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Other common
name(s): noni fruit, noni juice, Indian mulberry, morinda,
hog apple, meng koedoe, mora de la India, ruibarbo caribe, wild pine
Scientific/medical
name(s): Morinda
citrifolia
Description
The noni or morinda plant is a tropical evergreen tree that
grows to about 10 feet tall in Tahiti and other Pacific Islands, as
well as in parts of Asia, Australia, South America and the Caribbean.
The tree can grow to as tall as 10 feet and bears a fruit about the
size of a potato which starts out green and ripens into yellow or
white. The juice, fruit, bark, and leaves are used in herbal remedies
and Polynesian folk medicine.
Overview
There is no reliable clinical evidence that noni juice is
effective in preventing or treating cancer or any other disease in
humans. Although animal and laboratory studies have shown some positive
effects, human studies are just beginning. Research is under way to
isolate various compounds in the noni plant so that further testing can
be done to learn whether they may be useful in humans.
How is it promoted for use?
Proponents claim the noni fruit and its juice can be used to
treat cancer, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol problems, high blood
pressure, HIV, rheumatism, psoriasis, allergies, infection, and
inflammation. Some believe that the fruit can relieve sinus infections,
menstrual cramps, arthritis, ulcers, sprains, injuries, depression,
senility, poor digestion, atherosclerosis, addiction, colds, flu, and
headaches. It is further claimed that the juice can heal scratches on
the cornea of the eye.
In India, proponents use noni as a remedy for asthma and
dysentery, and folk healers in the Pacific islands use it for many
types of illness. In the United States, some noni juice distributors
promote it as a general tonic, stress reliever, facial and body
cleanser, and dietary and nutritional supplement.
What does it involve?
Parts of the noni plant are used as a juice, a tonic, a
poultice, and in tea. The juice, which has an unpleasant taste and
odor, is used on the scalp as a treatment for head lice. Some
proponents also advise drinking the juice, mixed with other juices and
flavorings to mask its unpleasant taste. The leaves and bark are
sometimes made into a liquid tonic for urinary complaints and muscle or
joint pain. The unripe noni fruit is mashed together with salt and
applied on cuts and broken bones. Ripe fruit is used as a poultice for
facial blemishes or as a remedy for skin sores, boils, or infections.
Tea made from leaves of the plant is used as a remedy for tuberculosis,
arthritis, rheumatism, and as an anti-aging treatment.
In the United States, noni products are sold in various forms
including juice, extract, powder, capsules (nutritional supplements and
diet aids), facial cleansers, bath gels, and soaps. Noni distributors
and Internet sites selling the juice or supplements often recommend
that they be taken on an empty stomach.
Noni fruit juice and supplements contain various amounts of
vitamin C and A, as well as trace minerals.
What is the history behind it?
The noni fruit has been popular for centuries among
Polynesians, who introduced the noni plant to Hawaii. During World War
II, soldiers stationed in the South Pacific ate the fruit for added
sustenance. Over the past few years, products from the noni plant have
become available in health food stores and online in the United States.
In 1998, a company that manufactures noni juice and other noni
products for distribution was charged with making unfounded claims by
the Attorneys General of Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Texas.
The company claimed that the juice could treat, cure, or prevent many
diseases including cancer, HIV, diabetes, rheumatism, high blood
pressure, cholesterol problems, psoriasis, allergies, heart rhythm
abnormality, chronic inflammation, and joint pain. The company was
ordered to stop advertising these health claims until it could provide
scientific evidence of its claims and receive approval from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That same year, juice marketed
under the name of "Noni" was banned in Finland until claims of the
juice's ability to prevent, treat, or cure illness were removed from
advertising brochures.
Between 2002 and late 2006, the FDA again warned several
companies to stop making claims that noni could cure, treat, or prevent
disease, since proof of such abilities had still not been submitted to
the FDA. However, these claims are still widely made on Web sites and
elsewhere.
What is the evidence?
Several animal and laboratory experiments have been done on
different compounds taken from the noni plant. A group of Hawaiian
researchers caused tumors to grow in mice and then injected specially
prepared noni juice into their abdomens. Mice who received the
treatment survived twice as long as the untreated mice. Other
scientists studying freeze-dried extract from the roots of the plant
found that the substance appeared to prevent pain and induce sleep in
mice.
Another team of investigators reported that damnacanthal, a
compound removed from the root of the noni plant, may inhibit a
chemical process that turns normal cells into cancer cells. However,
since extracted chemicals or substances are different from the raw
plant, a study of an extract might not produce the same result as a
study using the whole plant. In addition, while animal and laboratory
studies may show a certain substance holds promise as a helpful
treatment, further studies are necessary to learn whether the results
apply to humans.
An early (Phase I) clinical trial of freeze-dried noni fruit
extract was done on 29 patients at the University of Hawaii to learn
about its actions and toxicities in people with cancer. This study
found no toxic effects on patients even at daily doses of 10 grams, but
also found that there was no significant effect on quality of life. It
was noted, however, that those who got higher doses reported feeling
somewhat better. In addition, researchers at Louisiana State University
are working to isolate and purify any compounds in the juice that may
be active in humans so that further testing can be done.
More research is needed before it can be determined what role,
if any, noni plant compounds may play in the treatment of cancer or
other health conditions.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
This product is sold as a
dietary supplement in the United States. Unlike drugs (which must be
tested before being allowed to be sold), the companies that make
supplements are not required to prove to the Food and Drug
Administration that their supplements are safe or effective, as long as
they don't claim the supplements can prevent, treat, or cure any
specific disease.
Some such products may not
contain the amount of the herb or substance that is written on the
label, and some may include other substances (contaminants). Actual
amounts per dose may vary between brands or even between different
batches of the same brand.
Most such
supplements have not been tested to find out if they interact with
medicines, foods, or other herbs and supplements. Even though some
reports of interactions and harmful effects may be published, full
studies of interactions and effects are not often available. Because of
these limitations, any information on ill effects and interactions
below should be considered incomplete.
The safety and long-term effects of noni juice and other noni
products are not well known. A few cases of liver problems have been
reported in people taking noni in European countries. One of these
patients had previous liver damage and required a liver transplant, but
the others recovered when noni was stopped.
The juice has a significant amount of potassium, equivalent to
a similar amount of tomato juice or orange juice, and may pose problems
for people with kidney disease and others who must restrict their
potassium intake. It is also high in sugar, which must be considered
for people with diabetes and others who are restricting their calorie
intake. It may also cause the urine to turn a pink or reddish color.
Noni juice and supplements have not been studied in pregnant or
breast-feeding women.
Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or
delaying conventional medical care for cancer, may have serious health
consequences.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
Attorneys general curb claims for "tahitian noni." Accessed
at: http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/News/noni.html. on
June 10, 2008.
FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Cyber Letters. US
Food and Drug Administration. Accessed at: http://www.fda.gov on June
15, 2007.
Hiramatsu T, Imoto M, Koyano T, Umezawa K. Induction of normal
phenotypes in ras-transformed cells by damnacanthal from Morinda
citrifolia. Cancer Lett.
1993;73:161-166.
Hirazumi A, Furusawa E. An immunomodulatory
polysaccha-ride-rich substance from the fruit juice of Morinda
citrifolia (noni) with antitumor activity. Phytother Res.
1999;13:380-387.
Hirazumi A, Furusawa E, Chou SC, Hokama Y. Anticancer activity
of Morinda citrifolia (noni) on intraperitoneally implanted Lewis lung
carcinoma in syngeneic mice. Proc
West Pharmacol Soc. 1994;37:145-146.
Issell BF, Gotay C, Pagano I, Franke A. Quality of life
measures in a phase I trial of noni. J Clin Oncol. 2005 ASCO Annual
Meeting Proceedings. Vol 23, No. 16S, Part I of II (June 1 Supplement),
2005:8217.
Johansen R. [The health food product Noni--does marketing
harmonize with the current status of research?]. [Norwegian] Tidsskrift
for Den Norske Laegeforening. 2008;128:694-697.
Liu Z, Hornick C, Woltering E. Noni tree: potential cancer
preventative, therapy. LSU Agricultural Center. Accessed at:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/communications/publications/agmag/Archive/2005/Winter/Noni+Tree+Potential+Cancer+Preventative+Therapy.htm.
Posted April 27, 2005 on June 10, 2008.
Millonig G, Stadlmann S, Vogel W. Herbal hepatotoxicity: acute
hepatitis caused by a Noni preparation (Morinda citrifolia). Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol.
2005;17:445-447.
Mueller BA, Scott MK, Sowinski KM, Prag KA. Noni juice
(Morinda citrifolia): hidden potential for hyperkalemia? Am J Kidney Dis.
2000;35:310-312.
Comment in:
Am J Kidney Dis.
2000;35:330-332.
Nelson S. Chemical constituents of noni (morinda citrifolia).
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of
Hawai at Mānoa. Accessed at:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/noni/chemical_constituents.asp on June 10,
2008.
Noni. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Accessed at:
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69312.cfm. Updated August 2, 2007 on
June 10, 2008.
Noni. Whole Health MD. Accessed at:
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=17E09E7CFFF640448FFB0B4FC1B7FEF0&nm=Reference+Library&type=AWHN_Supplements&mod=Supplements&mid=&id=5B78D2210C824CBF90BA823C8D2D7086&tier=2
on June 10, 2008.
Stadlbauer V, Fickert P, Lackner C, Schmerlaib J, Krisper P,
Trauner M, Stauber RE. Hepatotoxicity of NONI juice: report of two
cases. World J
Gastroenterol. 2005;11:4758-4760.
Su BN, Pawlus AD, Jung HA, Keller WJ, McLaughlin JL, Kinghorn
AD. Chemical constituents of the fruits of Morinda citrifolia (Noni)
and their antioxidant activity. J Nat Prod. 2005;68:592-595.
West BJ, Jensen CJ, Westendorf J. Noni juice is not
hepatotoxic. World J
Gastroenterol. 2006;12:3616-3619.
Younos C, Rolland A, Fleurentin J, Lanhers MC, Misslin R,
Mortier F. Analgesic and behavioral effects of Morinda citrifolia. Planta Med.1990;56:430-434.
Yüce B, Gülberg V, Diebold J, Gerbes AL.
Hepatitis induced by Noni juice from Morinda citrifolia: a rare cause
of hepatotoxicity or the tip of the iceberg? Digestion.
2006;73:167-170
Note: This information may not cover
all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or
interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be
relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor, who is
familiar with your medical situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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