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Forskolin

Supplement botanical general nutritionfitness
Aka: Coleus forskohlii
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, Swanson Vitamins, Life Extension, Nutricost, Irwin Naturals
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Limited human evidence — ODS: no effect on body weight
Take with
Trials split 500 mg before breakfast and dinner
Studied for
The human trials ran 12 weeks, at 500 mg a day
Pros & cons
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
Sources
  1. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  2. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Although animal studies indicate that forskolin reduces food intake … research in humans is very limited and inconclusive”
  3. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  4. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  5. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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”
  6. 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) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “In humans, forskolin might increase the frequency of bowel movements and cause loose stools … Forskolin has not been evaluated in longer term trials.”
  7. 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 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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.”
  8. iHerb Singapore — Coleus Forskohlii category (default order, "1 - 14 of 14 results"); sg.iherb.com/c/forskolin returns 404 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “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®”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.