What is Forskolin?

Forskolin: Here We Go Again

Sisyphus and his endless task

What is it?

Forskolin is an herbal extract from Coleus forskohlii, a plant belonging to the mint family. Its mechanism of action? It increases the production of cyclic AMP, which increases the contractility of heart muscle. Evidence for other actions is preliminary and inconclusive: there is speculation that it may have effects in other cells of the body such as platelet and thyroid cells, it may prevent platelet aggregation and adhesions, and it might even prevent tumor cell growth and cancer metastasis. So far, there is no evidence that it is clinically useful or safe for those purposes.

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates forskolin as “possibly effective” as an inhaled powder for asthma, and as an intravenous medication for idiopathic congestive cardiomyopathy. It also mentions that it may decrease intraocular pressure but has not been tested in patients with glaucoma. It doesn’t even mention the possibility of using it for weight loss. The safety rating is “possibly safe,” and it lists potential interactions with prescription drugs and with other herbs and supplements. They say it may increase the risk of bleeding and should be discontinued at least 2 weeks before surgery.

The bottom line

So what do we know?

1. There is a more-or-less plausible mechanism of action, as speculated by the study authors (see the study for details).
2. It improved body composition in one study but not in another.
3. It has not been demonstrated to cause weight loss, except possibly in rodents.
4. Its clinical efficacy and safety have not been established.
5. It raises blood levels of testosterone, probably not a good thing. Or maybe a good thing.

I am not saying it doesn’t work for weight loss or belly melting; we don’t have good enough evidence to know whether it does or not. I’m not saying people shouldn’t take it, although they shouldn’t assume it’s perfectly safe. I’m only saying there is inadequate evidence for anyone to make the claims Dr. Oz and other proponents have made for it. If we had such limited evidence for a proposed new prescription drug, I doubt if Dr. Oz would want the FDA to approve it for marketing. The double standard is obvious.

So on this note I will be doing a product review on this supplement. My body reacts well with supplements. Good or bad. Look for my review in a week or two for my opinion on this.

~Tiffany