HAWAI I AN NONI (Morinda citrifolia)
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HAWAI I AN NONI
(Morinda citrifolia)
PRIZE HERB OF HAWAII AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Ri t a El k i ns, M.H.W OODLAND P UBLI SHI NG
Pl easant Gr ov e, UT
© 1998
Woodland Publishing
P.O. Box 160
Pleasant Grove, UT
84062
The information in this book is for educational purposes only and is not recommended
as a means of diagnosing or treating an illness. All matters concerning physical and men-
tal health should be supervised by a health practitioner knowledgeable in treating that par-
ticular condition. Neither the publisher nor author directly or indirectly dispense medical
advice, nor do they prescribe any remedies or assume any responsibility for those who
choose to treat themselves.TABLE OF CONTENTS
HAWAI I AN NONI
(Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a)
NONI: A N INTRODUCTION 5
NONI: ITS USE AND HISTORY 12
TRADITIONAL USES OF NONI 15
XERONINE: T HE SECRET OF NONI? 17
NONI PROCESSING
MODERN MEDICINAL A PPLICATIONS OF NONI 19
CONCLUSION 27
ENDNOTES 296 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 7
I NTRODUCTI ON and purge t he int est inal syst em wit hout t he danger-
ous side ef f ect s of harsh drugs. It s act ions are mul-
n a t ime when we are more concerned t han ever t if acet ed and must be considered when assessing
I wit h issues of healt h, a t ried and t rue t ropical herb
called noni needs t o be added t o our list of t he
best nat ural remedies. It s usage over hundreds of
nat ural t reat ment s f or disease or injury. It s impres-
sive and widespread use among various nat ive cul-
t ures of t ropical island regions support s t he not ion
years support s it s descript ion as a verit able panacea t hat it does indeed possess valuable, t herapeut ic
of t herapeut ic act ions. At t his writ ing, noni cont in- compounds.
ues t o accrue impressive medicinal credent ials, and
it s emergence as an ef f ect ive nat ural healing agent Genus
is a t imely one. Amidst rising cancer rat es, t he high
Rubiaceae
incidence of degenerat ive diseases like diabet es, and
t he evolut ion of ant ibiot ic resist ant bact eria and new Common Names
viral st rains, herbs like noni are sought aft er f or t heir
Indian Mulberry ( India), Noni ( Hawaii) , Nono ( Tahit i
nat ural pharmaceut ical propert ies. Unquest ionably,
and Rarat onga) , Polynesian Bush Fruit , Painkiller Tree
all of us want t o know how t o:
( Caribbean islands) , Lada ( Guam) , Mengkudo
• prot ect ourselves from t oxins and pollut ant s ( Malaysia) , Nhau ( Sout heast Asia) , Grand Morinda
• prevent t he premat ure onset of age-relat ed dis- ( Viet nam) , Cheesef ruit ( Aust ralia) , Kura ( Fiji) ,
eases such as art hrit is, heart disease, diabet es Bumbo ( Af rica)
and st roke
• boost our immune defenses t o prot ect ourselves Not e: This is only a small sampling of vernacular
f rom new viral and bact erial st rains t hat have names f or Morinda cit rif olia. Almost every island
become ant ibiot ic-resist ant nat ion of t he Sout h Pacif ic and Caribbean has a t erm
• reduce our risk of developing cancer f or t his part icular plant . This booklet will ref er t o t he
• bet t er digest our food for proper assimilat ion herb mainly as “ noni” or M. cit rif olia, and is referring
primarily t o Hawaiin noni.8 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacific 9
Par t s Used inflammat ory, ast ringent , emollient , emmenagogue,
laxat ive, sedat ive, hypot ensive (lowers blood pres-
The part s of t he noni plant most used f or t heir med-
sure) , blood purif ier, and t onic.
icinal and nut rit ional purposes are t he fruit , seeds,
bark, leaves, and f lowers. Virt ually every part of t he Chemi cal Const i t uent s
noni plant is ut ilized f or it s individual medicinal prop-
Noni has various chemical const it uent s. First , it
ert ies; however, it is t he f ruit port ion t hat is regard-
has an impressive array of t erpene compounds,
ed as it s most valuable. The seeds have a purgat ive
t hree of which—L. Asperuloside, aucubin, and glu-
act ion, t he leaves are used t o t reat ext ernal inf lam-
cose—have been ident if ied by t heir act yl derivat ives.
mat ions and relieve pain, t he bark has st rong ast rin- 1
Bot h caproic and caprylic acids have been isolat ed.
gent propert ies and can t reat malaria, t he root
Second, bushfruit s, a cat egory of which noni f ruit is
ext ract s lower blood pressure, t he f lower essences
a member, are also considered a good source of vit -
relieve eye inf lammat ions and t he f ruit has a number 2
amin C. Third, Hawaiin noni has been linked t o t he
of medicinal act ions.
synt hesis of xeronine in t he body which has signif i-
Phy si cal Descr i pt i on cant and widespread healt h implicat ions. Last , t he
alkaloid cont ent of t he noni fruit is t hought t o be
Morinda cit rifolia is t echnically an evergreen shrub
responsible for it s t herapeut ic act ions. Alkaloids
or bush, which can grow t o height s of f ift een t o
exhibit a wide range of pharmacological and biologi-
t went y f eet . It has rigid, coarse branches which bear
cal act ivit ies in t he human body. They are nit rogen-
dark, oval, glossy leaves. Small whit e fragrant f low-
cont aining organic compounds which can react wit h
ers bloom out of clust er-like pods which bear
acids t o form salt s and which are t he basis of many
creamy-whit e colored f ruit . The f ruit is f leshy and
medicines. The f ollowing is an in-dept h chemical
gel-like when ripened, resembling a small breadf ruit .
analysis of each plant part and it s chemical con-
The flesh of t he f ruit is charact erist ically bit t er, and
st it uent s.
when complet ely ripe produces a rancid and very dis-
t inct ive odor. Noni has buoyant seeds t hat can f loat
LEAF
f or mont hs in ocean bodies. The wood of t he10 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 11
• amino acids (which include alanine, arginine, discovered an alkaloid in t he Hawaiin noni f ruit which
aspart ic acids, cyst eine, cyst ine, glycine, glut amic he calls proxeronine and which he believes has appre-
acid, hist idine, leucine, isoleucine, met hionine, ciable physiological act ions by act ing as a precursor
phenylalanine, proline, serine, t hreonine, t rypt o- t o xeronine, a very crucial compound ( see lat er sec-
phan t yrosine, and valine) t ions) . In addit ion, a compound f ound in t he f ruit
• ant hraquinones called damnacant hol is believed t o help inhibit cer-
• glycosides t ain viruses and cellular mut at ions involved in cancer.
• phenolic compounds
• resins ROOT AND ROOT BARK
• B-sit ost erol
• carbonat e • chlorubin
• ursolic acid
• rubicholric acid • soranjidol
• chrysophanol • phosphat e
• magnesium • f erric iron
• sodium • glycosides
FLOWER
• morinadadiol • morindine
• acacet in 7 -0 -D ( +) -glucophyranoside • resins • rubiadin
4
• 5 ,7 ,-dimet hyl apigenin-4 -0 -8 -D( +)-galact ophyra- • st erols
noside
• 6,8 ,-dimet hoxy-3-met hyl ant hroquinone-1-0 -8- Phar macol ogy
rhamnosyl glucophyranoside Recent surveys have suggest ed t hat noni fruit
exert s ant ibiot ic act ion. In f act , a variet y of com-
FRUIT pounds which have ant ibact erial propert ies ( such as
5
• ant ioxidant aucubin) have been ident ified in t he f ruit . The 6 -D-
• alizarin glucopyranose pent aacet at e of t he f ruit ext ract is
6
• ant hraquinones not considered bact eriost at ic. Const it uent s f ound in
• caproic and caprylic acids t he fruit port ion have exhibit ed ant imicrobial act ion12 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 13
against Escherichia coli, Salmonella t yphi ( and ot her freeze-dried capsules, dehydrat ed powder or f ruit ,
t ypes) , Shigella parady sent eriae, and and oil. Noni plant const it uent s are somet imes
St aphylococcus aureaus. Compounds f ound in t he of f ered in combinat ion wit h ot her herbs. Some prod-
root have t he abilit y t o reduce swollen mucous uct s cont ain a percent age of t he fruit , bark, root and
membrane and lower blood pressure in animal st ud- seeds f or t heir individual t herapeut ic propert ies.
ies.
Proxeronine is an alkaloid const it uent f ound in Saf et y
Hawaiin noni fruit which may prompt t he product ion Ext ract s of M. cit rif olia are considered safe if used
of xeronine in t he body. It is considered a xeronine as direct ed; however, pregnant or nursing mot hers
precursor and was discovered in noni f ruit by Dr. should consult t heir physicians before t aking any sup-
Ralph M. Heinicke. He has t heorized t hat t his proen- plement . High doses of root ext ract s may cause con-
zyme can be ef f ect ive in init iat ing a series of benef i- st ipat ion. Taking noni supplement s wit h coff ee, alco-
cial cellular react ions t hrough it s involvement wit h hol or nicot ine is not recommended.
t he int egrit y of specific prot eins. He point s out t hat
t issues cont ain cells which possess cert ain recept or Suggest ed Uses
sit es f or xeronine. Because t he react ions t hat can Ideally, noni ext ract s should be t aken on an empt y
occur are so varied, many different t herapeut ic st omach prior t o meals. The process of digest ing
act ions can result when xeronine product ion esca- food can int erf ere wit h t he medicinal value of t he
lat es, explaining why Hawaiin noni is good f or so many alkaloid compounds f ound in Hawaiin noni, especially
seemingly unrelat ed disorders. in it s f ruit . Apparent ly, st omach acids and enzymes
Damnacant hol is anot her compound cont ained in dest roy t he specific enzyme which frees up t he xero-
t he fruit of t he Hawaiin noni plant which has shown nine compound. Take noni supplement s wit hout
t he abilit y t o block or inhibit t he cellular f unct ion of f ood, cof fee, nicot ine or alcohol. Using supplement s
RAS cells, considered pre-cancerous cells. t hat have been made f rom t he semi-ripe or light -
green f ruit is also considered pref erable t o t he ripe,
Body Sy st ems Tar get ed
whit ish f ruit .
The f ollowing body syst ems have all been ef fec-14 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 15
NONI: ITS USE AND HISTORY remarkable healing agent .
Noni is a t ropical wandering plant indigenous t o Wonder Her b of Isl and Fol k Heal er s
areas of Aust ralia, Malaysia and Polynesia. It is con-
Common t o t he t hicket s and forest s of Malaysia
sidered nat ive t o Sout heast Asia alt hough it grows
and Polynesia, and t he low hilly regions of t he
f rom India t o t he east ern region of Polynesia.
Philippine islands, noni has been cult ivat ed t hrough-
Morinda cit rifolia has a long hist ory of medicinal use
out communit ies in t he Sout h Pacif ic f or hundreds of
t hroughout t hese areas. It is t hought t o be t he
years. It s Hawaiian use is t hought t o originat e f rom
“ most widely and commonly used medicinal plant
7
int er-island canoe t ravel and set t lement dat ing t o
prior t o t he European era.”
bef ore Christ . It s hardy seeds have t he abilit y t o
Cent uries ago, t he bushf ruit was int roduced t o
f loat which has also cont ribut ed t o it s dist ribut ion
nat ive Hawaiians, who subsequent ly called it “ noni”
among various seacoast s in t he Sout h Pacif ic region.
and considered it s f ruit and root as prized medicinal
Hist orical invest igat ion has est ablished t he fact
agent s. Among all Polynesian bot anical agent s of t he
t hat some of Hawaii’s earliest set t lers probably came
1 9t h and 20 t h cent uries, Hawaiin noni has t he
via Tahit i. For t his reason, Tahit ian herbal pract ices
widest array of medical applicat ions. Samoan and
have specif ic bearing on t he herbal t herapeut ics of
Hawaiian medical pract it ioners used noni f or bowel
islands t o t he nort h. The very obvious similarit ies
disorders (especially infant diarrhea, const ipat ion, or
bet ween t he Hawaiian vernacular for herbal plant s
int est inal parasit es) , indigest ion, skin inf lammat ion,
like noni and Tahit ian names st rongly suggest s t he
inf ect ion, mout h sores, f ever, cont usions and
t heory of Polynesian migrat ions t o Hawaii.
sprains. Hawaiians commonly prepared noni t onics
Cult ures nat ive t o t hese regions favored using
designed t o t reat diabet es, st ings, burns and f ish
8
Morinda cit rifolia for t reat ing major diseases and ut i-
poisoning. The herb’s remarkable abilit y t o purge
lized it as a source of nourishment in t imes of
t he int est inal t ract and promot e colon healt h was 9
f amine. Noni f ruit has been recognized f or cent uries
well known among older Hawaiian and Tahit ian
as an excellent source of nut rit ion. The peoples of
nat ives and f olk healers.
Fiji, Samoa and Rarat onga use t he f ruit in bot h it s
Int erest ingly, f ield observat ions regarding it s repu- 10
raw and cooked f orms. Tradit ionally, t he f ruit was16 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 17
picked bef ore it was fully ripe and placed in t he sun- In regard t o it s applicat ion f or common ailment s,
light . Af t er being allowed t o ripen, it was t ypically Hawaiians and ot her island communit ies t radit ionally
mashed and it s juice ext ract ed t hrough a clot h. Noni prescribed noni t o purge t he bowel, reduce fever,
leaves provided a veget able dish and t heir resiliency cure respirat ory inf ect ions such as ast hma, ease skin
made t hem desirable as a f ish wrap f or cooking. inf lammat ions, and heal bruises and sprains. In ot her
words, noni was widely used and highly regarded as
Noni ’s Medi cal Reput at i on a bot anical medicine.
Elaborat e t radit ional rit uals and praying rit es usu-
A Ti mel y Reemer gence
ally accompanied t he administ rat ion of noni.
Int erest ingly, cult ures indigenous t o t he Polynesian Today, t he nat ural pharmaceut ical act ions of t he
islands had a significant underst anding of t heir f lora. chemical const it uent s cont ained in noni are scient if -
For example, nat ive Hawaiians maint ained a folk- ically emerging as valuable bot anical medicines.
medicine t axonomy t hat was considered second t o Tahit ian “ nono” int rigued medical pract it ioners
11
none. Noni was not only used for medicinal purpos- decades ago; however, due t o t he event ual emer-
es but for it s f ood value, f or clot hing and f or clot h gence of synt het ic drugs, int erest in t his island
dyes as well. Research indicat es t hat noni was bot anical diminished unt il recent y ears.
among t he few herbal remedies t hat islanders con- Et hnobot anist s are once again rediscovering why
sidered “ t ried and t rue.” In Hawaii, t rained herbal Hawaiian people have t reasured and cult ivat ed
pract it ioners reserved t he right t o prescribe plant Morinda cit rifolia f or generat ions. Noni is now f inding
12
t herapies. Records indicat e t hat Hawaiian medical it s way int o west ern t herapeut ics and is referred t o
pract ices were based on ext ensive and very met icu- as “ t he queen” of t he genus Rubiaceae. It s abilit y t o
lous descript ions of sympt oms and t heir prescribed reduce joint inf lammat ion and t arget t he immune
herbal t reat ment s. Dosages were cont rolled and t he syst em have made it t he f ocus of t he modern scien-
collect ion and administ rat ion of plant ext ract s was t if ic inquiry. Dr. Ralph Heinicke has conduct ed some
13
carefully monit ored. f ascinat ing st udies on t he chemical const it uent s of
In addit ion t o Morinda, it was not uncommon f or t he Hawaiin noni fruit . His research cent ers on t he
t hese herbal doct ors t o also recommend using proxeronine cont ent of t he f ruit juice and how it pro-18 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacific 19
foundly influences human physiology. decoct ions t o st imulat e delayed menst ruat ion.
In addit ion, scient if ic st udies invest igat ing noni as • Noni was f requent ly ut ilized for it s ant iparasit ic
an ant i-cancer agent have been encouraging. It s con- act ivit y.
spicuous at t ribut es and varied uses have elevat ed it s • Respirat ory ailment s, coughs, and colds were
st at us t o one of t he best of t he healing herbs. Today t reat ed wit h noni.
Morinda cit rif olia is available in liquid, juice, freeze- • A juice made f rom pounding noni leaves, root s and
dried capsules, or oil forms, and is considered one of fruit mixed wit h wat er was administ ered f or diar-
nat ure’s most precious bot anicals. rhea.
• Dried and powdered f orms of t he bark mixed wit h
TRADITIONAL USES OF NONI wat er and administ ered wit h a spoon t reat ed
infant diarrhea.
Throughout t ropical regions, virt ually every part of
• Small pieces of f ruit and root infused wit h wat er
Morinda cit rif olia was used t o t reat disease or injury.
were given t o kill int est inal parasit es.
It s curat ive propert ies were well known and com-
• Boiled bark decoct ions were given as a drink f or
monly employed. Pat oa Tama Benioni, a member of
st omach ailment s.
t he Maori t ribe from t he Cook Islands and a lect urer
• Coughs were t reat ed wit h grat ed bark.
on island plant s explains:
• Charred unripe f ruit was used wit h salt on diseased
gums.
Tr adi t i onal l y Pol ynesi ans use noni f or basi cal l y ever y-
• Pounded fruit combined wit h kava and sugar cane
t hi ng i n t he t r eat ment of i l l ness. Noni i s a par t of our
l i ves. Any Pol ynesi an boy wi l l t el l you he’ s had expe- was used t o t reat t uberculosis.
r i ence wi t h i t . We use j ui ce f r om i t s r oot s, i t s f l ower s, • Babies were rubbed wit h f resh, crushed leaves f or
and i t s f r ui t . . . my gr andmot her t aught me t o use noni serious chest colds accompanied by f ever.
f r om t he r oot s and t he l eaves t o make medi ci ne f or • Eye washes were made from decoct ions for eye
ext er nal as wel l as i nt er nal use, and f or al l ki nds of
complaint s f rom f lower ext ract s.
ai l ment s, such as coughs, boi l s, di seases of t he ski n,
• Leaf infusions were t radit ionally t aken t o t reat
and cut s.1 5
adult f evers.
• A mout hwash consist ing of crushed ripe f ruit and20 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 21
juice was used f or inflamed gums in young boys. Because prot eins and enzymes have so many varied
• Pounded leaf juice was used f or adult gingivit is. roles wit hin cell processes, t he normalizat ion of
• Sore t hroat s were t reat ed by chewing t he leaves t hese prot eins wit h noni supplement at ion could init i-
and swallowing t he juice. at e a very wide variet y of body responses and t reat
• Skin abscesses and boils were covered wit h leaf many disease condit ions. Prot eins are t he most
poult ices. import ant cat alyst s f ound in t he body. The beaut y of
• Swelling was cont rolled wit h leaf macerat ions. obt aining a precursor t o xeronine f rom t he noni fruit
• Heat ed leaves were oft en used for art hrit ic joins is t hat t he body nat urally decides how much of t his
16
and f or ringworm. precursor t o convert t o xeronine. Disease, st ress,
anger, t rauma and injury can lower xeronine levels in
XERONINE: THE SECRET OF NONI? t he body , t hus creat ing a xeronine def icit .
Supplement ing t he body wit h noni fruit is considered
One inf ormed prof essional on t he subject of noni is
an excellent way t o safely and nat urally raise xero-
Dr. Ralph Heinicke, a biochemist who has researched
nine levels. It is t he research and t heories of Dr.
t he act ive compounds of noni fruit for a number of
Heinicke which have made t he juice of t he Hawaiin
years. He discovered t hat t he Hawaiin noni fruit con-
noni fruit a viable medicinal subst ance. He writ es:
t ains an alkaloid precursor t o a very vit al compound
called xeronine. Wit hout xeronine, life would cease. Xer oni ne i s an al kal oi d, a subst ance t he body pr oduces
In Dr. Heinicke’s view, noni f ruit provides a safe and i n or der t o act i vat e enzymes so t hey can f unct i on pr op-
eff ect ive way t o increase xeronine levels, which er l y. I t al so ener gi zes and r egul at es t he body. Thi s par -
exert a crucial influence on cell healt h and prot ec- t i cul ar al kal oi d has never been f ound because t he body
t ion. His research suggest s t hat t he juice from t he makes i t , i mmedi at el y uses i t , and t hen br eaks i t down.
At no t i me i s t her e an appr eci abl e, i sol abl e amount i n
M. cit rif olia f ruit cont ains what could t echnically be
t he bl ood. But xer oni ne i s so basi c t o t he f unct i oni ng of
considered a precursor of xeronine—proxeronine.
pr ot ei ns, we woul d di e wi t hout i t . I t s absence can cause
This compound init iat es t he release of xeronine in many ki nds of i l l ness.1 7
t he int est inal t ract af t er it comes in cont act wit h a
specific enzyme which is also cont ained in t he f ruit . Because so many diseases result from an enzyme22 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 23
malf unct ion, Dr. Heinicke believes t hat using t he noni has a very harsh t ast e and an ext remely f oul smell,
f ruit can result in an impressive array of curat ive similar t o t he fruit it self.
applicat ions. Int erest ingly, he believes t hat we manu- Ot her met hods of processing include t hermal pro-
f act ure proxeronine while we are sleeping. He pro- cessing, dehydrat ion and air drying. Thermal pro-
poses t hat if we could const ant ly supply our bodies cessing is generally f ound in liquids, while t he dehy-
wit h proxeronine from ot her sources, our need t o drat ed noni is t hen milled and encapsulat ed.
18
sleep would diminish. Unf ort unat ely b ot h met hods ut ilize high heat
( 1 1 0 +°F) , which can deact ivat e many of t he vit al
NONI PROCESSING compounds t hat make noni so import ant . Air-drying
is ef fect ive wit hout using damaging heat but has
How an herb is processed is crucial t o how beneficial
serious qualit y cont rol problems f or commercial pro-
it is: t his is especially t rue of noni, wit h it s unique
duct ion.
enzymes and alkaloids. Morinda cit rif olia should be
picked when t he f ruit is t urning from it s dark green
immat ure color t o it s light er green color, and cer-
MODERN APPLICATIONS OF NONI
t ainly before it ripens t o it s whit e, almost t ranslu-
cent color. Once picked, noni, like aloe, will denat ure
ext remely quickly due t o it s very act ive enzymes. Ov er v i ew
Af t er harvest ing, it should swif t ly be flash f rozen. Noni possesses a wide variet y of medicinal proper-
This is similar t o what is done t o f ish caught at sea t ies which originat e f rom it s diff ering plant compo-
t o keep t hem f resh. This st ops it f rom losing it s nent s. The fruit and leaves of t he shrub exert
pot ency while not damaging any of it s const it uent s. ant ibact erial act ivit ies. It s root s promot e t he expul-
To process noni, f reeze-drying is recommended. This sion of mucus and t he shrinkage of swollen mem-
removes only t he wat er wit hout damaging any of branes making it an ideal t herapeut ic f or nasal con-
t his miracle plant ’s vit al enzymes and ot her phy- gest ion, lung infect ions, and hemorrhoids. Noni root
t onut rient s like xeronine and proxeronine. This pure compounds have also shown nat ural sedat ive prop-
high-qualit y noni f ruit juice powder is t hen encapsu- ert ies as well as t he abilit y t o lower blood pressure.24 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 25
Leaf ext ract s are able t o inhibit excessive blood flow xeronine, which appears t o be able t o regulat e t he
or t o inhibit t he format ion of blood clot s. Noni is par- shape and int egrit y of cert ain prot eins t hat individu-
t icularly usef ul f or it s abilit y t o t reat painf ul joint ally cont ribut e t o specif ic cellular act ivit ies.
condit ions and t o resolve skin inf lammat ions. Many Int erest ingly, t his effect seems t o occur aft er inges-
people drink noni f ruit ext ract s in juice f orm f or t ion, inf erring t hat t he most act ive compound of
hypert ension, painful menst ruat ion, art hrit is, gast ric noni may not be present in uneat en forms of t he
ulcers, diabet es, and depression. Recent st udies sug- f ruit or ot her plant part s.
gest t hat it s ant icancer act ivit y should also be con- Some pract it ioners believe t hat xeronine is best
sidered. obt ained from a noni f ruit juice precursor compound.
Concerning t he t herapeut ic pot ent ial of t he The enzymat ic react ions t hat occur wit h t aking t he
Hawaiin noni f ruit , Dr. Heinicke writ es: juice on an empt y st omach are what Dr. Heinicke
believes set cellular repair int o mot ion.
I have seen t he compound f ound i n noni wor k wonder s.
When I was st i l l i nvest i gat i ng i t s possi bi l i t i es, I had a Cancer
f r i end who was a medi cal r esear ch sci ent i st admi ni st er
A st udy conduct ed in 1 9 9 4 cit ed t he ant icancer
t he pr oxer oni ne t o a woman who had been comat ose f or
t hr ee mont hs. Two hour s af t er r ecei vi ng t he compound, act ivit y of Morinda cit rif olia against lung cancer. A
she sat up i n bed and asked wher e she was. . . . Noni i s t eam of scient ist s from t he Universit y of Hawaii used
pr obabl y t he best sour ce of pr oxer oni ne t hat we have live laborat ory mice t o t est t he medicinal propert ies
t oday.1 9 of t he f ruit against Lewis lung carcinomas which
were art if icially t ransf erred t o lung t issue. The mice
t hat were left unt reat ed died in nine t o t welve days.
St udies and surveys combined support t he abilit y However, giving noni juice in consist ent daily doses
of noni t o act as an immunost imulant , inhibit t he signif icant ly prolonged t heir lif e span. Almost half of
growt h of cert ain t umors, enhance and normalize 20
t hese mice lived f or more t han f if t y days. Research
cellular funct ion and boost t issue regenerat ion. It is conclusions st at e t hat t he chemical const it uent s of
considered a powerf ul blood purifier and cont ribut or t he juice act ed indirect ly by enhancing t he abilit y of
t o overall homeost asis. t he immune syst em t o deal wit h t he invading malig-26 HAWAIIAN NONI ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a) Prize Herb of Hawaii and t he Sout h Pacif ic 27
nancy by boost ing macrophage or lymphocyt e act iv- wit h art hrit ic disease. One link t o art hrit ic pain may
it y. Furt her evaluat ion t heorizes t hat t he unique be t he inabilit y t o properly or complet ely digest pro-
chemical const it uent s of Morinda cit rifolia init iat e t eins which can t hen form cryst al-like deposit s in t he
enhanced T-cell act ivit y, a react ion t hat may explain joint s. The abilit y of noni fruit t o enhance prot ein
noni’s abilit y t o t reat a variet y of inf ect ious dis- digest ion t hrough enhanced enzymat ic f unct ion may
21
eases. help t o eliminat e t his part icular phenomenon.
In Japan, similar st udies on t ropical plant ext ract s In addit ion, t he alkaloid compounds and plant
f ound t hat damnacant hol, a compound f ound in met abolit es of noni may be linked t o it s apparent
Morinda cit rif olia, is able t o inhibit t he funct ion of K- ant i-inflammat ory act ion. Plant st erols can assist in
RAS-NRK cells, which are considered precursors t o inhibit ing t he inf lammat ory response which causes
22
cert ain t ypes of malignancies. The experiment swelling and pain. In addit ion, t he ant ioxidant ef f ect
involved adding noni plant ext ract t o RAS cells and of noni may help t o decrease f ree radical damage in
incubat ing t hem f or a number of days. Observat ion joint cells, which can exacerbat e discomf ort and
disclosed t hat noni was able t o signif icant ly inhibit degenerat ion.
RAS cellular f unct ion. Among 5 00 plant ext ract s,
Morinda cit rifolia was det ermined t o cont ain t he Immune Sy st em
most ef fect ive compounds against RAS cells. It s The alkaloid and ot her chemical compounds f ound
damnacant hol cont ent was clinically described in in noni have proven t hemselves t o eff ect ively cont rol
23
1 9 9 3 as “ a new inhibit or of RAS funct ion.” or kill over six t ypes of inf ect ious bact erial st rains
The xeronine fact or is also involved in t hat xero- including: Escherichia coli, salmonella t yphi ( and
nine helps t o normalize t he way malignant cells ot her t ypes), shigella paradysent eriae, and st aphylo -
behave. While t hey are st ill t echnically cancer cells, 25
coccus aureaus. In addit ion, damnacant hol, was
t hey no longer funct ion as cells wit h unchecked able t o inhibit t he early ant igen st age of t he Epst ein-
growt h. In t ime, t he body’s immune syst em may be Barr virus.
able t o eradicat e t hese cells. The bioact ive component s of t he whole plant ,
combined or in separat e port ions, have demonst rat -
A r t hr i t i s
ed t he abilit y t o inhibit several different st rains of29
bact eria. Anecdot al report s support t his act ion in t hat t ropical regions during World War II learned of t he
noni seems part icularly effect ive in short ening t he f ruit ’s abilit y t o boost endurance and st amina. Nat ive
durat ion of cert ain t ypes of infect ion. This may explain cult ures in Samoa, Tahit i, Rarat onga and Aust ralia
why noni is commonly used t o t reat colds and flu. used t he f ruit in cooked and raw f orms. M. cit rifolia
The chemical const it uent s f ound in noni and t he is considered a t onic and is especially recommended
possibilit y t hat t hey st imulat e xeronine product ion— f or debilit at ed condit ions.
as well as init iat e alkaloid t herapy—may explain
noni’s reput at ion f or having immuno-st imulat ory A nt i ox i dant
propert ies. Alkaloids have been able t o boost phago- The process of aging bombards t he body wit h f ree
cyt osis which is t he process in which cert ain whit e radicals which can cause all kinds of degenerat ive
blood cells called macrophages at t ack and lit erally diseases. The xeronine t heory promot ed by Dr.
digest inf ect ious organisms. Int erest ingly, t he ant i- Heinicke submit s t hat as our bodies age, we lose our
t umor act ion of noni has been ascribed t o an immune abilit y t o synt hesize xeronine. To make mat t ers
syst em response which involves st imulat ing T-cells. worse, t he presence of many environment al t oxins
act ually blocks t he product ion of xeronine as well. He
Nut r i t i v e Boost er
believes t hat t he proxeronine cont ent of Hawaiin
More and more research suggest s t hat because M. noni f ruit juice can help t o block t hese act ions,
26
cit rif olia compounds enable t he immune syst em t o t hereby working as an ant iaging compound.
f unct ion more eff ect ively, t aking t he herb in concen- The phyt onut rient s f ound in noni assist in promot -
t rat ed f orms may signif icant ly boost healt h and per- ing cell nourishment and prot ect ion f rom f ree radi-
formance. These compounds appear t o have t he cals creat ed by exposure t o pollut ion and ot her
abilit y t o increase t he absorpt ion, assimilat ion and pot ent ially damaging agent s. In addit ion, Morinda
ut ilizat ion of vit amins and minerals. The presence of cit rif olia cont ains selenium, which is considered one
proxeronine in noni init iat es a rise of xeronine in t he of t he best ant ioxidant compounds available.
int est inal t ract which enables t he walls of t he
int est ines t o more ef f icient ly absorb various nut ri- Di abet es
ent s, especially amino acids. Vit amins act synergist i-30 Noni ( Mor i nda ci t r i f ol i a)
While scient ific st udies are lacking in t his part icu- burn sit e t hrough t he direct applicat ion of a noni
lar applicat ion of noni, Hawaiians used various part s poult ice is considered quit e eff ect ive by Dr. Heinicke
of t he plant and it s fruit t o t reat blood sugar disor- and his colleagues, who have st udied enzymat ic
ders. Anecdot al surveys have f ound t hat noni is cur- t herapy. Concerning burns, he has writ t en:
rent ly recommended for anyone wit h diabet es.
I bel i eve t hat each t i ssue has cel l s whi ch cont ai n pr o-
Pai n Ki l l er t ei ns whi ch have r ecept or si t es f or t he absor pt i on of
xer oni ne. Cer t ai n of t hese pr ot ei ns ar e t he i ner t f or ms
A 1 9 9 0 st udy found t hat ext ract s derived f rom
of enzymes whi ch r equi r e absor bed xer oni ne t o become
t he Morinda cit rifolia root have t he abilit y t o kill pain act i ve. Thi s xer oni ne, by conver t i ng t he body’ s pr ocol -
27
in animal experiment s. Int erest ingly, it was during l angenase syst em i nt o a speci f i c pr ot ease, qui ckl y and
t his st udy t hat t he nat ural sedat ive act ion of t he saf el y r emoves t he dead t i ssue f r om bur ns.3 0
root was also not ed. This st udy involved a French
t eam of scient ist s who not ed a significant cent ral
28 Dr ug A ddi ct i on
analgesic act ivit y in laborat ory mice. Dr. Heinicke
has st at ed, “ Xeronine also act s as a pain reliever. A The xeronine link t o t reat ing drug addict ion is
man wit h very advanced int est inal cancer was given based on t he not ion t hat f looding t he brain wit h
t hree mont hs t o live. He began t aking t he proxero- ext ra xeronine can reverse t he neurochemical basis
29
nine and lived f or a whole year, pain-free.” f or addict ion. This nat ural alkaloid is t hought t o nor-
malize brain recept ors which subsequent ly result s in
Sk i n Heal i ng A gent t he cessat ion of physiological dependence on a cer-
31
One of t he most prevalent hist orical uses of noni t ain chemical like nicot ine. The pot ent ial of Hawaiin
was in poult ice f orm for cut s, wounds, abrasions, noni as a nat ural st imulat or f or t he product ion of
burns and bruises. Using it s f ruit ext ract f or very xeronine may have prof ound implicat ions in t reat ing
serious burns has result ed in some ext raordinary various t ypes of addict ions.
healing. Because skin is comprised of prot ein, it
Compl ement ar y A gent s of Noni
immediat ely responds t o t he presence of xeronine.cat ’s claw papaya kava kava pau d’arco bioflavonoids selenium germanium grapeseed ext ract echinacea prot eolyt ic enzymes aloe vera glucosamine shark cart ilage Pr i mar y A ppl i cat i ons of Noni abrasions art hrit is at herosclerosis bladder inf ec- t ions boils bowel disorders burns cancer chronic f at igue syndrome circulat ory weak- ness colds congest ion cold sores const ipat ion depression diabet es eye inflammat ions f ever f ract ures gast ric ulcers gingivit is headaches high blood pressure i m m u n e weakness indigest ion int est inal parasit es kidney disease menst rual irregularit ies
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