This ingredient triggers 10 pounds of fat loss without dieting, but what else does it do? Some pretty wild stuff. Here's the science.
Fun fact: Frequent sex strengthens your immune system. Neat. But that's not why we do it. It's just a nice bonus benefit.
The same is true for supplements. For example, we take forskolin ➔ Buy at Biotest because of its effects on body composition. In a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, human trial, subjects taking 25mg of forskolin twice daily lost 10 pounds of fat, without dieting, measured by DXA (Godard, 2005).
But what else does it do? Science is always investigating this potent natural ingredient. Here are five bonus benefits:
1. Strengthens the cardiovascular system
Forskolin supports cardiovascular function through multiple cAMP-driven effects:
- Raises cAMP to dilate blood vessels, reducing resistance, lowering blood pressure, and improving circulation.
- Increases cAMP in heart cells, strengthening contractions.
- Elevates cAMP in platelets, helping prevent excessive clotting.
- Improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the heart via combined vasodilation and stronger contractions.
2. Helps with asthma
Multiple studies show forskolin improves asthma by raising cAMP levels:
- Higher cAMP relaxes bronchial smooth muscle, causing bronchodilation and easing symptoms like wheezing and shortness of breath. In one study, it performed as well as beclomethasone.
- It also reduces release of inflammatory mediators like histamine, leukotrienes, and cytokines, lowering airway inflammation.
3. Fights viruses
By increasing cAMP, forskolin influences cellular pathways involved in viral activity:
- Elevated cAMP disrupts viral replication by interfering with the host cell machinery viruses rely on.
- It may enhance immune response, helping reduce severity and duration of infections.
- Forskolin may also limit viral entry into cells by impairing attachment and penetration.
- Researchers suggest potential as an adjunct for viruses like herpes, Hepatitis A, and respiratory infections.
4. Might boost mental health
Research is still early, but forskolin may support brain health and mood:
- By increasing cAMP, it may enhance memory and learning, suggesting nootropic potential.
- It may have antidepressant-like effects via serotonin and dopamine pathways.
- Elevated cAMP may help protect neurons, offering potential against neurodegeneration.
5. Fixes sense of smell after COVID-19
Researchers studied 285 people with post-COVID smell loss, likely caused by the virus targeting ACE2 receptors in nasal tissue. Half received a forskolin nasal spray, half a placebo.
Only the forskolin group showed major improvement.
The mechanism appears to be increased cAMP, a cellular messenger. By boosting cAMP in olfactory neurons, forskolin restored their function and improved sense of smell.
Forskolin vs. forskolin carbonate
Most researchers use standard forskolin derived from the herb, coleus forskohlii. The amounts used vary widely because basic forskolin (dried leaves and plant parts) has poor bioavailability, and its potency varies from crop to crop.
The best way to manufacture a forskolin supplement is to isolate the active ingredient, then purify it and bind it with a carbonate ester. The end product, forskolin 1,9 carbonate, is much more bioavailable, and its efficacy in the body extends from 4 hours to 12 hours.
So, whether you're taking forskolin for its body composition effects or its neat bonus benefits, always use the esterified form, as found in Carbolin 19 ➔ Buy at Biotest.
References
- Abdelazin et al. Efficacy of forskolin as a promising therapy for chronic olfactory dysfunction post COVID-19. Rhinology, 13 July 2024.
- Salehi et al. The Therapeutic Potential of the Labdane Diterpenoid Forskolin. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 4089.