Morinda Citrifolia - Noni - by
Ray Sahelian, M.D. Morinda Citrifolia
Juice:
Is it a cure all or just a healthy drink?
Over the last decade, a growing number of people have become
interested in the medicinal uses of
noni juice, made from the fruit of the
Indian mulberry ( Morinda citrifolia ) of the South Pacific Islands of Tahiti, and
more recently from Hawaii. Morinda
citrifolia has been used in folk remedies by Polynesians for over 2000 years,
and is reported to have a broad range of therapeutic effects, including
antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, antihelmin, analgesic,
hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and immune enhancing effects. But does modern
scientific research support these claims?
Morinda
Citrifolia - Noni - 500 mg
Club Natural
Morinda
Citrifolia Noni grows extensively throughout the South Pacific, and was at one time
the most widely used medicinal plant in the region. This evergreen shrub grows
especially well in the rich volcanic ash of Hawaii. Some of the beneficial
constituents of Noni include various terpene compounds, caproic and caprylic
acids, vitamin C and alkaloids. However, Noni is most famous for the presence of
an alkoloid proxeronine, which is believed to be a precursor to xeronine.
Morinda Citrifolia
Supplement Facts
Noni - 300 mg
(Morinda citrifolia) (fruit)
Freeze Dried Hawaiian
Suggested Use: As an herbal dietary supplement, take one morinda capsule 1 or 2
times daily.
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morinda citrifolia health benefit -- and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
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Morinda Citrifolia Noni
chemistry
Morinda citrifolia
has been documented to contain a mixture of anthraquinones, organic
acids, xeronine, several vitamins (such as beta-carotene, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine),
some minerals, iron and calcium. The potassium content of Morinda citrifolia
is similar to that in tomato juice
and orange juice.
Morinda Citrifolia supplement uses - benefit
of
Morinda Citrifolia juice or
Morinda Citrifolia extract
What is the benefit of
Morinda citrifolia juice or
Morinda citrifolia
supplement products, anyway Claims have been made that
Morinda citrifolia juice or
Morinda citrifolia extract improves the immune system, ultimately
healing dozens of conditions ranging from addictions to varicose veins and yeast rash.
What does the scientific research say about the benefit of
Morinda citrifolia juice and
Morinda citrifolia extract supplement?
Morinda Citrifolia and cholesterol
Reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides have been seen in
smokers who drank a product containing juice from the fruit of the
Morinda citrifolia tree
every day for a month. The study was funded by the manufacturer of the product,
sold as Tahitian Noni Juice. Researcher Mian-Ying Wang, MD, says she first
became interested in studying
Morinda citrifolia juice in 1999 after becoming convinced that
it helped reduce her pain from a wrist fracture.
Morinda Citrifolia
and diabetes
In Java,
Morinda citrifolia
has been part of the treatment for
diabetes. Most
of the folk uses for diabetes involve chewing the leaves or a combination of the plant and
leaves. Chewing mulberry leaves releases and activates large amounts of mucilage or
insoluble dietary fiber. The fiber may slow the absorption of simple sugars from the gut.
The effect in most patients would be a slight reduction in the peak glucose level
following a meal.
Infections
Infections are the
most common applications of Morinda species. The extract from the leaves of
Morinda citrifolia (not the fruit that renders noni juice) displayed a moderate
suppression of Ascaris lumbricoides (intestinal nematodes) growth in the test
tube. However,
Morinda citrifolia juice has not been shown to improve infections once symptoms
have manifested, although there are anecdotal reports of patients feeling better
from mild infections after using noni. Decoctions of the leaves or roots of
related mulberry species may have some suppressive effect on parasitic
infections.
Pain
Pain, painful
inflammation and swellings are the second most common usage of Morinda species.
Studies in mice have demonstrated that extracts from the root of Morinda
citrifolia (again, not rendered from the fruit) have some pain relieving and
sedative activity.
Side Effects of
Morinda Citrifolia
In some regions of the world
Morinda citrifolia and other mulberry species are used as a
laxative. Predictably, some patients using higher concentrations of
Morinda citrifolia juice
may experience some diarrhea. Although the risk of long-term adverse reactions
is not currently known, it should be very low, because of the long history of
mulberry species as a food in wide geographic regions. Patients with diabetes
would be wise to find out the amount of sugars used to sweeten the particular
product they wish to use.
There have been two reported cases in the medical
literature regarding liver damage due to excessive morinda citrifolia juice
consumption. As with any herb, it is best to use low amounts. I prefer using
small amounts of different herbs as opposed to a large amount of a single herb.
Morinda Citrifolia
dosage
Suggested
Morinda citrifolia dose is three capsules per day, taken with a few ounces
of water, half an hour before a meal. All three capsules may be taken at once or
in divided doses. Three capsules are equivalent to about two tablespoons of
liquid
Morinda citrifolia juice. A concentrated form of the juice is
also available.
Morinda citrifolia is often mixed with other fruit juices because
of its unpleasant taste.
Conclusion
At this point, there is no firm scientific data to support the use of
Morinda citrifolia juice as a substitute for any standard medical treatment. Patients who are
looking for additional help in treating mild infections,
cancer or chronic pain
could try
Morinda citrifolia, realizing that the benefits are
not predictable.
Perhaps future research will give us additional clues to the potential
therapeutic benefits of using
Morinda citrifolia juice or extracts. In the meantime, due to
its content of various nutrients,
Morinda citrifolia
juice is a healthy drink to consume as part of an overall balanced diet, as long
as you drink no more than one ounce every other day.
Morinda Citrifolia
Research Update
Antitumour potential of a polysaccharide-rich substance from
the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) on sarcoma 180 ascites tumour in
mice.
Phytother Res. 2003 Dec;17(10):1158-64.
An immunomodulatory polysaccharide-rich substance (Noni-ppt) from the fruit
juice of Morinda citrifolia has been found to possess both prophylactic and
therapeutic potentials against the immunomodulator sensitive Sarcoma 180 tumour
system. The antitumour activity of
Morinda citrifolia
produced a cure rate of 25%-45% in
allogeneic mice and its activity was completely abolished by the concomitant
administration of specific inhibitors of macrophages (2-chloroadenosine), T
cells (cyclosporine) or natural killer (NK) cells (anti-asialo GM1 antibody).
Morinda citrifolia
showed synergistic or additive beneficial effects when combined with a
broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin, adriamycin,
mitomycin-C, bleomycin, etoposide, 5- fl uorouracil, vincristine or camptothecin.
It was not beneficial when combined with paclitaxel, cytosine arabinoside, or
immunosuppressive anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide, methotrexate or
6-thioguanine.
Morinda citrifolia
also demonstrated beneficial effects when combined with
the Th1 cytokine, interferon gamma, but its activity was abolished when combined
with Th2 cytokines, interleukin-4 or interleukin-10, thereby suggesting that Morinda citrifolia induces a Th1 dominant immune status in vivo. The combination of
Morinda citrifolia with imexon, a synthetic immunomodulator, also demonstrated beneficial
effects, but not when combined with the MVE-2 copolymer, a high molecular weight
immunomodulator.
Morinda citrifolia
was also not effective when combined with interleukin-2 or
interleukin-12.
Inhibition of angiogenic initiation and disruption
of newly established human vascular networks by juice from Morinda citrifolia.
Angiogenesis. 2003;6(2):143-9.
The juice of the fruit from the Morinda citrifolia plant has been used for
centuries as a medicinal agent. We tested the effects of Morinda citrifolia
juice in a three-dimensional fibrin clot matrix model using human placental vein
and human breast tumor explants as sources for angiogenic vessel development.
Morinda citrifolia in concentrations of 5% (vol/vol) or greater was highly
effective in inhibiting the initiation of new vessel sprouts from placental vein
explants, compared with initiation in control explants in media supplemented
with an equivalent amount of saline. These concentrations of Morinda citrifolia
were also effective in reducing the growth rate and proliferation of newly
developing capillary sprouts. When used at a concentration of 10% in growth
media, Morinda citrifolia was able to induce vessel degeneration and apoptosis
in wells with established capillary networks within a few days of its
application. We also found that 10% Morinda citrifolia juice in media was an
effective inhibitor of capillary initiation in explants from human breast
tumors. In tumor explants which did show capillary sprouting, the vessels
rapidly degenerated (2-3 days) in those exposed to media supplemented with 10%
Morinda citrifolia.
Anti-tumor potential of a polysaccharide-rich substance from the fruit
juice of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) on sarcoma 180 ascites tumour in mice.
Phytother Res. 2003 Dec;17(10):1158-64.
An immunomodulatory polysaccharide-rich substance (Noni-ppt) from the fruit
juice of Morinda citrifolia has been found to possess both prophylactic and
therapeutic potentials against the immunomodulator sensitive Sarcoma 180 tumour
system. The antitumour activity of Noni-ppt produced a cure rate of 25%-45% in
allogeneic mice and its activity was completely abolished by the concomitant
administration of specific inhibitors of macrophages (2-chloroadenosine), T
cells (cyclosporine) or natural killer (NK) cells (anti-asialo GM1 antibody).
Noni-ppt showed synergistic or additive beneficial effects when combined with a
broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin, adriamycin,
mitomycin-C, bleomycin, etoposide, 5- fl uorouracil, vincristine or camptothecin.
It was not beneficial when combined with paclitaxel, cytosine arabinoside, or
immunosuppressive anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide, methotrexate or
6-thioguanine. Noni-ppt also demonstrated beneficial effects when combined with
the Th1 cytokine, interferon gamma, but its activity was abolished when combined
with Th2 cytokines, interleukin-4 or interleukin-10, thereby suggesting that
Noni-ppt induces a Th1 dominant immune status in vivo.
Cancer preventive effect of Morinda citrifolia (Noni).
Wang MY, Su C.
Department of Pathology, UIC College of Medicine, Rockford, Illinois 61107, USA.
Morinda citrifolia Noni has been extensively used in folk medicine by
Polynesians for over 2,000 years. It has been reported to have broad therapeutic
effects, including anticancer activity, in both clinical practice and laboratory
animal models. The hypothesis
that Morinda citrifolia possesses a cancer preventive effect at the initiation
stage of carcinogenesis was studied. Our preliminary data indicated that 10%
Tahitian Noni Liquid Dietary Supplement or Tahitian Noni Juice, made from
Morinda citrifolia fruit by Morinda Inc, in drinking water for one week was able
to prevent DMBA-DNA adduct formation. The antioxidant
activity of Morinda citrifolia was compared to the effects of vitamin C, grape
seed powder, and pycnogenol at the daily dose per serving level
recommended by U.S. RDAs or manufacturers. The results suggest that prevention
of carcinogen-DNA adduct formation and the antioxidant activity of Morinda
citrifoliamay contribute to the cancer preventive effect of Morinda citrifolia.
Morinda Citrifolia questions
Q. Can a morinda citrifolia supplement be used the same day as
curcumin herb or
saw palmetto?
A. I don't see why not.
Q. Do you know if Proxene ES by Biomolecular is
everything it say's it is? Proxene ES is a supplement that is supposed to make
you feel young again.
A. Proxene ES apparently has 1,000mg Morinda Citrifolia. Morinda
Citrifolia has some health benefits, but so do many other plants.
Q. I have been reading about Morinda Citrifolia on your
web site and would like to know if it is unsafe to use on a daily basis at 1000
mg as with Bio-Molecular Solutions product.
A. We are not familiar with Bio-Molecular
Solutions product.
Morinda
officinalis link