae) with a gummy texture.
Arabian resin is generally recognised to be safe as dietary fibre and a direct food additive, as no significant toxic actions have been associated with its use when injected or administered orally.
Today, it is used widely in the pharmaceutical and food industry as an emulsifier, adhesive, and stabiliser. Furthermore, it is used traditionally as an oral hygienic substance and to treat inflammation of oral mucosa and inflamed skin.