Highlights ► The gum resin of plants boswellia has long been used in Oriental Medicine to prevent amnesia. ► β-boswellic acid (BBA) is the major component of the gum. ► We investigated the role of BBA in tubulin assembly dynamics by spectrophotometric and electron microscopic methods. ► Binding number and constant of BBA with tubulin was elucidated from titration curves. ► A binding site and association energy was suggested by the mean of molecular dynamic simulation.