Extracts from plants in the Asteridae subfamily, such as Carthamus tinctorious, are effective to selectively inhibit COX-2 activity and/or enhance COX-1 activity. When Asteridae extracts are combined with boswellic acid, the combination exhibits a synergistic inhibitory effect on both COX-2 and LO. Such extracts and combinations are used in methods of selectively inhibiting COX-2, inhibiting LO, and/or enhancing COX-1 activity as well as in the methods of treating conditions that would respond favorably to any of these effects.