{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"forskolin","kind":"supplement","name":"forskolin","aliases":["Coleus forskohlii"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","Swanson Vitamins","Life Extension","Nutricost","Irwin Naturals"],"class":"botanical","tags":["general","fitness"],"use_for":"limited human evidence — ods: no effect on body weight","use_after":null,"use_duration":"the human trials ran 12 weeks, at 500 mg a day","take_with":"trials split 500 mg before breakfast and dinner","pros":["one 12-week trial cut body fat ~4% vs ~1% placebo","500 mg/day for 12 weeks: no serious events reported"],"cons":["ods: human research is very limited and inconclusive","no effect on body weight in any of the three trials","loose stools and more frequent bowel movements"],"dose_note":"the published human trials used 500 mg a day of a coleus forskohlii extract standardised to 10% forskolin (forslean), split before breakfast and dinner, for 12 weeks; ods notes forskolin has not been evaluated in longer term trials, so nothing is established beyond 12 weeks","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["liver — in mice, coleus forskohlii extract caused dose-dependent hepatotoxicity while pure forskolin did not; this has not been tested in people","use beyond 12 weeks — ods: forskolin has not been evaluated in longer term trials","expecting weight loss — the three human trials showed no effect on body weight, appetite or caloric intake","hsa: forskolin / coleus forskohlii is not listed in annex a or annex b of the oct 2025 prohibited/restricted guideline, which hsa says is not exhaustive"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"ods_forskolin_table","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), summary table row for Coleus forskohlii (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"Coleus forskohlii … Enhances lipolysis and reduces appetite. Forskolin is the proposed active constituent … Few short-term clinical trials … No effect on body weight … No safety concerns reported at typical doses of 500 mg/day for 12 weeks","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_forskolin_efficacy","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), Coleus forskohlii efficacy (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"Although animal studies indicate that forskolin reduces food intake … research in humans is very limited and inconclusive","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_forskolin_dose","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), Coleus forskohlii efficacy, trial dosing (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"an extract of Coleus forskohlii (250 mg standardized for 10% forskolin [ForsLean]) before breakfast and dinner for a total daily dose of 500 mg … for 12 weeks","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_forskolin_bodyfat","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), Coleus forskohlii efficacy, 12-week trial in 30 men who were overweight (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"Coleus forskohlii extract did not affect body weight, but it did significantly decrease mean body fat by about 4% compared with about 1% for placebo","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_forskolin_liver","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), Coleus forskohlii safety, mouse hepatotoxicity (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"In a study in mice, Coleus forskohlii extract caused dose-dependent hepatotoxicity, but pure forskolin did not have this effect, suggesting that other component(s) of Coleus forskohlii extract might be responsible","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ods_forskolin_gi","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826105104/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WeightLoss-HealthProfessional/","label":"NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional), Coleus forskohlii safety, human adverse effects and evidence gap (read via the archive.org capture; ods.od.nih.gov returns 403 to a direct fetch)","quote":"In humans, forskolin might increase the frequency of bowel movements and cause loose stools … Forskolin has not been evaluated in longer term trials.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_annex_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (Oct 2025) — Annex A (118 substances, prohibited/restricted) and Annex B (4 substances: caffeine, Camellia sinensis extract, Hypericum perforatum, L-tryptophan) both read in full: forskolin / Coleus forskohlii is NOT LISTED in Annex A or Annex B","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/coleus-forskohlii","label":"iHerb Singapore — Coleus Forskohlii category (default order, \"1 - 14 of 14 results\"); sg.iherb.com/c/forskolin returns 404","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, Magnesium & Hawthorn Extract Complex with … Coleus Forskohlii Extract … Swanson Vitamins, Full Spectrum® Coleus Forskohlii, 400 mg … Life Extension, Forskolin, 10 mg … Nutricost, Coleus Forskohlii … Irwin Naturals, Forskolin Fat-Loss Diet®","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:19.87501+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}