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Coleus Forskohlii Benefits

Coleus forskohlii, a shade-loving perennial of the mint family, thrives in the subtropical conditions of India, Nepal and Thailand. Grown as an ornamental plant for its green-bordered, violet-centered leaves and tall stems of lavender flowers, Coleus forskohlii is also prized for its medicinal uses.
Its fibrous roots are rich in the compound forskolin. They've long been used by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine to treat insomnia, seizures and cardiovascular and respiratory ailments. Research into forskolin's other health benefits is ongoing.

  1. Forskolin and Eye Pressure

    • In 1987 South Africa's Hoechst Research studied the effectiveness of a 1-percent forskolin eyedrop solution on reducing eye pressure in 10 people. The researchers concluded that when given to healthy people, forskolin eye drops reduced eye pressure significantly more than a placebo. High eye pressure is one of the risk factors for glaucoma, which can cause irreversible blindness.

    Forskolin and Weight Mangement

    • In 2005, a 12-week study tested the effects of forskolin on 30 men at the University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences. Each of the men had a BMI of 26 or greater, classifying them as overweight or obese. Half of them were given a placebo, and half of them were given 250 mg of forskolin extract by mouth twice per day.
      At the end of the study, the men receiving forskolin had both increased lean body mass and bone density, and increased blood testosterone levels. The researchers concluded that forskolin has potential in treating obesity.

    Forskolin and Asthma

    • Researchers at the Hospital del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, in 2006, tested the effects of forskolin on 40 people suffering from asthma. They were randomly assigned either oral doses of forskolin 10 mg, or two sodium cromoglycate inhalations three times daily. Over the 6 months of the study, only 40 percent of the people taking forskolin experienced asthma attacks, compared to 85 percent of those using the inhalers.

    Forskolin and Heart Health

    • The Technical University of Munich compared the effects of forskolin on 12 patients with congestive heart failure to those of the vasodilator sodium nitroprusside and circulation stimulant dobutamine. Forskolin reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressures while simultaneously improving heart stroke volume by 70 percent. The effects of the other two drugs were less noticeable.

    Forskolin as a Tanning Agent

    • The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that forskolin, when applied for 3 weeks to the skin of blonde or red-furred mice, caused tanning, while exposing those mice to ultraviolet light like that in tanning salons did not. They also found that the forskolin-tanned mice which had been bred to be susceptible to skin damage and tumor development from exposure to UV light were protected by their tans.
      Forskolin stimulated the skin's natural pigmentation production, suggesting that unlike normal sunscreens it wouldn't need constant reapplication.

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