What Is Forskolin?
Forskolin is a natural substance made from the dried root of the Indian Coleus forskohlii plant, a member of the mint family, also known in Latin as Plectranthus barbatus or commonly as makandi or mao hou rui hua. The plant is found in Thailand, India and Nepal and is a staple of traditional Ayurvedic medicine and practices.
Uses
The main traditional use of forskolin is as part of Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda is considered one of the world’s oldest healing systems and dates back over 3,000 years ago to India. It’s based on the delicate balance between the mind, body and spirit and how our overall health and wellbeing relies on that. Whilst it wasn't designed to necessarily fight any specific diseases, it aims to promote good health and positive energy.
Nowadays, however, it is seen as a form of alternative or complementary medicine and there has been a lot more in-depth scientific research into Ayurvedic ingredients and their benefits for the body. As a result of this, forskolin is now becoming popular as a natural supplement for weight loss that promotes good digestive wellbeing.
Forskolin Benefits
Supports Weight Loss
The main benefit of adding forskolin into your diet is for looking after your weight. This is because it is considered to be a natural fat burner that increases the metabolic rate which is responsible for burning calories. As a result, it can be said that forskolin increases the number of calories you naturally burn, and this can also be increased even more when used regularly alongside exercise.
Reduces Fat Storage
Another weight loss related benefit of forskolin is for reducing the accumulation of fat. This is because it's said to act as a messenger that reduces the ability of fat cells to metabolise sugars or glucose. As a result of less sugar being stored as fat, your body will instead burn the fat for energy, resulting in potential weight loss, or at the very least, no weight gain.
Protects Lean Muscle Mass
One of the other great benefits of forskolin is that it can help promote weight loss without reducing the size of the muscles in the process. This is because it is said to help raise testosterone levels, which can promote an increase in lean muscle mass. As a result, it's an ideal ingredient for those wanting to lose weight in terms of fat, but still wants to bulk up their muscles at the gym.
Supports Heart Health
It is also said that forskolin can help with taking care of the heart and boosts blood circulation. Studies show that forskolin extract can help block the movement of Ca2+ into muscle cells to prevent contractions in the heart and blood vessels. This sounds complicated but pretty much means it can help to relax the muscles in the heart to reduce the risk of issues such as heart attacks and other problems.
Looks After Skin
The final key benefit of the effects of forskolin is for the skin. Studies suggest that forskolin can help to induce migration of skin cells. Again, this sounds a bit complicated, but means it works to move cells to a wound to help with healing and repair. Some say it can even make the skin thicker and, therefore, more resistant to UV light, however, research is still being done for this.
How To Take Forskolin
It's recommended that the typical dosage of forskolin is 100 - 250 mg per day, but this really depends on you and your needs. Thanks to evolving research and breakthroughs on the market, there are now higher strength forskolin capsules available on the market that even reach 500mg! Capsules are the easiest way to add this superfood into your diet and allow you to get a maximum daily strength with ease.
Is It Safe?
If taken as directed, forskolin is a perfectly safe ingredient to take, especially as a weight loss supplement. Please note though that it may interfere with some medicines or drugs, so if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medications, speak to your doctor or health care practitioner before you begin to make sure you avoid any side effects or interference.
As always, when taking any new supplement for the first time, we always recommend choosing one that is from a trusted supplier and is a natural product with no added fillers, binders or chemicals. We also recommend reading through the entire list of ingredients if you have any known allergies.
Overview
Forskolin is an emerging superfood ingredient and is steadily rising in popularity thanks to its many great benefits. Forskolin supplements are most widely used for weight loss, but it can also have some added benefits for muscle mass, heart health and even skin. Just make sure that when you are buying your forskolin pills that you choose one that's natural and high strength to give your body the best.
