What application does forskolin have?
Forskolin, along with a few select others (such as epinephrine), is the standard substance used in scientific studies when a lipolytic (fat burning) agent is needed (1-4). Unfortunately, few clinical studies have been done on the use of forskolin as a weight loss aid. One uncontrolled study on six individuals with 50 mg per day found significant fat loss, but these results are only suggestive at best, especially since this study was funded by a company that has a patented forskolin product (5). More encouraging are the studies showing forskolin to be effective for topical fat loss (6, 7). Also, despite the absence of clinical evidence, forskolin initiates many procecesses that are known to cause fat loss. How does forskolin work? Forskolin works by activating the enzyme adenylate cyclase (1). Lipolytic hormones such as epinephrine (adrenalin) activate adenylate cyclase as well, but forskolin does not have the same CNS effects, so it essentially bypasses the step that is associated with
