Best Forskolin Supplements: Ultimate Guide to the Coleus Forskohlii in 2019
Forskolin has been a trendy supplement ingredient for the last five years. Many people use forskolin for its purported weight loss effects: forskolin may supress your appetite and increase your metabolism, making it easier to naturally drop pounds.
Others use forskolin for its other health benefits. Some use it to control symptoms of asthma and heart health, for example. Some even claim that forskolin can prevent deadly diseases like cancer.
Research on forskolin continues to grow. Early results are promising, although more research is being done every day. Want to explore the best forskolin supplements on the market today? Here’s our ultimate guide to the best forskolin supplements in 2019.
Wolfson Berg Forskolin 250
Forskolin’s effectiveness, like many supplements, comes down to the correct dosage and concentration. The Wolfson Berg Forskolin 250 supplement, available for a surprisingly affordable price, is one of the best in that respect.
Each serving of the supplement contains 250mg of pure forskolin extracted from the root of the Coleus forskohlii plant. There are no other listed active ingredients: just pure forskolin. There are 60 capsules in the container, or 30 servings.
Other inactive ingredients include brown rice flour and magnesium stearate (vegetarian-derived). That’s it.
Pricing can get confusing: the company tries to dazzle you with coupon codes, multi-bottle discounts, and other claims. Your best option is to buy six bottles at once because you technically ‘get 3 free’. However, you may be able to find a better deal by shopping around.
Other nice touches of the Wolfson Berg supplement include the fact that shipping is free anywhere in the United States. Plus, all purchases come with a 60 day guarantee. Oh, and unlike some of the other shady forskolin supplement retailers, you won’t find auto-shipments or other hidden charges in the terms and conditions.
One unusual thing about the Wolfson Berg Forskolin 250 supplement is that there’s a 60 day money back guarantee advertised prominently online, but that guarantee doesn’t appear anywhere in the terms and conditions. The terms and conditions state that you are required to return the goods within 14 days of receiving the supplement order in the mail.
Despite these minor quibbles, the Wolfson Berg Forskolin 250 supplement is one of the best options available today.
BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss
If you don’t like the idea of dealing with a random, third party website, then the BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss supplement may be the right choice for you. It’s available from Amazon at a reasonable price.
As the name suggests, the BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss supplement is focused specifically on weight loss. The supplement prominently advertises the weight loss benefits of forskolin, including its “extreme appetite suppressant” ability and its “fat burner and carb blocker” features.
Overall, BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss claims to be the number one forskolin diet pill for weight loss. The diet pills are made in the United States. There are no fillers, binders, or artificial ingredients inside. There’s only one listed active ingredient, and that ingredient is forskolin from the coleus forskohlii plant with 20% standardized forskolin content (just like most other supplements on this page).
Each two capsule serving of BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss contains 500mg of forskolin blend. There are 30 servings in each container.
BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss claims to have some of the best manufacturing practices in the forskolin industry. The company claims to analyze samples from the production line “every 15 minutes”, for example. They also claim to “visually inspect every bottle” at the end of the production line. All products are tested by third-party, independent labs.
Overall, the BioSchwartz Forskolin Weight Loss supplement is one of the most-popular and best-reviewed forskolin supplements on Amazon.
ZenVita Formulas Forskolin Ultra
The ZenVita Formulas Forskolin Ultra supplement currently holds an “Amazon’s Choice” recommendation for the forskolin supplements category, indicating it’s one of the best and most highly-rated supplements on the website.
Part of the reason why it’s so popular is the dosage: ZenVita’s supplement contains 600mg per serving, which is more than the 250mg to 500mg per serving dosage found in other supplements on this page. Oh, and instead of using 20% standardized forskolin, ZenVita uses 40%. That means you get more of the active ingredient in each dose than you do with any other forskolin supplement on the market.
The claim of “600mg per serving” is a bit misleading. There are 45 servings (90 capsules) in each container, with each serving consisting of two capsules. Each two capsule serving includes 300mg of forskolin complex. However, the extract is standardized at 40% – twice the average standardization used by other supplements. So it’s kind of like getting 600mg of forskolin in each serving. Confused yet?
Misleading labeling aside, the ZenVita Formulas Forskolin Ultra is a winner across the board. Many reviewers on Amazon have sworn by its ability to help you lose weight without changing diet and exercise patterns. It suppresses appetite while also blocking carbs.
Ultimately, getting 300mg of 40% standardized forskolin in each two capsule serving is impressive, and that’s why ZenVita Formulas Forskolin Ultra continues to be one of the most popular and best-reviewed forskolin supplements available online today. It’s also priced at under $20 per bottle.
aSquared Nutrition Forskolin
aSquared Nutrition offers 180 capsules in each $35 bottle. There are two capsules in each 500mg serving. The forskolin is sourced from the coleus forskohlii root and standardized at 20%, similar to most of the other supplements on this list.
If you’re looking for the best-value forskolin supplement available today, then it’s hard to beat the aSquared Nutrition Forskolin supplement. You get 90 servings of 500mg of forskolin for under $35. That’s about $5 to $15 cheaper than other supplements on this list. It means you can get a 3 month supply for a fraction of the price.
aSquared Nutrition also claims to manufacture all forskolin in the United States at facilities that are FDA registered and GMP controlled.
Another nice feature of the aSquared Nutrition Forskolin supplement is that all purchases come with a money back guarantee. If you’re unsatisfied with your purchase for any reason within the first 30 days, then you can get a complete refund.
In terms of customer reviews and ratings, aSquared Nutrition Forskolin doesn’t have quite the same volume of happy reviews as some of the competing products on this list. However, since many Amazon reviews are completely fake, it’s hard to fault aSquared Nutrition for that.
Overall, aSqaured Nutrition is the best forskolin supplement for those looking for great value. You can get a lot of forskolin for not a lot of money.
MegathomHealth Forskolin Extract
MegathomHealth’s Forskolin Extract supplement is very similar to the other diet pills on this list. Priced at under $20 per bottle, each bottle contains 60 capsules (30 servings) of forskolin extract. There’s 600mg of forskolin extract in each dosage. That forskolin appears to be a blend of both 20% standardized and 40% standardized forskolin, so it’s unclear what the ultimate average standardization comes out too.
Some of the stated benefits of the MegathomHealth Forskolin Extract supplement, according to the Amazon page, include “high quality”, “hygienic”, and “trusty”.
Generally, reviewers have good things to say about the MegathomHealth Forskolin Extract supplement, stating that it worked as advertised to suppress hunger. As you might expect, most reviewers indicate that the supplement worked much better when paired with a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Vitamin Bounty Forskolin Max Strength
This supplement calls itself “max strength”, although the dosage is fairly similar to what you can expect in other forskolin supplements. There’s 250mg of 20% standardized forskolin in each capsule. There are 60 capsules (30 servings) in each bottle. Pricing is also similar to what you expect to pay with other supplement makers: it’s priced at around $20 per bottle.
One of the advantages of buying this supplement is that it comes from a relatively well-known and reputable supplement manufacturer. Vitamin Bounty sells a range of trendy supplements online through Amazon and its own website at VitaminBounty.com. There are probiotic health supplements, multivitamins, diet pills, and more. Plus, Vitamin Bounty designs, makes, and manufactures all supplements in the United States at an NSF facility.
BioGanix Pure Forskolin Extract
BioGanix has an advantage over certain other supplements on this list because it comes with 90 capsules instead of the 60 capsules found in most other supplement bottles. Each capsule contains 250mg of 20% standardized forskolin extract. Although there are 50% more capsules than other supplements on this list, the BioGanix Pure Forskolin Extract is priced in a similar way: each bottle is available for $18 to $20 apiece.
If you’re looking for one of the best-value forskolin supplements in the industry, then the BioGanix Pure Forskolin Extract supplement may be the right choice for you. The supplement is made in the United States, and reviewers generally claim that it offers effective weight loss results.
USA Supplements Forskolin 500 Max
USA Supplements Forskolin 500 Max gives you exactly what you’d expect: you get 500mg of forskolin extract in 2 capsule serving. There are 30 servings per container, and each container is priced at around $20. Like most other supplements on this list, the forskolin is standardized to 20%, giving us an effective dose of 100mg of forskolin in each two capsule serving.
The USA Supplements marketing makes the supplement look much cheaper than it is. The website and Amazon sales page are filled with stock images of people giving the ‘thumbs up’ to the camera. The rest of the page heavily advertises the weight loss benefits of the supplement, claiming it’s a “fast and safe” way to lose weight. Oddly, USA Supplements also claims their diet bill can affect your mood, saying that it lets you, “control hunger [and] boost overall mood.”
EBYSU Forskolin Extract
EBYSU describes their Forskolin Extract supplement as a Max Strength supplement. There’s 250mg of formula in each capsule, or 500mg (2 capsules) in each serving. Each bottle, priced at just $13 to $15 on Amazon, contains 90 servings – much more than any other forskolin supplement on this list.
How can EBYSU sell their forskolin extract at such a cheap price? What’s the company’s secret? The company claims their supplement is free of GMOs, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and chemicals. They also claim it’s vegan and gluten-free. The label backs up these claims. Plus, EBYSU claims all its supplements are made in America at GMP and FDA-compliant facilities that uphold “the most rigorous standards in testing.”
Overall, no other supplement on this list competes with the EBYSU Forskolin Extract supplement in terms of value. If you want the most forskolin pills at the lowest possible price, then the EBYSU Forskolin Extract supplement may be the right choice for you.
Huntington Labs Coleus Forskohlii
The Huntington Labs Coleus Forskohlii supplement doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from the rest of the forskolin supplements on this list. There’s 250mg of forskolin in each capsule and 60 capsules in each container.
The main advantage of the Huntington Labs Coleus Forskohlii supplement is the price: you can get a bottle from Amazon for under $14, making it one of the cheaper options on this list.
California Products Forskolin
The California Products Forskolin supplement isn’t the most popular supplement on this list, nor is California Products the best-known company. However, the supplement offers great value from a smaller startup supplement company. There’s 250mg of 20% standardized forskolin in each capsule, similar to the doses of other supplements on this list. Each container has 60 capsules.
Oddly, the company’s name is “California Products”, although they’re officially based in Wilmington, Delaware. In addition to making forskolin supplements, the company manufactures a handful of other trendy diet pill-style supplements.
Who Should Buy Forskolin in 2019? Why Use Forskolin Today?
The most common reason to buy a forskolin supplement in 2019 is to access weight loss benefits.
Many people prize forskolin for its purported ability to supress appetite and block carbs. Some people take forskolin 30 minutes before a meal, for example, in order to make them feel more full. After taking forskolin, you naturally eat less at your next meal. You have a feeling of fullness, which means you don’t have to consciously stop yourself from eating the foods you love.
Certain studies have also indicated that forskolin can lower cholesterol, which is why some people swear by forskolin’s ability to help with blood pressure.
In terms of weight loss, forskolin has a proven ability to reduce body fat. However, it hasn’t technically led to weight loss in any major studies. Several studies have shown that forskolin can reduce your body fat levels while helping you maintain a stable weight.
One of the most popular benefits of forskolin overall, however, is that it’s proven to be effective even with no other changes in your diet or exercise routine.
Overall, some of the main reasons to take forskolin in 2019 include:
- To supress appetite and help you naturally eat less during meals
- To decrease body fat while maintaining or increasing body mass and weight
- To lose weight
- To achieve a healthier balance of cholesterol and possibly lower blood pressure
- To enjoy powerful health benefits without introducing major changes to your diet or exercise routine
How We Rank Forskolin Supplements
Not all forskolin supplements are made equal. Today, however, the forskolin industry is very competitive. It’s easier to find cheaper, high-dosage forskolin supplements than ever before.
Our research team spent over 100 hours organizing the rankings above. We analyzed the background of each forskolin company. We combed through thousands of Amazon reviews. We painstakingly verified each ingredient’s source wherever possible. After all of our hard work, we came up with the best forskolin supplement rankings above.
Some of the key factors that went into our rankings include:
Active Ingredients: A good forskolin supplement should only use forskolin as its active ingredient. If you want additional ingredients – like garcinia cambogia or caffeine – then you can get them from other supplements.
Transparent Labeling: The diet pill and supplement industry is filled with shady manufacturers. All of the supplements above have transparent labels.
Third Party Lab Tested: Just because a diet pill claims to have a certain dosage doesn’t mean it actually has that dosage. In many cases, third party labs have discovered huge inconsistencies in dosages. The supplements above are all tested by third party labs to confirm their dosages.
Inactive Ingredients: Most of the supplements above are packaged into vegetable cellulose capsules with inactive ingredients like magnesium stearate. It’s rare for supplement makers to use gelatin capsules these days. However, we still carefully look at the inactive ingredients to make sure they’re generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Potency: Most forskolin supplements are standardized to 20%. However, a rare few forskolin supplements standardize their formula at 40%, which means they’re twice as strong. We take potency into consideration when ranking our forskolin supplements.
Dosage: Most manufacturers are able to put 250mg of formula in each capsule, with the average serving size being two capsules. However, certain supplements have higher dosages of 600mg per serving. We take dosage into consideration.
Pricing: The forskolin supplement industry is heavily competitive. Most supplements above are available for $15 to $20 per bottle, with each bottle containing a 1 to 2 month supply of forskolin. Certain forskolin supplements offer much better value, however, while others are strangely expensive.
Refund Policy: Does the company stand behind its supplement after the customer makes a purchase? A good refund policy indicates a good supplement.
Scientific Evidence Supporting Forskolin’s Benefits in 2019
Forskolin surged to popularity after Dr. Oz famously called the ingredient “lightning in a bottle”, praising forskolin’s ability to help anybody lose weight. In an episode of The Dr. Oz Show, the TV doctor enthused about forskolin’s ability to encourage weight loss without major changes to diet and exercise.
But does forskolin actually have any science backing up its benefits? Or is it just another trendy diet pill ingredient with limited evidence? Let’s take a closer look at the science behind forskolin’s benefits.
First, let’s start with the obvious facts about forskolin. The substance forskolin is produced by a plant called Coleus forskohlii, or Coleus for short. The root of this plant is dried and turned into a powder. Typically, today’s supplements contain a powder that is standardized to contain 20% to 40% forskolin, with the remaining ingredients in the powder being other ingredients in the coleus forskohlii root.
Second, forskolin isn’t a new ingredient that came out of nowhere: the root has been used in traditional Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine for centuries.
Now, let’s look at some of the most famous studies on forskolin.
Forskolin Decreases Body Fat and Fat Mass
The most-cited study on forskolin is the Godard study, which is the study Dr. Oz was referencing when he called forskolin “lightning in a bottle”. In this study, researchers discovered that forskolin could decrease body fat and fat mass while encouraging the formation of lean body mass.
In other words, participants in this study were able to increase lean muscle mass while reducing fat. They didn’t technically lose weight – but they did lose fat while gaining lean muscle.
Interestingly, this study also connected forskolin to higher levels of testosterone. Men in the study were told to take a 10% standardized forskolin extract twice a day, 250mg per dose, for 12 weeks. Men who took forskolin experienced significantly higher levels of free testosterone compared to a control. The men in this study were all overweight and obese.
Most importantly, the Godard study did not involve any women: it only involved overweight and obese men. Plus, the study only involved 30 men (15 took a placebo and 15 took forskolin).
The results of the Godard study were published in Obesity Research in 2005. Today, the Godard study remains the most frequently-cited study on forskolin’s weight loss benefits.
Forskolin Can Suppress Appetite
Forskolin also appears to have an ability to suppress appetite. That means you naturally eat less during meals. You feel full while eating less food.
This benefit of forskolin was observed by researchers in a study published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 2015. In this study, researchers found that forskolin supplements changed levels of several key enzymes produced in the pancreas, significantly suppressing appetite.
There’s one big asterisk beside the study: the study did not involve humans. Researchers only observed the effect on animals. Nevertheless, researchers saw “significantly decreased caloric intake” in the animal models and found that supplementation with forskolin “decreased appetite”.
Some diet pills work by inducing thermogenesis within the body: they encourage your body to naturally oxidize fat. Other diet pills work like forskolin by suppressing appetite. Of course, some people take both types of diet pills for maximum effectiveness.
Forskolin May Be Able to Treat UTIs
Interestingly, forskolin also appears to have a proven ability to treat urinary tract infections or UTIs – at least in mice with UTIs. In this study, researchers showed that forskolin could help cure UTIs when antibiotics alone weren’t working.
The UTI-fighting abilities of forskolin are thought to be connected to c-AMP levels in the body. Forskolin causes c-AMP levels to rise. When your body’s c-AMP levels are higher, your bladder tends to empty itself more frequently, reducing the chance of UTI-causing bacteria to linger in the body.
Forskolin Raises Levels of Cyclic AMP
Forskolin can raise cyclic AMP (c-AMP) levels within the body, which is a desirable effect for bodybuilders. When your body has higher c-AMP levels, it produces more testosterone.
This effect was seen in the Godard study linked above, when 15 obese or overweight men who took forskolin supplements experience higher levels of free testosterone compared to 15 men in a control group.
Researchers in this study, which analyzed the ability for forskolin to regrow hair cells, also observed higher levels of cyclic AMP in participants.
Forskolin Helps Reduce Hearing Loss
In the study linked above, researchers at the University of Virginia analyzed whether or not forskolin could increase the body’s ability to recover from hearing loss.
Much hearing loss is caused by the loss of hair cells. Researchers had previously observed that birds, when continuously exposed to forskolin, experienced a significant increase in the regeneration of hair cells.
In the University of Virginia study, researchers studied the effects of forskolin on rats. Interestingly, researchers found that prolonged exposure to forskolin did little to regrow hair cells, although brief exposure to forskolin did regrow hair cells. Rats who were exposed to forskolin for less than one hour experienced increased c-AMP levels, thereby triggering an effect called S-phase entry. The end result was increased hair cell production in rats.
Side Effects of Forskolin
Overall, there have been few large-scale forskolin studies involving humans. Many of the studies linked above involve rats or other animals. That makes it hard to accurately determine the side effects of forskolin.
Nonetheless, if forskolin was linked to a significant increase in side effects, then it would not be freely available in nutritional supplements. The FDA controls substances that are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Forskolin remains legal and available across all 50 states, and there are no restrictions on how much forskolin one can buy.
Of course, everybody’s body reacts differently. Certain forskolin side effects have been reported.
Some users complain about diarrhea, for example. Others complain about other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Overall, roughly 5% to 10% of forskolin users report experiencing some side effects. The vast majority of users claim to experience no side effects, and few users experience any serious side effects.
More research needs to be done to verify the safety of forskolin. However, early results indicate that it has mostly positive effects on humans.
Recommended Dose of Forskolin
Most of the studies on forskolin have involved animals, making it difficult to know the best dose for humans.
In the most famous weight loss study on forskolin, the Godard study, participants took a 10% standardized forskolin extract of 250mg twice per day. In other words, participants received an effective dose of 50mg of forskolin per day.
Meanwhile, today’s forskolin supplements on Amazon tend to have daily servings of around 500mg at a 20% standardized concentration, or an effective daily dose of 100mg of forskolin.
Some supplements are even stronger, delivering doses of 600mg per day or concentrations of 40%.
Ultimately, if you stay within the recommended dose of forskolin supplements, it’s unlikely for you to experience any serious side effects. The recommended daily dose on your forskolin supplement is based on all available scientific research.
FAQs on Forskolin
Q: Are there any dangers to taking forskolin?
A: There have been limited studies involving humans and forskolin. However, in all major studies to date, there have been limited serious side effects reported from taking forskolin. No serious health effects have been observed in any of the studies involving either animals or humans.
Q: What is the best forskolin dosage for weight loss?
A: Most users follow the recommended dosages on their chosen forskolin supplement. Typically, this dose is between 250mg and 600mg of forskolin per day, standardized to contain 20% or 40% forskolin. If following this recommended dosage, users may experience the best weight loss benefits. Beyond this dosage, it’s possible further side effects could be reported.
Q: Is forskolin good for weight loss?
Forskolin isn’t a miracle drug – despite what TV doctors like Dr. Oz claim. Forskolin works best when paired with a healthy diet and exercise routine. Studies indicate that forskolin can suppress appetite, encouraging you to eat less during meals. In one famous study, forskolin was able to decrease body fat and increase lean body mass in overweight and obese men. However, no study has definitively linked forskolin with weight loss benefits in humans.
Q: Where does forskolin come from?
A: Forskolin comes from the root of the Coleus forskohlii plant, also known as the Plectranthus barbatus plant. Forskolin is just a chemical that is naturally found in high concentrations within the plant. The plant itself is native to India, which is one reason it’s been so popular in ancient Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine for centuries.
Q: What is in forskolin supplements?
A: Generally, a forskolin supplement contains only forskolin packaged into a vegetable capsule with magnesium stearate or a similar inactive binding compound. Forskolin extract is standardized to 20% or 40%, which means 20% to 40% of the forskolin capsule contains raw forskolin, with the other ingredients being other parts of the coleus forskohlii root. Some forskolin supplements include caffeine and other ingredients, although all supplements listed on this page contain only raw forskolin.
Q: When should I take forskolin? How many times per day should I take it?
Research indicates that forskolin works best for appetite suppression when taken before meals – typically about 30 minutes before you take the first bite. Most users follow the directions on their forskolin supplement. If the supplement recommends a 250mg dose twice per day, then you may want to follow those dosage instructions to enjoy maximum weight loss befits.
Final Word
Forskolin is one of the most popular weight loss supplements on the market today – and for good reason. Forskolin appears to have some ability to help users lose weight and suppress their appetite – although more research needs to be done to confirm these benefits in humans.
Forskolin is not a miracle drug that will cause you to drop 10 pounds overnight. However, when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise routine, forskolin may be one of the best diet pills of 2019.