tuneTypical Dose
500 mg/day (250 mg twice daily) of 10% forskolin extract
Supplement
Coleus Forskohlii
Coleus Forskohlii
Evidence TierCWADA NOT PROHIBITED
watchEffect Window
Start with 2-12 weeks for most practical outcomes.
check_circleCompliance
WADA NOT PROHIBITED
Overview
Clinical Summary
Coleus forskohlii is the botanical source of forskolin. Human evidence is limited to small body-composition trials with mixed results and no dependable weight-loss effect.
Human evidence is often limited to small, heterogeneous trials. Reported benefits commonly include modest changes in dyspepsia symptoms, glycemic markers, lipids, or perceived stress. Minority findings include antimicrobial activity, immune modulation, and effects on liver enzymes, but these are frequently preclinical. Outcomes depend on standardization, dose, and baseline health.
Forskolin raises intracellular cAMP and plausibly affects lipolysis and steroidogenesis, but controlled human outcomes remain limited to small mixed body-composition trials.
Outcomes
What This Is Expected To Influence
Primary Outcomes
- adjunct symptom support
- tolerability improvement
Secondary Outcomes
- function score trend
- subjective wellbeing
Safety
Contraindications and Interactions
Contraindications
- Pregnancy/lactation
- Severe liver or kidney disease
- Medication interactions
Side effects
- GI discomfort
- Drowsiness/sedation (agent-dependent)
- Headache
Interactions
- Drug absorption interactions
- Sedatives/CNS-active agents
- Anticoagulants
Avoid if
- Unknown source quality
- Unstable medical conditions
- Complex medication stack
Evidence
Study-level References
coleus-forskohlii-SRC-001Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newGodard MP, Johnson BA, Richmond SR. Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men. Obes Res. 2005;13(8):1335-1343. doi:10.1038/oby.2005.162. PMID:16129715.
Population: Thirty overweight or obese men with BMI at or above 26 kg/m².
Dose protocol: 250 mg of a 10% extract twice daily for 12 weeks
Key findings: Reduced body fat percentage and fat mass in overweight men, with a significant rise in free testosterone.
Notes: Small male-only RCT that anchors most positive Coleus/forskolin marketing claims.
Paper content
This small male-only RCT found favorable DXA body-composition changes with forskolin over 12 weeks. The result is hypothesis-supporting rather than definitive because the sample was small and replication is sparse.
coleus-forskohlii-SRC-002Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newHenderson S, Magu B, Rasmussen C, et al. Effects of Coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2005;2(2):54-62. PMID:18500958.
Population: Twenty-three mildly overweight women.
Dose protocol: 250 mg of a 10% extract twice daily for 12 weeks
Key findings: No significant body-composition benefit in mildly overweight women, though weight gain may have been blunted.
Notes: Useful negative/neutral companion trial that narrows the overall claim set.
Paper content
This small female-only RCT did not show significant body-composition improvements from Coleus forskohlii extract over 12 weeks. The main signal was a trend toward less weight gain, which is too weak to treat as a dependable weight-loss effect.