Noni juice -- packed with beneficial phytonutrients and high in potassium and vitamin C -- is marketed as a nutraceutical to increase energy, boost the immune system and promote general well-being. Some herbalists and natural healers endorse noni juice for its purported ability to treat and prevent cancer. While some animal and test tube studies have shown chemoprotective effects, human clinical studies are lacking. Consult your doctor before trying noni juice.
Features
Noni -- botanically known as Morinda citrifolia and also called achi, Indian mulberry, and morinda -- is an evergreen shrub native to Asia, Australia and the Polynesian islands. The fruit features a greenish rind when ripe; the pulp is yellowish or white with an unpleasant odor and a bitter, soapy taste. Noni is one of the most important remedies in Hawaiian folk medicine and has been traditionally used to treat colds, flu, diabetes, burns, high blood pressure, arthritis and parasitic infections. Noni is also employed as an antidepressant and mild sedative to relieve anxiety.
Nutritional Information
A 3.5-oz. serving of noni juice contains 15.3 calories; 3.4 g total carbohydrates; 1.49 g sugars in the form of dextrose, lactose, sucrose, fructose and maltose; and .43 g protein. It is low in fat and cholesterol free. Noni juice's 33.65 mg of vitamin C per 3.5-oz. serving makes it an excellent source of this antioxidant vitamin. The same amount of noni juice also provides about 70 mg potassium, essential for maintaining healthy blood pressure. Drugs.com -- which provides peer-reviewed medical information to consumers -- reports noni juice contains around 160 different phytochemicals, including an alkaloid called xeronine and a group of bitter plant compounds called anthraquinones. One of noni's anthraquinones, called damnacanthal, may have anticarcinogenic properties. Drugs.com credits noni juice with possible antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive effects, meaning it may lower blood pressure. Consumer Health reports that anthraquinones in noni have antibacterial effects against S. aureus and salmonella, two common pathogens.
Research
Animal studies have supported the anti-carcinogenic properties of noni juice. In a clinical study published in 2003 in "Phytotherapy Research," researchers found that polysaccharide-rich extracts from noni juice demonstrated both cancer-preventing and cancer-treating effects on mice with sarcoma tumors and lent added beneficial effects to chemotherapeutic drugs.
Usage and Precautions
Marketers of commercial noni juice have taken steps to disguise the offensive odor and taste inherent in noni fruit; if you still find it unpalatable, extracts and capsules are available. Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health reports that the usual dose of noni juice is 4 oz. a day, taken 30 minutes before breakfast. The use of noni juice in pregnancy has not been well studied; avoid taking it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Diabetics should be aware that noni juice, like many fruit juices, is high in natural sugars. Consult your doctor before trying noni juice, especially if you are taking diuretics or have liver damage.
References
- University of Hawaii at Manoa: Chemical Constituents of Noni
- Drugs.com: Complete Noni Information
- Consumer Health; Health Benefits of Morinda Citrifolia; Mona Harrison, M.D., and Scott Gerson, M.D.
- Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health: Noni
- "Phytotherapy Research"; Antitumour Potential of a Poly-Saccharide-Rich Substance From the Fruit Juice of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni) on Sarcoma 180 Ascites Tumour in Mice; E. Furosawa et al.; December 2003
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