Principal Proposed Uses Other Proposed Uses A member of the mint
family, Coleus forskohlii grows wild on the mountain slopes of
Nepal, India, and Thailand. In traditional Asian systems of
medicine, it was used for a variety of purposes, including
treating skin rashes, asthma, bronchitis, insomnia, epilepsy,
and angina. But modern interest is based almost entirely on the
work of a drug company, Hoechst Pharmaceuticals. Like other drug
manufacturers, Hoechst regularly screens medicinal plants in
hopes of discovering new medications. In 1974, work performed in
collaboration with the Indian Central Drug Research Institute
found that the rootstock of Coleus forskohlii could lower blood
pressure and decrease muscle spasms. Intensive study identified
a substance named forskolin that appeared to be responsible for
much of this effect. The scientific evidence for the herb Coleus
forskohlii as a treatment for any disease is weak. What is known
relates to the substance forskolin rather than the whole herb.
Based on thes