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Current
Issues - Newsletter
April 2001 |
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Sabinsa Corporation is proud to announce that ForsLean®,
our unique product for promoting lean body mass, is now available
to dietary supplement manufacturers. www.ForsLean.com
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Introduction
ForsLean®
is an extract prepared from Coleus forskohlii
roots and standardized for a minimum of 10% forskolin.
It is a registered trademark and patented product
of Sabinsa Corporation.
Cultivation
Careful cultivation
is essential for optimizing the quality
of root material for forskolin content.
Critical factors that affect the growth
and yield of C. forskohlii include climate
and soil requirements. C. forskohlii is
a species native to subtropical and warm,
temperate habitats, and it grows well in
loamy or sandy-loam soil which has a pH
of 6.4 to 7.9. Approximately, 1-500 g of
root material can be obtained from a single
plant, and the forskolin content of the
roots varies from 0.07-0.58% on a dried
basis.4
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C. forskohlii is not a ubiquitous
botanical. Thus, resources are limited.
In order to insure the availability of
C. forskohlii, Sabinsa Corporation has
undertaken a massive cultivation project.
As shown in the pictures below, Sabinsa
tends to the optimum growth, collection,
and standardization of C. forskohlii from
seed planting to root collection, and
finally to the preparation of the standardized
extract, Forslean®.
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Phytochemistry
Forskolin (7b-acetoxy-8,13-epoxy-1a,6b,9a-trihydroxylabd-14-en-11-one),
a diterpene compound, is a major biologically
active component of Coleus forskohlii roots.
In nature, forskolin has only been found in
the roots of the Coleus forskohlii plant.
Minor diterpenoids, deacetylforskolin, 9-deoxyforskolin,
1,9-deoxyforskolin, 1,9-dideoxy-7-deacetylforskolin,
and four other diterpenoids, have also been
reported to be present in the roots of Coleus
forskohlii.5-6
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Health Benefits
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Forskolin
has mutifaceted pharmacological effects
that have been linked to its role as an
activator of adenylate cyclase.3 Adenylate
cyclase is the enzyme involved in the production
of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP),
a significant biochemical agent involved
in essential metabolic processes. Cyclic
AMP is called the "second messenger"
because it facilitates the action of "primary
messengers", various hormonal and bioactive
substances in the body. Based on its pharmacological
actions, forskolin appears to be well indicated
in conditions, such as eczema (atopic dermatitis),
asthma, |
psoriasis,
cardiovascular disorders, and hypertension,
where decreased intracellular cAMP levels
is believed to be a major factor in the
development of the disease process.
In promoting weight management, forskolin
induces a chain of biochemical events that
trigger the metabolic processes and diet-induced
thermogenesis8, thereby providing the means
to maintain a healthy body composition and
lean body mass levels. |
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ForsLean®: Lean Body Mass Studies
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Maintaining lean body
mass is essential for good health. The percentage
of lean body mass to fat not only determines the
body’s aesthetic look, but more importantly,
it determines a person’s physical fitness,
health status and risk for morbidity (disease) and
premature mortality (death). For example, abdominal
fat is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular
disease. Exercise that results in increased lean
body mass may have a positive impact on long-term
cardiovascular risk and life span. Including ForsLeanâ
as part of an exercise program may further enhance
the health benefits that come from increasing lean
body mass.
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Effects
of ForsLeanâ on body weight, body fat and
lean body mass. |
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Effects of ForsLean®
on blood pressure and pulse rate. |
Sabinsa Corporation conducted 2 preliminary,
clinical studies that evaluated the effect of ForsLean®
on the body mass composition of overweight individuals.
In the first study ForsLean®
was orally administered to 4 overweight female volunteers
for 12 weeks. Each volunteer received one capsule, which
contained 250 mg of C. forskohlii extract (equivalent
to 25 mg forskolin), twice daily. Each participant was
informed about healthy eating and the benefits of regular
exercise, and they were seen by a physician at the inception
of the study and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The results
showed that mean lean body mass significantly increased
by 7.2 pounds from week 0 to week 12. Although not significant,
percent body fat was reduced by 2.9% from week 0 to
12. No significant differences were observed in blood
biochemistry or vital signs (e.g. pulse rate, systolic
blood pressure values, and appetite and energy levels).
In the second clinical study, 6 overweight female volunteers
received the ForsLean®
formula twice daily (equivalent to 50 mg forskolin per
day) for 8 weeks. Physical activity, vital signs, and
body weight and body mass parameters were monitored
during the course of the experiment.
During the eight week trial, the mean values for body
weight and fat content significantly decreased, whereas
lean body mass significantly increased compared to baseline
values (Figure 1). The regimen did not adversely affect
the systolic/diastolic blood pressure nor the pulse
rate. In fact, a trend towards lower systolic/diastolic
pressure was observed during the study (Figure 2).
The 50 mg forskolin per day dosage administered in
the two preliminary, clinical studies, did not cause
any untoward or adverse side effects in the patients.
As a follow-up to these two preliminary studies, two
additional clinical studies using ForsLean®
are currently underway in the U.S. and Japan.
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Toxicity
& Safety |
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ForsLean®
is the only brand of C. forskohlii that has been independently
tested for safety and toxicity. An oral toxicity and a
mutagenicity assay were conducted on ForsLean®
by two independent laboratories. The oral LD50
of ForsLean® is greater
than 2000 mg/kg (test conducted in Wistar albino rats).
In addition, the results of the Bacterial Reverse Mutation
Assay with an Independent Repeat Assay indicated that
ForsLean® did not cause
a positive response in the presence and absence of Aroclor-induced
rat liver S9. |
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Ephedrine vs. ForsLean®
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ForsLean®
acts by a simpler, yet a different mechanism of action
than ephedrine (a known weight loss supplement). As
a result, some of side effects (e.g. cardiovascular
etc...) experienced with ephedrine are not observed
with forskolin. A detailed comparison of ForsLean®
and ephedrine may be assessed on our product website,
www.forslean.com.

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U.S. Patent #5,804,596
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Because
Sabinsa Corporation discovered the promotion of lean
body mass, fat loss, and the weight loss properties
of forskolin, the U.S. Patent and Trademark office granted
U.S. Patent #5,804,596 (September 8, 1998) exclusively
to Sabinsa. U.S. Patent #5,804,596 is defined as "…a
method of preparing a forskolin composition…and
use of forskolin for promoting lean body mass and treating
mood disorders". Although the patent includes forskolin
compositions ranging from 1 to 40%, the most preferred
composition contains 10% forskolin. ForsLean®
is the only Coleus forskohlii preparation supported
by a patent for its weight management benefits.
Companies or individuals using any Coleus forskohlii
preparation other than ForsLean®
in their respective product formulations, which suggest,
imply or represent their products to promote lean body
mass, fat loss and weight loss would be infringing on
Sabinsa’s use patent for forskolin. |
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ForsLean®: Trademark & Patent
Licensing Agreement
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ForsLean®
is now available to dietary supplement manufacturers
because Sabinsa’s exclusive licensing agreement
with a leading dietary supplement manufacturer has recently
expired. Now Sabinsa offers interested manufacturers
a new non-exclusive trademark and patent licensing agreement
through our Preferred Customer Program. This agreement
grants the customer the right to use the ForsLean®
trademark and logo, patent claims and number, research
data, advertising slogans, and other ForsLean®-related
information, which are proprietary to Sabinsa, by agreeing
to the provisions set forth in the agreement. The specifics
of the ForsLean® Trademark
& Patent Licensing Agreement can be obtained by
contacting Sabinsa’s customer service departments
in New Jersey (732-777-1111) or Utah (801-465-8400).
References
- Bruneton, J. (1995) Coleus forskohlii in Pharmacognosy,
Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Lavoisier Publishing
Co. (France), 521.
- de Souza, N. (1991) Coleus forskohlii Briq- The
Indian plant source for forskolin. Recent Advances
in Medicinal, Aromatic & Spice Crops. (ed. S.P.
Raychaudhuri) Today and Tomorrow’s Printers
& Publishers (India), vol. I, 83-91.
- Ammon, H. and Müller, A. (1985) Planta Medica
6, 473-477.
- Shah, V. and Kalakoti, B. "Development of Coleus
forskohlii as a medicinal crop." Proceedings
of the International Conference on Domestication and
Commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products in
Agroforestry Systems. Hosted by ICRAF, held in Nairobi,
Kenya from Feb. 19-23, 1996.
- ]Tandon, J. et al. (1977) Ind. J. Chem. 15B, 880-883.
- Gabetta, B. et al. (1989) Phytochemistry 28, 859-862.
- Rupp, R. (1995) Forskolin: Its chemical, biological
and medical potential. Proc. Of the International
Symposium. Hoechst India Ltd.
- Palou, A. et al. Int. J. Biochem. Cell. Bio. 30,
7-11.
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Product
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| "The information
presented in the "Current Issues" Newsletter
from Sabinsa Corporation is for informational purposes
only. It is abstracted from web and print media
sources. Readers are advised to refer to the original
sources for additional information". |
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