One of the most predominant active chemicals in Coleus is called Forskolin. A recent PubMed search yielded 17,256 studies on this plant compound. There are over 35 known biological activities for Forskolin alone. One of the most interesting, researched and prospectively helpful is its it’s ability to promote healthy cells through the enzyme Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP). This enzyme is a cellular messenger, you can think of it as the “intelligence” of the cell for when a cell is carrying out it’s function properly, high amounts of cAMP are found and when a cell is not functioning properly, low amounts are found. Low cAMP levels are found in hypersensitized mast cells and other unhealthy cells that will not “burn” their stored fat. Much research has been done on adrenergic beta receptors and Forskolin. One recent study reviewed the regional differences in adipose tissue metabolism in women when given Forskolin from Coleus Forskohlii root. Although much research has been done on the chemical Forskolin, the exact mechanism of the action of the root extract has yet to be determined.