Planta Med 1985; 51(6): 473-477
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-969566
Review

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Forskolin: From an Ayurvedic Remedy to a Modern Agent

Hermann P. T. Ammon, Axel B. Müller
  • Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tuebingen, D-7400 Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany
Further Information

Publication History

1985

1985

Publication Date:
26 February 2007 (online)

Abstract

Ancient Hindu Ayurvedic texts described the use of extracts from Coleus species. An isolated diterpene from Coleus forskohlii, called forskolin, was demonstrated to be a hypotensive agent with spasmolytic, cardiotonic and platelet aggregation inhibitory activity. It has been shown to be a powerful activator of the enzyme adenylate cyclase in various tissues. Forskolin is thought to act on the catalytic subunit and also on the coupling mechanism of guanine regulatory sites (Ns and Ni) with the catalytic subunit. It is now clear that forskolin elicits physiological responses which have been shown to be cAMP-dependent.

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