Coleus Forskohlii

Botanical Name : Coleus Forskohlii

Common Name : Coleus Forskohlii

Plant Part Used : Roots

The persistence of traditional medicine depends on the diversity and knowledge on medicinal properties of the plant. India is considered as a hot spot region for the plant diversity and about one-fifth of the Indian plants are found to have medicinal properties.¹ Coleus forskohlii Briq. (Syn. Plectranthus barbatus Andr.) is a common indigenous medicinal plant belonging to Lamiaceae family.² Plant derivatives play a vital role in the world market for their mostly for their pharmaceutical properties. Phytochemicals are used in the medicines such as vinblastine and vincristine (Catharanthus roseus), taxol (Taxus brevifolia), camptothecin (Camptotheca acuminate), and Forskolin (C. forskohlii) an Indian Ayurvedic drug.³

In modern medicine, C. forskohlii gained importance after the emergence of the therapeutic properties of the Forskolin (FSK, 3) (7-β-acetoxy-8, 13-epoxy-1α, 6 β, 9α-trihydroxy-labd-14-ene-11-one). It is the active ingredient present in C. forskohlii which played a major role in stimulating cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and other biological activities⁴ and further exhibits some anti-bacterial activity.⁵This monophosphate acts as the second messenger for intracellular signal transduction and also regulates the number of enzymes, hormones, and other biological activities. Therefore, any impairment occurred in this pathway leads to the diseased condition. For instance, asthma and allergic conditions is characterized by decreased cAMP level in bronchial smooth muscles. In general, cAMP regulates the body’s thermogenic response to food, increases the body’s basal metabolic rate, and further increases the utilization of body fat.⁶              

Herbochem is one of the largest company of herbal extracts, manufacturer of coleus forskohlii extract and they provide both suppliers and exporters are also available in India and USA.

 References:

1. Schippmann U, Leaman D, Cunningham A. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Approach in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Rome: FAO; 2002. Impact of cultivation and gathering of medicinal plants on biodiversity: Global trends and issues; pp. 1–121.
2. Bone K. The Ultimate Herbal Compendium. Queensland: Phytotherapy Press; 2007
3. Vanisree M, Lee C, Lo S, Satish M, Lin C, Tsay HS. Studies on the production of some important secondary metabolites from medicinal plants by plant tissue cultures. Bot Bull Acad Sin. 2004;45:1–22.
4. Caprioli J, Sears M, Bausher L, Gregory D, Mead A. Forskolin lowers intraocular pressure by reducing aqueous inflow. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1984;25:268–77.
5.  http://www.linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031942296004670
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471649/