Evidence Trace, complete trial record

In plain terms

In plain terms: Boswellia + Celery Seed Extract (RestorCel) shows early signals in human research but the evidence is limited -- small trials, surrogate endpoints, or not yet independently replicated. It is an emerging area, not yet a proven one.

Boswellia + Celery Seed Extract (RestorCel)

C Limited: small, mixed or unreplicated trials

Category Supplements

Evidence Single randomized controlled trial

Reviewed September 2026

PMIDs 39875757

The endpoint this grade is based on: self_report, Knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness in one industry-funded 90-day trial; not yet replicated

The evidence as the record states it

Evidence record

PMID 39875757

Vaidya et al. (Pharm Res, 2025; PMID 39875757): randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in 62 adults with knee osteoarthritis. The combination of a standardized Boswellia serrata gum resin (300 mg) and Apium graveolens (celery) seed extract (250 mg) for 90 days reduced pain, stiffness and swelling on WOMAC and VAS compared with placebo, and lowered inflammatory and cartilage-breakdown markers. No adverse effects were reported. The trial was funded by Phytoveda, which markets the combination as RestorCel; RestorCel is the active ingredient in Calroy’s Cartigenix HP. Grade C: one industry-funded trial of 62 people on self-reported outcomes, not yet repeated by an independent group.

PMID 39875757

Why Grade C and not Grade B

Grade C reflects early or limited human evidence -- small trials, surrogate endpoints, or preliminary findings not yet independently replicated. The evidence points in a promising direction but does not yet meet the standard for Grade B. A single well-powered, independently replicated trial with a meaningful endpoint would move this to Grade B or higher.

What this grade covers and what it does not

This record grades the two-ingredient combination as studied, not Boswellia alone. Boswellia serrata alone holds its own Grade B on meta-analyses of several trials. The combination has one randomized trial, sponsored by the company that sells the ingredient, with self-reported pain and stiffness as the clinical outcomes and inflammatory and cartilage markers as surrogates. That is a single positive trial nobody has independently repeated, which is Grade C by definition. A second trial by an independent group would move it. WHAT THIS GRADE DOES NOT COVER: boswellia alone, which carries its own letter; celery seed alone, which has no graded trial here; any other product combining the two at unknown amounts; and cartilage regeneration, which the trial inferred from blood and urine markers rather than measured in the joint.

What would move this grade

A well-powered randomized trial with an objective, clinically meaningful primary endpoint and at least one independent replication would support Grade B or higher.

How this was studied

Form: Standardized Boswellia serrata gum resin plus Apium graveolens seed extract (RestorCel) · Dose: 300 mg boswellia plus 250 mg celery seed extract a day · Population: 62 adults with knee osteoarthritis · Duration: 90 days · What is sold differs: Cartigenix HP is sold as one capsule twice daily without per-ingredient amounts on its product page, so a match to the studied amounts cannot be confirmed from the label.

How to track whether this is working WOMAC or VAS knee pain and stiffness at baseline, 6 weeks and 90 days, matching the trial. hs-CRP if available, since the trial reported inflammatory markers falling.