Botanical Name : Coleus Forskohlii
· Family Name : Labiatate (Lamiaceae)
· Common Name : Coleus
· Part Used : Roots
· Habitat : Grows on the dry slopes on the indian plains and in the foothills of the Himalayas.
· Product offered : Roots

PLANT DESCRIPTION :
Members of the genus Coleus have square stems, branched, the nodes are often hairy.
The entire plant is aromatic (whether fresh or dried).
Corolla The pale blue corolla is bilabiate, the lower lobes are elongated and concave.
Height 30 cm to 62 cm
Tubers The roots are thick, tuberous, fasiculated, upto 20 cmlong and 0.5-2.5 cm thick
Conical, fusiform, straight and strongly aromatic.
Leaves Usually pubescent, narrowed into petioles.
Flowers Very showy bluish to pale lavender coloured flowers Racemes are perfect, the calyx is fine toothed and Deflexed in the front.
Ovary Four parted Pollination Cross pollinated by means of wind or insects.
Odor The leaves and tubers have quite different odours, the latter being reminiscent of but quite different from ginger.
It is an important traditional Ayurvedic herb that has been a part of Indian medicine for centuries. Coleus is the source of a unique substance known as forskohlii. In the 1970s, researchers isolated a chemically active ingredient in the herb and called it forskohlii. Its very popular
dietary supplement for cardiovascular diseases and bladder infections. It is also used as a cosmetic ingredient for creams (face, hand, hair and tanning) and lotions (eye). The demand for the Coleus extracts has been steadily increasing due to additional indications and novel applications in cosmetics. However, due to limited availability of acreage for cultivation and the small scale agricultural practices in Asia, the supply of Coleus extracts has not kept up with the demands. Additional sources for high quality Coleus extracts are needed.
“Forskohlin”, an alkaloid in roots, is used in the treatment of blood pressure and ‘Glaucoma’ eye ailment and also all kinds of nervous disorders. Coleus has anti-histamine and anti-asthma health benefit. It promotes weight loss in obese patients. Harvested tubers are cut into small pieces and dried under shade until it reaches eight per cent moisture level.

Additional Information: