THE WONDERS OF NONI
When I was first introduced to Noni over 10 years ago, I was told of an M.D. from the Hawaiian islands who worked with cancer patients, and wanting to help the people in some way to overcome their cancer, she remembered when she was growing up that she had a dog that was sick, and they gave the dog noni, and it got better. And then she remembered that when her uncle had cancer, they gave him noni, and he got better. So when I started researching noni for specific facts for this article, I searched for that Hawaiian doctor’s name. I couldn’t find it, but I did find many others.
Noni, also known, as Indian Mulberry was first discovered and used by man in Southeast Asia and India when the first medical system of using plants, Ayurveda or Ayurvedic Medicine was used. Ayurvedic medicine is still practiced today throughout the world. The Sanskrit name for noni is Ashyuka, which means “longevity.” Noni is also documented in many other countries and cultures throughout the world for it’s medicinal properties. Noni was and still is considered a sacred plant in many cultures.
During World War II, U.S. soldiers based on Polynesian islands were by the native Polynesians that noni could be used as a safe food staple to eat to sustain their strength. Noni is pretty much seen in all Polynesian islands, as well as Australia. The fruit of the tree has been used for centuries especially in times of famine.
There are 2 kinds of noni; Morinda citrifolia, and Morinda officinalis. The most popular seen is the Morinda citrifolia, but both have beneficial properties.
The fruit is the most popular part of the plant used – in that people typically drink the juice or eat the fruit for the beneficial properties. But the roots and leaves also have beneficial properties. The fruit is greenish at first, then turns creamy white or yellow, about the size and shape of a potato, that can grow up to 10cm in length and with lumps and eyes on it that are framed in a geometric ridge. It has shiny oval leaves with small white flowers (five to 6 petal flowers). Both the fruit and leaves offer antibacterial activity, but the ripe fruit shows the most significant activity, even against Salmonella and Shigella species of bacteria. Aucubin was one of the several compounds found in noni that possesses antibacterial activity.
There are many different companies that package noni, and each use different types of additives or juices to make it taste palatable because noni taste awful and I mean awful – yuk! People walking by a Noni plant ripe with the fruit claim it smells like doggy-doo. I am not sure how the ancients discovered such a bad tasting fruit had such incredible powers, but they did.
Noni is best taken on an empty stomach because stomach acid and pepsin can destroy its properties. This also allows the proper activation of the enzymes. It is also best if noni is not taken in the presence of alcohol, tobacco, or coffee as strange interactions can occur. Probably because the noni is so good for you, and those other things are not, the body tries to utilize the noni as a tool to flush toxins out of the body. Many of the brands of noni on the market put sugar in with the noni, because it tastes so bad. Unfortunately, when sugar is added to Noni, the digestive process stimulated by the sugar destroys its properties. In other words, much of the Noni available is of little value. We have not seen the same results with noni that has a little fruit juice with it to help cut the taste.
It is best to purchase noni, and all your supplements from a vendor you trust, and that have no preservatives, additives or fillers, that are not only harmful to you, but that also prevent the active ingredients from working optimally for you. Once you have opened a bottle of noni liquid, it must be refrigerated to keep it fresh.
Noni has been used for so many illnesses, I could not possibly put them all down here, but here is a condensed list to give you an idea of it’s uses: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, cancer, senility, arthritis/joint issues, high blood pressure,low blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatism, hernias, urinary tract issues, sexually related problems in both men and women, reduce blood clots, help with all menstrual issues, increase white blood cell count, hemorrhoids, nasal congestion, and on and on…..
The active ingredient in Noni is proxeronine, a precursor to xeronine, an alkaloid that the body produces to activate enzymes. Dr. R.M. Heinicke, an authority on Noni, states that xeronine, though made by the body, is never found in the body because it is created and used immediately. Xeronine is found in all the healthy cells of plants, animals and microorganisms. It is basic to the functioning of proteins and works at the molecular level to repair damaged cells. Increasing the productions of xeronine in our bodies, according to Dr Heinicke, "can help cure various manifestations of diseases." http://www.super-food.com/active.html, 19 February 1997
"A study by Ms. Hirazumi and her colleagues was conducted on live laboratory mice. The mice were injected with active Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells. Untreated, the mice died from 9-12 days after injection from the tumor growth. A portion of the injected mice was treated with Noni juice in five separate daily treatments.
The Noni juice was shown to significantly increase the life span of the treated mice (from 105%-123%) with 9 of the 22 mice surviving for more than 50 days. The experiment was repeated on a different lot of mice with similar results." [Proc. West. Pharmacol. Soc. 37: 145-146 (1994)]
Noni’s historical uses have mostly targeted the digestive, intestinal, respiratory, and immune systems. It is also used to support the nervous and skeletal systems, and glandular systems.
I have recommended noni to many people since I have learned about it, and I give it to my three year old son and take it regularly myself also. Personally I would never be without it. When I was pregnant, I had to travel to Australia and New Zealand, and I wanted to take something that would keep me healthy and protect me from any bugs I might pick up along the way. I took a small plastic noni bottle, that I kept refrigerated in all the hotels I stayed in and drank it everyday. I did not get sick during or after my trip.
I have many customers that travel, and take the noni capsules with them when they are traveling, as they are much easier to take then the liquid. Everyone of my customers that takes it on their trips comes back to tell me of all the other people on their trip that got sick, but that they did not. Many of our customers take noni daily, and while they take it, they do not get the typical colds and flu’s throughout the winter. We also recommend it often for the flu and colds.
And although it tastes bad, many people find that while something may not be pleasant to taste, when the body needs it, it is tolerable. Many weeks ago I was working by myself at our store, and was not feeling well at all (I know, I hadn’t been taking my noni regularly – I ran out at home and neglected to replenish my fridge), and I drank 1/3 of a cup of noni, and within minutes I was fine. I don’t like the taste, but when I was feeling that bad, I found it actually tasted pretty good. Then with the great effects I had, the taste was the last thing I was worried about.
In our store, we recommend Noni liquid for joint issues (everything from fibromylagia to arthritis, circulation issues including high and low blood pressure, blood sugar issues such as hypo/hyper glycemia and diabetes especially, skin rashes (eczema, psoriasis and other skin disorders respond well also to noni), digestion issues, flu, colds, some parasites, some fungus, many types of bacteria’s and viruses, tumors, and many cancers. Typically people take two tablespoons or one ounce of noni each day. Some people drink more because they like the benefits.
It is just a fruit, albeit a nasty tasting one, so taking too much is typically not a concern. However, just like eating too much of anything can have an unwanted response. For example, if you have a lot of toxins to clean out, and you take too much noni, you could cleanse too fast, which can have uncomfortable results as your body cleanses. It is usually a little gentler on your body to cut back if this happens so that your body doesn’t flush quite so fast.
The noni capsules are best for building the immune system overall, protecting yourself from illness but also is used for many cancers. The dosage for capsules is usually 1-2 capsules 2-3 times a day.
As with any herb or supplement product, noni should not be taken at the “exact” same time as pharmaceuticals. Among many herbalists, it is known that people should never take herbs or supplements, and pharmaceuticals at the “exact” same time, not because of interactions, but rather because the drugs cancel out the natural products making them worthless, and some natural products can prevent the drugs from working optimally. So if you need to take your drugs, take them at least 30 minutes to 1 hour from taking your noni. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t interactions – but last year it was reported that the amount of supplement/pharmaceutical interactions was grossly overrated and those that are actually an issue are documented in many books and on the web for anyone to see.
So if you are looking for one thing to take to improve your health – noni may be just the thing for you.