Dr. Oz doesn't know it but he’s responsible for a lot of the emails I get. For example, in a recent segment of the Dr Oz Show, an herb called Coleus forskohlii (also called forskolin) was said to be one of the secrets to weight loss. I first reviewed Coleus forskohlii in my book a few years ago, but in case you missed that chapter, let’s take a look at this herb and see if I can help you make sense of it. Does it help people lose weight? Let's look at the research and see what we can discover.
What is Coleus Forskohlii?
Coleus forskohlii is a member of the mint family of herbs. Its technical name is Plectranthus barbatus. The roots of the plant contain a compound called forskolin. As such, coleus forskohlii and forskolin are often used interchangeably. Traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat asthma and other ailments, for the last several years, it’s the claims that forskolin helps weight loss that has sparked people's interest the most. I've even seen Dr. Oz say “it works” when talking about forskolin.
Supplement Tip. If the name of the supplement contains the prefix “fors” or forsk” (or something similar), it probably contains coleus forskohlii.
Coleus forskohlii has been in some products I've reviewed on this site. Some of those have included:
Among others. See those reviews for additional information.
Coleus Forskohlii And Weight Loss
How does Coleus forskohlii help weight loss? Or rather, what is the theory behind how it’s supposed to work? This will get a little technical but bear with me, I promise to bring it home at the end.
Coleus forskohlii stimulates the production of a molecule called cyclic AMP (cAMP). In our body, cyclic AMP helps our cells talk to each other. When an increase or decrease in cAMP is detected, it acts as a signal that causes the body to do something.
One of the things that cAMP does is tell our cells to increase in an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase—which burns fat. cAMP might also appears to stimulate the release of thyroid hormone which also helps burn fat and calories.
Translation: Coleus forskohlii (Forskolin) stimulates fat-burning enzymes and hormones which, in turn, causes weight loss.
The theory sounds good but is there any proof? It turns out there are a couple of Coleus forskohlii weight loss studies. Let’s take a look at them now.
Coleus Forskohlii Weight Loss Research
One study from 2005, titled Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men was published in the journal, Obesity Research.
This study looked at 30 overweight and obese men. Half of these men received Coleus forskohlii and half received a placebo. The people in this study took 250 mg of a supplement – called ForsLean that had 10 % Coleus forskohlii. They took the supplement twice a day (so 500 mg total per day). The study lasted 12 weeks.
ForceLean is a patented extract from the Sabinsa Corporation. ForsLean is in many coleus forskohlii products.
Body fat was determined via DEXA, a very accurate body fat measurement technique that uses x rays.
Study Results
Those people getting Coleus forskohlii showed a reduction in body fat as well as an increase in testosterone.
Study Problems
Lean body mass (I take this to mean muscle) increased as well– but lean body mass also increased in the placebo group too. This could be a
![Coleus forskohlii-Plectranthus-barbatus-weight-loss-research](https://supplementclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Forskolin-weight-loss-pic-275x300.png)
problem with the study.
While lean body mass did increase more in those getting the Coleus forskohlii extract, how did the placebo (which should, in theory, do nothing) also increase lean body mass? This is a problem. The people in this study did not exercise. So if exercise didn’t cause the increase in lean body mass what did?
Another problem is that the people in the Coleus forskohlii group had higher testosterone levels at the start of the study than those in the placebo group. If the people were randomly divided into two groups, one would think that testosterone levels would be pretty much the same between the groups. But they were not.
This doesn't make sense.
As such, I'm not sure if coleus forskohlii raises testosterone or not.
Another observation was that Coleus forskohlii did not increase metabolic rate. This contradicts “experts” on the Dr Oz Show who have said that forskolin raises metabolic rate.
This particular study gets mentioned a lot on bodybuilding websites, however given the problems I just listed, I’d like to see another study to confirm these findings.
Another study, titled Effects of coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women was published in 2005 in the International Journal of the Society of Sports Nutrition.
In this study, 19 women were given a Coleus forskohlii supplement –ForsLean – which contained 250 mg of a 10% Coleus forskohlii extract. The supplement was taken twice a day (so, 500 mg total per day was taken). The other group received a placebo, and the study lasted 12 weeks.
Body fat was determined via DEXA scan which is a good indicator of body composition.
Study Results
This study found that Coleus forskohlii did not promote any significant weight loss but it did seem to reduce the gaining of weight.
The forskolin extract did not seem to change thyroid hormone, liver enzymes, cholesterol, insulin, heart rate, blood pressure or red or white blood cells. This study, unfortunately did not measure testosterone levels as the study above did.
So, while the Coleus forskohlii extract didn’t seem to help weight loss, it did appear to help people from gaining weight.
It is interesting supplement used in this study (ForsLean) is the same as that tested in the previous study. So, two studies on the same supplement each found different outcomes.
These two human studies of Coleus forskohlii and weight loss appear to contradict each other in terms of whether Coleus forskohlii helps weight loss or not.
Based on this, maybe forskolin helps weight loss, or maybe it might reduce the rate at which people gain weight. So which is it? I don’t think anyone has the answer at this time. This is a far cry from the proclamation of Dr Oz, who said on his TV show, “it works”.
In a 2014 study, coleus forskholii was shown to curb appetite in rats fed a “cafeteria diet (basically, they fed rats a lot of junk food). That's interesting, and in theory, by curbing appetite, it might reduce gaining weight, which the previous study mentioned above noted. Still, this should be shown in human studies to know better what's going on.
Which Coleus Forskohlii Supplement Is Best?
There are a LOT of Coleus forskohlii supplements out there. As such, finding what may be the “best” can be daunting. So let me see if I can make the process a wee bit easier for you.
Some products make vague claims such as “raising metabolism” or boosting testosterone levels. But, from this review, claims like these are on shaky ground. As such, I recommend avoiding products that make claims like these.
Also avoid any ForsLean product that refers to Dr Oz. He has said this on his TV show too.
Remember coleus forskohlii and forskolin are the same thing. Different supplement companies call it by both names. Some brands may even call it by its scientific name: Plectranthus barbatus. This is important because this might confuse some people.
Most of the research is on the ForsLean brand.
Forslean is found in various coleus forskolii supplements either alone or in combination with other ingredients.
If it's going to work, ForsLean is the only ingredient that should be needed. There should be no need to combine coleus with
or any other trendy ingredients.
While studies often use 500 mg per day, given the lack of human research, its hard to know if this is the correct amount. As such, start with less to see if that works with you.
Coleus Forskohlii Side Effects
Based on the human studies done so far, Coleus forskohlii (forskolin) seems to be pretty safe in healthy people for at least 3 months.
Here are some things to consider when taking this supplement. This list is not complete.
- Start with less than is recommended for the first week to see how you respond.
- Some research using mice has noted coleus forskholii might alter an enzyme system called P450 which is involved in metabolizing a variety of medications. Because of this, people who take any medications should ask their pharmacist or doctor and specifically ask questions relating to the P450 enzyme system. Your doctor /pharmacist will know exactly what you are talking about when you say “P450 enzyme.”
- Little research involves people who are not “healthy,” and the herb may interact with medications like blood thinners. People with serious health issues like heart disease etc. should speak to their doctor before taking Coleus forskohlii.
- Stop all supplements at least 2 weeks before surgery.
- Speak to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Does Coleus Forskohlii Work?
Despite the hype, I feel more research is needed to know if coleus forskohlii (forskolin) really works or not. As more research is done, we will have a better if it works. The research on forskolin is intriguing, but it is far from conclusive. I do think coleus forskohlii is an interesting supplement, but I can't yet say either way whether it helps people lose weight or not because I want to see a few more human studies.
If you have tried it and it helped you or not, I hope you will leave a comment below.
Here is coleus forskohlii on Amazon
I also found out about Coleus Forskohlii via email touting Dr. Oz’s approval. (A link lead me to a site where I could buy 1 and get 2 free.) I have always been a fan of his but something in the back of my mind kept me from purchasing the product at the time. I saved the email for future reference. I wish I had found this site before this afternoon.
I went to my local health food store and purchased said product today. (1 capsule is 20% ~ 25mg and I am supposed to take 1 a day.) Since I have already purchased them, I am going to give this a shot. I am currently 5’4″ and 182lbs. I am also 43 y/o. I eat very little and exercise moderately but I am unable to lose anymore weight. Can’t hurt to try, right? 🙂
I have found your site extremely informative and very refreshingly honest. I look forward to reading more as you add to it.
Mystic Isis, I’m happy you found my website and I hope you keep me posted on what happens.
I just got 3 bottles of Forskolin 250mg 20% which actually equals 50mg tablets. I have heart failure and am overweight and on blood thinners. I have muscle damage to the lower left side of the heart and need to drop weight to give the heart a break in how hard it has to work to try to decrease the chance of further muscle damage.
I also have no energy whatsoever and have COPD with severe shortness of breath. I know a train wreck right!
So I have taken it among myself to begin a study for you guys and gals at my own risk. I started today on this forskolin and I will check in every week to let everyone know whats going on. Today is Oct. 08 2014 I weigh in at 216lbs!
Rooster, PLEASE show it to your Coleus Forakohlii to your pharmacist today to see what they think as far as interactions with the meds that you take. Show it to your doctor too. While Im not a pharmacist I do know that many supplements can have a primitive blood-thinning effect and that’s another reason why I want you to run this past somebody who knows more. I would not call you a train wreck but you do have some serious health issues.
Have you ever looked at Weight Watchers?
Joe I have been on blood thinner since I was 16 years old I get a protime done regularly and will consult my dr next week if he says come off it I will. But more then likely he will have me cut back on my warfarin to allow the forskolin combined with my warfarin to give me the accurate blood thickness.
Just want everyone to know I made a mistake on my weight I weighed in at 206.6lbs and that was Thursday the day after I started the froskolin and today I know it sounds weird but I weighed myself this morning after taking my morning pills including the forskolin and I weighed 205.4 I do not work out and haven’t changed my diet at all!
Will check back in as we go to keep everyone up to date. Also want you to know I am not on the $40 a bottle forskolin either just so you all know I paid $20 for 2 bottles of 180 tablets. 250mg 20% yield which is 50mg of Forskolin per tablet.
Rooster, thanks I hope all goes well with your doctor.
Kevin, the same happened to me with the billing.
Has anyone taken this who does not have a gallbladder ? Any side effects?
I saw the Do Oz program via email about a product call pro lean forskolin. Pretty shady outfit no email address to contact them just snail mail no confirmation email, and on top of that they advertised buy three get two free. Well it appears that I was charged for all five. The purchase process didn’t give you additional submit payment and wasn’t until I placed the order that the price was shown and billed to my credit card company.
I immediately called the company and had them cancel the authorization and if they re-bill I’ll have to go through the dispute team at the cc comp.
Now I’m very suspect about the validity of all these claims by Dr. Oz et. al. I’ve become very skeptical, and have become to think he’s become no more than a glorified snake oil salesman.
I’m saying that because after reading the details of those studies they seem to contradict the claims by Dr. Oz. and the companies that sell the stuff.
As others on this blog have noted (I’ll keep an eye out for further studies to see if this stuff actually works at causing weight loss) and all the other supposed benefits.
Thank you for this valuable information on your blog and I’ll continue to follow your findings on this and other supplements.
Kevin, sorry that all happened to you. Maybe the BBB can reach out to the company on your behalf?
Originally started taking c forskholii years ago for incipient glaucoma based on old research and now find it is suggested only as eye drops? Wasn’t looking for wait loss — don’t need it — and have not noticed anything re appetite, etc. Glaucoma has not become a problem but again, not a very scientific test.
Len, Ive never heard of this before but I did some searching and found this from the NYU medical center
http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=38393 They said that orally there is no evidence coleus forskolii helps glaucoma and that more studies are needed to know if the eye drops work or not.
After seeing the Dr. Oz show, I went right out and bought some Forskolin on Amazon. The pill had a really awful taste to it and I wondered if I bought some bad stuff. I haven’t noticed anyone else commenting on the taste. I stopped taking it.
Carol, I’ve never tasted it. I will ask around. Has anybody else notice a bad taste?
Joe,
Thanks for the write up. Your writing style and language are very crisp (at least the word that comes it my mind 🙂 )
Nearnougjt, thanks much! I truly appreciate you saying that.
Synthesis of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), increases when forskolin is present:
http://web.mit.edu/dick/www/pdf/984.pdf
Phosphorylation of tau protein also increases, which is a critical step in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles:
http://medicine.yale.edu/lab/sestan/resources/635_184295_CarlylePNAS14complete.pdf
Wow! The two mechanisms most commonly associated with Alzheimer’s Disease are both up-regulated by forskolin! I wouldn’t touch this supplement.
wow is right!
When you write about a product I think it would be extremely helpful if the ppl responding that it works, give us the brand and likewise with those who say it does not. If 100 ppl write in it would be interesting to see what brands get the best and worst claims.
Gary I do occasionally ask people the brand that works but the potential problem with this is fakers will post links to bogus products. Its the main reason why I usually dont let supplement companies post links to their products here.
Is Coleus Forskolin good for women with Pcos ?? Will it help them to reduce weight ?
Remy, Ive never seen any research on coleus and PCOS. That doesn’t mean it cant help but just that I’m not aware of any evidence either way.
I’m a female & the first thing I noticed was that men took it & it increased their testosterone. I don’t need my testosterone levels higher, I’m losing my hair as it is!!!
Micke, best I can say if you try it is get your T levels tested first and a month later. Im not sure it raises T or not. While one study did show coleus raised testosterone levels, it had a problem because as I pointed out, the men who got coleus already had higher testosterone levels. That is a problem with the study I think.
Oh, and I take a LOT of it… I do not have a bottle right now, but am pretty sure the dosage is quite high, like 250 to 500 mgs per tablet, and I take two a day…
Yes, I agree with ecarg, when it comes to medications, natural or synthetic, there is no one size fits all solution as we are all genetically and biologically different in our responses to things. It is said that Coleus helps raise stomach acid, which a lot of us could do with and that in itself will help a person lose weight. Low stomach acid is fairly common with Hashimotos patients and leads to other problems such as Candida, which will also cause weight gain big time..it is also said to help with the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, which, if it is true, should also help with weight loss… It seems that if nutrients get into the cells properly, that helps with weight loss. There is some interesting information on Coleus in the article on the adrenal supplement in Yourhormones.com regarding its synergistic effects on the different branches of the endocrine and the immune system, I think. How this information was tested and acquired, I don’t know… I hesitate to mention the brand I take as it has become difficult to acquire(I did write a very good review on Amazon). It comes in a base of alfalfa and spirulina, and the supplier is out at the moment…
I have taken Coleus Forskohlii and love it…. I have Hashimotos and it just makes me feel more “normal”. Some people have said it helps convert the T4 to T3 thyroid hormone, protects against excessive adrenalin surges and even helps with raising progesterone, and by extension, I am thinking, helps raise low cortisol levels. And yes, it helped with weight loss… Not dramatically though… I believe it helps with digestion and will balance things in that regard and so cuts my belly fat a little and helps me maintain a constant, slightly leaner weight… It also seems to help with my breathing and has a relaxing cardio-vascular effect… It seems easier to exercise and sleep.
Janine, thanks for the feedback. glad Coleus is helping you. I will look into any link betweeen coleus forskohlii and thyroid improvements.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21823451
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20034210
http://pelagiaresearchlibrary.com/european-journal-of-experimental-biology/vol2-iss5/EJEB-2012-2-5-1469-1473.pdf
ETC.
Wanted to show that there is “research” on this plant and has been for quite some time, actually! What people forget or perhaps do not realize, is that herbal remedies and herbs themselves have been studied by many for a very long time and have been used in a variety of ways.
Most of our “modern (western) medications” derive from plant components and chemistry’s understanding of how these components work within the cells of the body. Medications of ANY kind are not all black-and-white, typically. Their effects and side effects can vary greatly from person to person. There seem to be a number of different resources (of varying quality) that are available on this particular herb.
It IS helpful to have some background knowledge on, say, biochemistry or pharmacology, for example, otherwise one must look all of the various plant constituents up to understand what they are and how they work within the body on a cellular level, AS ALL MEDICATIONS DO, please note.
Additionally, being aware of how we have all been programmed to view medications, health etc. would assist us to put things into perspective. Ayurveda, Eastern (Chinese) Medicine, etc have all been using herbal remedies for health for thousands of years. With it comes various perceptions and views about how health is obtained and its maintenance. Examine our approach to health and you can see there are some fundamental differences that are important to note on a philosophical and practical level.
One thing that i would like to point out as well is that we have all learned a few bad habits along the way. For example, if we fail to MAINTAIN our health all along starting when we are young and wait for the effects of a lifetime to catch up with us, and we wait until our body is in a state of DIS-ease to act, we wind up in situations wherein major HEALING must occur to restore health, maintenance no longer cuts it. What typically happens is that through ignorance we tax our bodies to such an extent that we require heavy-duty synthetic medications or surgery to correct the body’s exhaustion (or failure).
Most herbs have a variety of components that act on and within the cells of the body in different ways. Herbs typically effect multiple systems. Rarely does an herb have just ONE thing that it does. Thats what our pharmacology researchers do, isolate certain chemical (plant) compounds that will produce a desired effect and then recreate it synthetically to do just one ‘thing’ or act on one particular system.
I think that Dr Oz is bringing to public awareness the role of herbal “medicines”. This has been trending this way for quite some time now. We must learn to take responsibility for our health and become knowledgeable about our bodies and what we do to them. The responsibility is ours.
Physicians in the past had an understanding of herbs and medicinal plants more so perhaps than today. This is changing however, as many people and healthcare practitioners are aware of a need for a better understanding of this topic (and others) as there is growing interest and public awareness/demand.
Asian medicine has always understood these benefits and has worked with plants for centuries. More focus is (finally) being place on prevention of disease with increased responsibility for health being placed squarely on the shoulders of the consumer as a result. Herbs can be a part of this, with proper understanding and use. But it requires the ability to understand of where we are, philosophically, and where we are going.
Thank you for the article and the posts. Interesting topic!
ecarg, there are definitely words of wisdom in your post esp parts where there are different components of herbs, that things are interconnected and responsibility is ours ultimately, being among them. I looked at the 3 studies you referenced and none of them were actually weight loss studies but it is good to know that people are looking at herbal treatments.
http://www.academicjournals.org/jmpr/pdf/pdf2010/18Feb/Kavitha%20et%20al.pdf
This seems to be a pretty good summarization of the topic. Specifically, note the Mechanism of Action heading.
It is probably helpful to understand the role of cAMP in cellular function to ‘get’ how this might be contributory. (I found this helpful for me). I would like to backtrack a bit and preface this by saying that science is a description and not necessarily The Answer.
With that being said, here is another link on the cAMP pathway. http://www.sabiosciences.com/pathway.php?sn=cAMP_Pathway
Not so simple. There are clearly quite a few interconnected factors to consider!
This is an easier read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAMP-dependent_pathway
Research is a double-edged sword in some respects. It can be easy to forget amidst the mathematical and technical jargon that nothing exists in a vacuum, and when we isolate parts of the whole we wind up magnifying the particular aspects of that ‘thing’ in an attempt to determine, in some ways, original cause, if you will, of that ‘thing’. So it certainly is beneficial to examine, identify, classify, and explain etc. in order to understand how this ‘thing’ works. We have to remember that we must bring these answers back up to the whole and see how it all fits together. This is more difficult to do than it is to say!
I don’t think it is a one-size-fits-all type of deal. On the particle and energetic level, there are a lot of complexities to consider! This holds true on the macro-scale as well. So before we write something off as “ineffective” (or effective), it is helpful to put things in perspective. What my body may be lacking on an energetic, micro-scale level may not be true for you or 50% of the population. I almost have to experience it or know what is happening on a microscopic level in order to know for sure. There are so many factors that come into play that stating that ANYTHING is 100% 100% of the time would be false. Also, realizing the purpose/benefits and limitations of research is also helpful. How is this information applied in each unique situation with differing influencing factors?
Thanks again for the stimulating ideas and holding the space for exploration!
ecarg, thanks for the study and I’ll concede that no study is perfect but by looking at the totality of research on a topic, we can at the very least, see trends and from them, make predictions about what outcomes are likely to occur. CAMP does may things in cells and it is a very important molecule. How much coleus forskolii CAMP mediated weight loss effects translate in to real, tangible differences, I’m not sure based on the conflicting research I’ve seen and reported on. For me, I’m going to wait for a couple of better studies to see what’s going on.
I just bought few days ago ,pure forksolin extract with 50mg and 250mg with 20% thru Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OI0BRFU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00OI0BRFU&linkCode=as2&tag=sgtextlink-20 each bottle was 15 so i bought two pack for 30.00 and there were sooo many different brands so i just got one and will see if it helps,kinda confused but hope it will help me drop 35 lbs,i will try to find the link
Angel, honestly Im not sure any one brand stands out over others at this point. As I tried to point out in my review, one brand that Ive seen research on is a product called ForsLean your product may work just as well. yes there are a LOT of products out there. to help you sort them, as a rule don’t be swayed by supplements that say stuff like “#1 rated” or “Amazing” or “boost metabolism.” Let me know if the product you bought helps you.
Does the Extract work better than the pill form?I have the Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract. 500 mg made by gaia herbs.Starting it today will keep you updated on progress.Thanks
Missy, I see no evidence that a pill form is better or worse than other forms. I also see no proof that the product you are taking (gaia herbs) is better or worse either. Either way, I hope it helps you.
I took the forskolin I bought from GNC. I lost 18lbs in 6 weeks. I ate healthy and worked out though. It may just be a matter of different body types and hormone levels, because without it, just dieting and exercising alone does not help me.
Cassie, thanks for the feedback. Was the adding of forskolin the only thing you did different ? just wondering if you also started to eat healthy and work out at the same time you started forskolin.
Sometimes these supplements are very inexpensive or even come as free samples at GNC. I have tried a few but I do not try those that use gelatin because I am vegetarian and some stimulants such as yohimbe and synephrine are said to raise blood pressure. Everybody is different. I am not overweight, (165# 6′ tall and my waist size at the smallest point is 29.5″ and I do much weight training.) If the waist size and the scale show no change then I can conclude for little or no cost whether an esteemed fat burner has value for me. The complication in predicting the efficacy of something like forskolin or raspberry ketone is that everybody is different.
I just bought the 7-Keto DHEA, Relora, Forskolin. I did notice that dr oz said to get 125mg at at least 20% Forskolin, which comes to 25 mg of Forskolin. I bought 250 mg pills at 10%, which is also 25mg of Forskolin. Before increasing to two pills at 10% make sure your mg aren’t already at 25, or you may end up taking 50mg on accident!
Nicole. Thank you for the clarification. I just bought the three supplements and the Forskolin is 250mg 10:1 full spectrum.
I am trying to get rid of fat and weight that doesn’t want to leave. I am a conscious eater and exercise moderately, always carried a healthy weight and low fat % but since I turned 50 my problems with weight and weight loss started….. Any input here? Are those supplements working for you?
Thanks
I agree with Tracy. I also started taking Forskohlii and 7-Keto, and my energy level have increase. I am 50 and I work out doing cardio 4 times a week. I feel great and I have been only using it for 2 weeks. However have not notice a big difference in my weight but the energy it gives me to work out is worth it to me. I’m confident if I continue to do what I am doing it will only be a matter of time I would notice the weight loss.