essay on Boswellia serrata

Overall Task: Briefly discuss an over-the-counter natural supplement (Boswellia serrata) aor alternative medicine that has been used without prescription and evaluate it critically.

You must focus on its use against a particular condition or symptom and critically evaluate the pros and cons of using that particular natural product.

Only restriction:

NOTE: In Canada, natural products must have an NPN (Natural Product Number) as opposed to a DIN (Drug Identification Number). If wondering whether your product is a drug or a natural supplement, check if it has an NPN or DIN. If it has an NPN, it is a valid choice for this assignment. If it has a DIN, it is not. For more on this please visit the following web page: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non- prescription/applications-submissions/product-licensing/licensed-natural-health-products- database.html

In 1000 Words Maximum (not counting Title, Name, Annexes, Figures & Bibliography) discuss the 4 following points. You may discuss them in any order you see fit. The % next to each section represents the approximate % of space in your work this section should take. These are not requirements; they are meant as guides:

1) Potential Health Benefits/Claims (25%)

Describe one of the health claims/potential benefits regarding your choice of Natural Product

Could be against a condition/disease or a specific symptom/ailment

What evidence exists to support this claim?

Provide updated information of the medication in the literature or any source

commonly used by public to search and use the product.

Provide a brief explanation of the posited mechanism of action supporting the

potential health benefits of your product.

2) Product Pharmacology (20%)

Briefly describe what is known about its pharmacokinetic Ex.: Administration, Metabolism, Duration of action

What are its potential adverse effects/toxicity?

3) Critical Appraisal (30%)

Based on your research, comment on the risk-benefit ratio of your choice of product.

o Are its potential health claims proportional to the current scientific evidence? Or are they overreaching?

o Should it be more widely used, or should it be avoided?

o Does its risk-benefit ratio justify investing more research resources into it?

4) Marketing Logical Fallacy (15%)

Find a logical fallacy used in marketing your product of choice. Please provide a visual (print screen/picture) of the original fallacy as well as its source.

Briefly mention which logical fallacy it represents and why you believe so.

5) Why you chose this particular topic/drug for this assignment (10%)

What is your personal interest in it?

Rules/Format for Submission

1000 words Maximum Not counting Title, Name, In-Text Citations, Annexes & Bibliography

You have all the liberty to choose the type of medium you want to present your information (ex.: Power Point**, Word, Prezi, Zine, Pamphlet, others, etc.) but you must submit a single document on myCourses

o **Note #1: Please have the name of your product in the Title of your

submission

o **Note #2: No matter the medium of presentation you choose, please make sure to put all the relevant information you want us to consider during grading into the main visual area. For example, if using Power Point, we would only consider the information on the slides. If you put text into the comments section, it wont be considered since it is meant for the speaker and should be spoken to. So unless you had done a PPT voice over, it would not be considered during grading.

o Polish your English/French Point deductions if unclear or many

mistakes.

o Any tables or diagrams/figures must be placed either at the end in annex or embedded within the work where appropriate and referenced.

Mandatory Generative AI Acknowledgement Statement

o As per the course policy, use of generative AI tools is permitted for this

assignment on the condition that it is disclosed

Refer to policy in your course outline for more details.

Citations & Bibliography using either Vancouver or APA

o 3-5highqualitysourcesusuallygetthebestresults

o No plagiarism! Respect the work of others and tell us where you found

your info if applicable.

o For rare/awkward types of documents to reference, do not worry about the exact APA format for citation. If we see the author(s), the year, and a way to find the source (ex.: URL), it will be all good. The spirit of a citation is to recognize the work of others and to be able to track and verify the information ourselves if necessary.

Some Advice & Context:

1000 words is not very long but that is also the point. This is also meant to be an exercise in synthesis. Be succinct and straight to the point with the information conveyed. Make use of images or diagrams whenever relevant and possible to save on words. Imagine that you are educating a patient or a friend about this new potential treatment: images and diagrams are much more appealing than long texts!

Use appropriate scientific and pharmacological terms but keep it simple.