Forskolin is a testosterone and thyroid hormone raising supplement derived from the herb, Coleus forskohlii. Studies have shown it to increase lean body mass, decrease body fat, and lower blood pressure while raising metabolic rate.
It does all this by elevating levels of cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate), which is an interesting compound because it acts as a kind of chemical switch that turns all kinds of body cells on and off.
For instance, increased levels of cAMP can cause the Leydig cells of the testicles to produce more testosterone, which in itself can lead to additional lean body mass. Increased levels of cAMP can also lead to the increased production of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which leads to the release of free fatty acids to be used as fuel by the body.
Forskolin also upregulates the thyroid, causing some researchers to compare its effectiveness with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
Since it's derived from a plant, standardization is a pretty big problem. A lot of forskolin products are just "grass clippings" (the whole plant dried, crumbled, and stuffed into a capsule).
The herb also has a short half-life of about 4 hours, so you need to take it pretty often for best results. Not ideal. And while its oral absorption is good, its bioavailability is questionable because a lot of things seem to interfere with how successfully it makes it into the bloodstream.
Just as you'd like all the tomatoes you buy to taste great, you also want every batch of forskolin to work like advertised. But plants are fickle. One batch isn't like the one before it or the next, so you need to make sure you get a product that's made entirely of the active ingredient – forskolin carbonate – and not the aforementioned "grass clippings."
By extracting and purifying the active ingredient, you extend the duration of action from 4 to 12 hours. Secondly, you need to improve its bioavailability by combining it with the aforementioned gelucire, a compound made from mixtures of mono, di, and triglycerides. Carbolin 19® is pure forskolin carbonate and uses the proper delivery system.
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