A ripe Noni fruit turns yellow while an unripe Indian mulberry looks green. (Photo credit: Roberto Verzo via Flickr under Creative Commons)
People frequently attach various health claims, including rumors of curative and therapeutic powers over the “Big C” or Cancer, to traditional herbal remedies and plant-based nutritional supplements. But, only a few of these pure herbal extracts have a clinical study or two to support their supposedly cancer-fighting properties. Of course, Noni fruit juice and its plant extracts didn’t escape the scrutiny of the scientific community, especially when manufacturers of the commercial Noni began insinuating that this liquid dietary supplement is brimming with antioxidants and vital nutrients that can stop cancerous cells from growing in number and size. It’s possible that the concentrated juice from the Indian mulberry fruit can help suppress tumors from growing, but only when it’s used with other herbal extracts or added to a chemical mixture as a stabilizer or a potency booster. Nevertheless, this medical cocktail of cancer-fighting compounds can give chemotherapy and other forms of cancer treatment just enough time to shrink the tumors and give the patient’s body a chance to recover.
Noni Juice Tested on Cancer Cells Grown in Transgenic Mice
In a 30-day experimental study of transgenic female mice, which were transplanted with breast cancer cells ordinarily found in humans, scientists fed the little critters daily with UV-purified drinking water mixed with a small amount of concentrated Noni juice. Of course, they received the daily mouse equivalent of the recommended human dosage of no greater than 3 ounces per day. Specifically, the equivalent human dosage roughly falls between 1.50 to 2.75 fluid ounces or around 45 to 80 mL when based on a daily intake of 1,800 calories for an average adult female. Thus, women who drank at least 800 mL of fluids on a daily basis are expected to consume no less than 720 mL of water, soups, beverages, and other liquids in addition to the 80mL serving of Noni fruit juice every day.
Another clinical study on the Morinda citrifolia revealed that adding 10% of the Noni juice or plant extract in chemotherapy preparations increases the potency of the chemicals used to treat cancer. The polysaccharides in the juice bind themselves with the chemical compounds, like topo-isomerase and mitotic inhibitors, anti-metabolits, and alkylating antineoplastic agents. This chemical attraction improves the chemical transport through the cellular membranes and deliver these substances quickly to the targeted tumor cells.
Essentially, the Morinda fruit juice contain large amounts of polysaccharides, which are non-digestible fibers that remain in the gut longer and delay the absorption of fats and carbohydrates into the bloodstream. Because the digestive system thinks these polysaccharides are foreign objects, this triggers a direct immune response wherein the immune system produces a large number of antibodies. These Y-shaped blood proteins seek out all the antigens, including the cancer cells, in the body and they work hard to neutralize them. In a roundabout way, drinking Noni juice seems to greatly improve a cancer patient’s chances of survival.
Noni Fruit Juice is Completely Safe for Humans and Animals
According to the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food 2002 report, the laboratory animal studies yielded no signs of adverse effects on the test subjects, which were exposed to standard medical testing procedures used to detect the tiniest presence of toxins in their system. In effect, commercially available Noni health products were tested negative for sub-acute and sub-chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, and allergenicity. Thus, this liquid dietary supplement is completely devoid of food additives, coloring agents, chemicals, or other compounds that can cause really bad allergies and major health problems, such as hypertension and difficulty in breathing. It also doesn’t have elements that can cause cellular mutations that often develop into cancer.
So, what do these scientific results mean for you? Apparently, the Morinda fruit juice and the plant’s extracts are completely safe for people to drink or ingest as herbal food supplements as long as you follow the recommended daily dosage and you don’t consume the supplement beyond the number of days or weeks that your nutritionist or health specialist has prescribed.
Although Noni fruit juice poses no health risk even when it’s consumed for an extended period, it’s always better for you to consult your physician, especially when you’ve been diagnosed with a cardiovascular ailment, like coronary heart disease or arteriosclerosis; when you have a dysfunctional metabolism because of diabetes or hypertension; and when you’re in your first trimester of pregnancy or when you’re breastfeeding your infant.
Aside from its use as a health supplement for humans, the fruit juice extracted from the Great Morinda tree offers a safe and natural source of antioxidants and dietary fibers for pets and farm animals. Based on the results of an experimental study on broiler chickens fed with Noni fruit juice or puree, the plant’s non-digestible fibers called polysaccharides greatly improved the quality of the chicken’s gut flora and strengthened the fowl’s immune system.
References
1. Lohani, Madhukar (May 2010). Immunomodulatory Properties of Noni (Morinda citrifolia). Thesis paper presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Animal and Veterinary Science. Retrieved from http://etd.lib.clemson.edu/documents/1285619469/LOHANI_clemson_0050M_10649.pdf on 12 October 2013.
2. Clafshenkel, WP, King, TL, Kotlarczyk, MP, et. al. (26 April 2012). Morinda citrifolia (Noni) Juice Augments Mammary Gland Differentiation and Reduces Mammary Tumor Growth in Mice Expressing the Unactivated c-erbB2 Transgene. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM) v.2012. doi: 10.1155/2012/487423. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3351229/ on 12 October 2013.
3. Hornick, CA, Myers, A, et. al. (2003). Inhibition of angiogenic initiation and disruption of newly established human vascular networks by juice from Morinda citrifolia (noni). Angiogenesis 2003 v.6(2):143-149. Journal article retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14739620 on 12 October 2013.
4. Robinson, Narda G., DO, DVM, MS (2007). Noni Juice – Why All the Hype?. Retrieved from http://csuvets.colostate.edu/pain/Articlespdf/0706NoniArticle.pdf on 12 October 2013.