Morinda citrifolia (NONI)

Contents

Summary
History
Mechanism of action

Morinda citrifolia

Family：Rubiaceae
Genus：Morinda

Summary

You can begin today to protect, rejuvenate, and even potentially heal yourself with the miracle of Noni. Used medicinally for thousands of years, the fruit from the Morinda citrifolia plant is now extolled by mainstream medical physicians, biochemists, modern herbalists, and medical researchers as a miraculous healing substance for modern times.

History

Although Morinda citrifolia is known. as the Indian mulberry or Och in India, Mengkudo in Malaysia, Ba ji tian in China, Nhau in Southeast Asia, Painkiller bush in the Caribbean, Cheesefruit in Australia, and Nono in Tahiti, it is most commonly known today by the name ancient Hawaiian healers gave it, which is simply Noni. In these countries and others, Morinda citrifolia was historically used to treat conditions that affected the respiratory , digestive, nervous, and immune systems. It was also used to treat joint, skin, and skeletal problems.

For medicinal use, traditional healers employ every part of the Noni plant: leaves, roots, bark, seeds, flowers, and fruit. Noni leaves are used for external inflammations as well as wounds and pain relief; root extracts lower blood pressure; the bark has strong astringent properties and is also used to treat malaria; seeds have a purgative action; flower extracts relieve eye inflammations. Noni fruit, the most prized part of the plant, has numerous applications, including many that are listed above. Noni is also very nutritious. In some ancient cultures Noni was a dietary staple and in others only consumed as a source for nourishment in times of famine.

The oldest references to Noni date back tens of centuries to India's ancient Sanskrit writings that cite the use of the Och plant in Ayurvedic medicine. Historians believe that Noni originated in Southeast Asia, and that during an ancient migration to colonize new lands, it was brought to Micronesia and then Polynesia. Polynesia has a rich healing heritage, and knowledge about Noni's medicinal uses was handed down from generation to generation. Scientific literature about Noni is more substantial from this region of the world than from India or any other region.

The Noni plant is an evergreen that can range from a small bush to a 30-foot tall tree. The tree produces a lovely, fragrant white flower that blooms year round. Noni fruit has a lumpy texture, looks similar to a hand grenade, and has a rancid taste and smell when fully ripened. The fruit is covered with reddish-brown pits that contain seeds. Each seed has an attached air sac that allows it to float for months in the ocean. It is thought that this is how Noni may have been transported to various countries centuries ago. Polynesian historians insist, however, that the Noni plant was considered sacred and brought intentionally to the islands primarily because of its medicinal properties. It was also valued for its nutritional properties and use as a dye. The seafaring Polynesians made voyages from island to island in their ocean-going canoes to colonize new lands. They brought with them only the essentials to survive: food, clothing, tools, and medicinal plants which included the sacred Noni plant.

Mechanism of action

Throughout Polynesia, the Noni plant was and still is traditionally used to treat pain, inflammation, burns and other skin afflictions, intestinal worms, nausea, food poisoning, fevers, infections, wounds, diarrhea, constipation, menstrual cramps, insect and animal bites, and conditions of aging.

In times past it was often difficult to get people, especially children, to take Noni juice because of its rancid smell and taste. In fact, in the early and mid -1900s Noni was very unpopular in many Polynesian communities because of its unpleasant smell, and many trees were cut down to rid residential areas of the odor. Prior to this, Christian missionaries who came to Polynesia banned Huna, the term for Polynesian natural healing, and medicinal interest in Noni somewhat diminished. The advent of synthetic drugs further diminished the interest of this amazing botanical until recent years.

For literally thousands of years people have used food, herbs, fasting, colon cleansing, and other natural methods to strengthen the immune system and to prevent and cure disease. Surprisingly, according to World Health Organization figures, herbal medicine is still the most widely practiced form of medicine in the world today.

Side effects in varying degrees often accompany the use of allopathic drugs, and synthetic medications do not treat the cause of disease. The allopathic medical approach to treating infectious disease is relatively new but is in serious trouble because of changing pathogenic microbes. Antibiotic-resistant disease has reached epidemic proportions in the world, and the effectiveness of antibiotics is rapidly decreasing. Because of this, scientists are displaying a renewed interest in studying botanicals that traditional healers have proven effective for fighting disease. Morinda citrifolia is emerging as an extremely valuable botanical medicine. Today Noni fruit is a highly prized medicinal commodity just as it was in ancient times.

Fortunately, the current methods of extracting and preparing precious Noni juice eliminate the unpleasant smell and taste without compromising beneficial properties. In addition to therapeutic benefits mentioned above, Noni juice reportedly has helped health problems such as immune-system disorders, bacterial and viral infections, respiratory problems, allergies, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, menstrual cramps, poor digestion, tuberculosis, malaria, influenza, drug and alcohol addiction, and more.

How is it possible that one simple plant can have such avast therapeutic spectrum? How can it be used to treat so many pathological conditions? As a researcher, I admit to initial skepticism about Noni's seemingly unlimited array of benefits. Then testimonials from friends who experienced dramatic results inspired me on a journey of discovery that astounded me. I heard numerous testimonials from medical doctors about how Noni helped them and their patients in countless ways. I spent hours listening to the testimonials of people from all walks of life with all kinds of amazing stories about how Noni helped them. I read many scientific reports validating the unique health benefits of this miraculous plant, and I concluded that Noni could offer hope, health, and healing for millions of people. Perhaps you are one.

Scientific studies show that Noni has the potential to stimulate the immune system, purify the blood, inhibit tumor growth, regulate proper cell function, and regenerate damaged cells.

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are natural chemicals found in plants. Scientists are finding that many of these plants have profound diseasepreventing and health-promoting benefits. Drugs used to treat illness and disease are classed as pharmaceuticals. Phytochemicals in plants having potential health benefits are classed as nutriceuticals. Noni contains a wide variety of beneficial phytochemicals, some of which are not found in any other known plant. These phytochemicals work synergistically to enhance biologically the expression of each individual component found in Noni. Researchers think this may account for Noni's amazing array of therapeutic benefits to various body systems.

Xeronine an Alkaloid Essential to Life

In 1957 Dr. Ralph Heinicke discovered a physiologically active alkaloid that occurs in healthy cells of the human body, plants, animals, and microorganisms. He named this new alkaloid xeronine. Dr. Heinicke had discovered a precursor (a component from which another component is formed) to xeronine in 1953. Many years later he realized the importance of his discoveries. A Ikaloids are organic nitrogenous compounds that even in negligible amounts have strong physiological effects in our bodies. The xeronine alkaloid had not been found before because the body produces it, immediately uses it, and then breaks it down. The amount of free xeronine left in the blood is therefore so minute it is well below normal chemical analytical techniques.

The body produces xeronine in order to activate certain inactive enzymes so they can function properly. Xeronine also regulates and gives structure to proteins, a process essential to life. Insufficient levels of xeronine in the body can lead to serious health problems.

In the 1950s the Dole Pineapple Company hired Dr. Heinicke to produce bromelain from the stems of pineapple plants and to develop markets for this new product. He quickly discovered that the commercial mixture ofbromelain exhibited some strange, unique, and very valuable properties that differed from all previous enzyme preparations.

The first medical application for this enzyme was made by Dr. Hunter, a gynecologist who wanted to use papain, the enzyme from papayas to clear mucus from the vagina prior to X-ray. By doing this, he would not confuse mucus with tumors when reading the X-rays. Dr. Heinicke suggested he try bromelain and it worked much better than papain. Then Dr. Hunter made an important medical discovery. He had a patient who suffered from severe cramping during menstruation and often had to be hospitalized. She came to see him when the onset of her menses was inexplicably late. Suspecting that a tumor was causing the obstruction, he gave her the standard bromelain douche to prepare her for X-ray. Within 30 seconds her menses started and she was pain free. A paper written about this event created a great deal of interest among pharmaceutical companies.

Dole felt the most important applications for bromelain were in medicine. A pharmaceutical company developing a medical treatment for severe menstrual cramps asked Dr. Heinicke to extract and prepare a pure protease (an enzyme that breaks down a protein) from the commercial bromelain enzyme mixture. After the pharmaceutical company received the purified enzyme, they tested the protease activity, found it to be high, and immediately began formulating samples for an extensive double blind test.

Millions of dollars were spent on conducting double blind studies, only to find the substance had absolutely no pharmacological activity. In the process of purification, the critical component had been discarded as a contaminant. But what was it? Toshiba, the largest drug company in Japan, spent three more years and three million dollars looking for the component before finally abandoning the project. Dr. Heinicke persisted in his research, however, and in the early 1970s found that the active components of bromelain were xeronine, the alkaloid he had discovered in 1957, and a precursor to xeronine, which he named proxeronine. Dr. Heinicke stated that most biochemists had overlooked this important plant substance because proxeronine does not contain sugars, amino acids, or nucleic acids.

While he was still at Dole, Dr. Heinicke noticed that while the protease content of commercial bromelain remained absolutely constant over a twenty-year period, the physiological activity of the commercial product decreased dramatically with time. He believed that this decrease was caused by the loss of certain critical micronutrients from the pineapple soils. This decrease in physiological activity led him to explore other plant sources for the critical ingredients.

Dr. Heinicke noticed that clinical claims of efficacy for bromelain and Noni were almost identical, so he used the same techniques on Noni juice that he had used to isolate xeronine from the pineapple plant. He found that he was able to isolate the proxeronine from Noni, and the yields were excellent. Although Noni contains negligible amounts of free xeronine, Dr. Heinicke found that it contains substantial quantities of the precursor proxeronine. This is the critical ingredient since the body generally has an abundant supply of all other factors required to biosynthesize xeronine.

Dr. Heinicke stated: "Xeronine is so basic to the functioning of protein, we would die without it. Its absence can cause many kinds of illness."

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When we consume a protein food such as meat or soybean products, the body breaks it down into amino acids which are rearranged into proteins the body needs, such as enzymes for metabolic function and antibodies that fight infection. Protein makes up our fingernails, hair, and muscles as well as some hormones such as insulin. Protein builds new tissue and repairs damaged tissue, and it transports oxygen and nutrients into the blood.

Our body's ability to produce xeronine diminishes as we age. Disease, injury, trauma, and stress can also lower xeronine in our bodies, creating a xeronine deficiency. Proteins are essential catalysts for literally thousands of cellular activities in the body. This explains why supplementing the diet with Noni juice, which has the potential to raise xeronine levels and normalize proteins, could initiate such a wide range of physiological responses and alleviate so many unrelated disease conditions. Noni juice can increase the ability of cells within the body to absorb and utilize nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. The actions of xeronine can enable larger molecules of digested nutrients to pass through cell membranes, thereby improving digestion.

Serotonin the Mood Molecule

Noni is also known to alleviate many kinds of pain, emotional and physical. According to Dr. Heinicke, this is due to the ability of xeronine to convert specific brain proteins into active receptor sites for endorphins, otherwise known as the "well-being hormones."

Endorphins are a group of peptides with potent analgesic properties. Tryptophan is an example of a critical amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin. When tryptophan is readily available, the body can use it if needed to increase serotonin levels. Serotonin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter. Manufactured by the body, it is found along with its receptor sites in the brain, blood platelets, and lining of the digestive tract. It is also a precursor to a hormone called melatonin, which plays multiple life-giving roles in the body, including regulating biological rhythms.

Neurotransmitters send messages (electrical impulses) from one nerve cell to another. Serotonin is believed to be more than simply a messenger, because it affects a wide range of mental and physical responses in the body and plays a significant role in activities such as temperature regulation, hunger sensations, sexual behavior , and sleep patterns. Serotonin receptors also help to regulate emotions, cognition, pain, and sensory motor function. Serotonin deficiencies can give rise to a wide range of illnesses, depending on what part of the brain is affected.

The Mood Molecule

Serotonin is known as the "mood molecule" because it modulates raw information and gives it its emotional tone. James Stockard, a Northwestern University psychiatrist, stated, "A person's mood is like a symphony, and serotonin is like the conductor's baton." For example, serotonin levels in the brain determine whether we will perceive a glass of water as being half-empty or half-full. Other neurotransmitters may send the message that we are full, but serotonin levels determine if we feel satisfied. In a recent study using PET scans (technology that measures cell function to gauge the rate of serotonin synthesis), it was found that men in the study produced 52% more serotonin than women. Women are twice as likely as men to become clinically depressed. Low serotonin levels in the brain are linked to clinical depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive behaviors (such as overeating), bulimia, schizophrenia, sleep problems, migraine headaches, autism, drug and alcohol addictions, Alzheimer's disease, and patterns of violent behavior. The conditions listed above may miraculously disappear or improve significantly when serotonin levels are raised.

Obesity, Smoking, Alcoholism Serotonin-Seekers

Dr. Richard J Wurtman, a scientist at MIT, reported in an article in Obesity Research, that animals given serotonin-releasing drugs would not overindulge in carbohydrates when given the choice of carbohydrates and proteins. Chronically overweight people generally feel hungry when serotonin levels drop even slightly and tend to snack. They often become addicted to simple carbohydrates. This tendency becomes habit forming, because eating brings a pleasurable effect. This also leads to overeating at regular meals. The feel-good effect is short-lived because the elevated mood declines as serotonin levels decline. Dieting is very difficult for the chronically overweight person because of this and they are also fighting the feeling of constant hunger pangs. Serotonin is our body's obesity control factor and our brains natural appetite suppressant. By optimizing serotonin levels we can eliminate emotional overeating and take control of our appetite for good.

The good feelings elevated serotonin levels produce is also sought by people who are addicted to nicotine and alcohol. The desire to reach for a cigarette, another drink or a snack to curb cravings, can be eliminated when optimal serotonin levels are maintained. This does not mean that all the impulses to smoke, drink or overeat will necessarily simply vanish. However, since the biological need for the substance is gone, the habit will be a lot easier to overcome. We need to ask ourselves what is motivating us and what the emotional triggers are, every time we are tempted to succumb to the old habit, and then learn new behaviors and responses. If you find that you are in an overwhelmingly stressful situation such as divorce, or financial reversals for example, you may want to consider seeking guidance through counseling or a support group.

Noni a Safe Way To Increase Serotonin

Essentially all of us are serotonin-seekers. Noni juice is a natural and safe way for us to increase the effects of this feel good hormone. Laboratory tests prove Noni juice's extremely high ability to bind with serotonin. Prozac@ is a serotonin-binding drug used to treat depression and Sumatriptan@ is a serotonin-binding drug used to treat migraine headaches. Both drugs have a list of side effects that extends into the hundreds. Redux@, a weight loss product that has been taken off the market because of its dangerous side effects, is a serotonin-elevating drug.

Whole foods such as Noni juice that elevate serotonin levels naturally, have no side effects. Using precise proportions and relationships to one another, nature combines vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemical co-factors that make up our food, so as to enhance the benefits of each individual component. In its innate wisdom, the body decides what it needs from nutrients and eliminates anything it doesn't need.

Noni in Concert

Noni has proven beneficial to the body in the lowering of blood pressure. Noni juice also exhibits anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral, antitumor, and antihistamine properties. Noni fruit is rich in vitamin C and selenium, essential nutrients that give our body antioxidant protection. Caprylic and caproic acids are short-chain fatty acids found in Noni fruit that promote more complete digestion and inhibit the growth of fungi and yeast in the digestive tract. Other chemical compounds found in Noni have proven to kill over seven types of infectious bacterial strains including: staphylococcus aureaus, salmonella typhi, escherichia, and shingella. All of the beneficial nutriceuticals in Noni work in concert with xeronine to make Noni juice a miraculous substance. There are countless anecdotal reports about the beneficial effects Noni has on conditions previously mentioned as well as: relief from allergies and arthritic joint pain, plus the shortened duration of infections such as influenza and the common cold.

Antitumor Activity

A very significant study citing the antitumor activity of Noni juice was conducted in 1994 by a team of scientists at the University of Hawaii. Twenty-two live laboratory mice were injected with active Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells then given a daily injection of a Noni juice extract. Mice left untreated died in nine to twelve days, and mice injected with the Noni extract lived significantly longer. Almost half of the mice survived for more than fifty days, and four continued to survive. On the average, the treated mice lived from 40% to 119% longer than the untreated mice. A study repeated on a different group of mice achieved similar results. The research team concluded that chemicals in Noni seem to act indirectly by enhancing the host immune system involving macrophages or lymphocytes, which protect the body from infection and foreign substances by producing antibodies.

Immune System Disorders

Other scientific evaluators of this study concluded that the Noni extract stimulated T-cell (T -lymphocyte) activity. T -cells are responsible for cellular immunity by attacking and killing antigens directly. They also suppress or amplify the overall immune response by regulating other components of the immune system. T -cells comprise about 70% of all lymphocytes. Numerous diseases are associated with decreased T -cell function such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis, fibromyalgia, and all chronic viral infections including AIDS, Epstein-Barr, lupus, and chronic fatigue syndrome. A substance such as Noni that can strengthen the immune system could potentially help many people suffering from these diseases. Physicians and other health professionals allover the world have reported that patients with life-threatening illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, and heart disease experienced astonishing health improvements using Noni juice.

Noni has been or is being studied in the United States at the University of Kentucky, Stanford University, The University of California, and the University of Hawaii; in England at the Union College of London; and in France at the University of Meets. Modern science is now able to document what the ancient healers knew. We now have the technology to evaluate and validate what it is about the Noni plant that brings about such dramatic improvement in so many areas of the body.

Skin Healing and Rejuvenation

Noni poultices have been used on the skin since ancient times for burns, abrasions, cuts, wounds, and bruising. Noni juice is effective for treating burns and wounds because when proxeronine is applied to the area, it stimulates xeronine synthesis, which in turn, enhances the healing process and removes dead tissue quickly and safely. I have heard numerous anecdotal reports about extremely fast healing of very serious burns and tissue regeneration from applying Noni juice topically. Noni fruit and seeds contain an essential oil that is wonderful for the skin. One of the oldest references to Noni states that it keeps the skin from cracking and drying in the sun.

How Much Noni Should We Take Suggested Servings

Since Nonijuice is food, I prefer to think in terms of servings instead of dosages. However, before starting Noni you may want to consult your health-care professional. In some cases, Noni can maximize medications to work more effectively and your health-care professional may want to adjust dosages. Noni can be taken in addition to any other food supplements or medications. Pregnant and lactating women can also take Noni. According to Dr. Heinicke, because proxeronine is stored in and released by the liver, serving size does not depend on your body weight. Many people feel the positive effects of Noni within days or weeks. Commit to taking Noni for at least six months so that you can give it a fair evaluation.

Dr. Heinicke recommends that Noni be taken one-half hour before breakfast and dinner, although the timing isn't critical. For any acute problem, Dr. Heinicke strongly recommends taking Noni juice in small increments throughout the day. It is generally suggested that you ingest more Noni for the first month, and decrease the serving size thereafter. An adult serving is 2 ounces before breakfast and 2 ounces before dinner. During months two through six, the suggested serving for an adult is 2 ounces before breakfast and 1 ounce before dinner. Month seven and after, suggested maintenance and prevention servings for an adult is one ounce before breakfast and dinner. After the first month, if you feel you are not getting desired benefits, you may want to increase your daily intake of Noni by taking an extra half -ounce serving before lunch. Increase this serving every three or four days by the same amount until you either obtain the results desired or are taking up to a total of 2 ounces before lunch. Children under the age of 16 and pets generally take one half the serving size that an adult takes twice a day for the first month and then one serving a day before breakfast for maintenance and prevention thereafter.

Noni Can Help Us Flourish!

Traditional healers used various parts of the Noni plant as a purge and a poultice to draw poisons from the body. An interesting story told by Dr. Heinicke, is about puffer fish. Poison from the puffer fish is the most lethal known to man. Dr. Heinicke conducted a clinical study in which he injected ten mice with tetrodotoxin poison from puffer fish and they all died. He injected a control group with xeronine and they did fine. He injected a third group with a combination ofxeronine and tetrodotoxin, and not only did they survive a lethal dose of poison, they flourished.

Our body is constantly assaulted by an inexhaustible list of toxic chemicals found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and in the personal care and cleaning products we use. Add to this, exposure to viruses, bacteria, and fungi that are increasingly more deadly, and we have a recipe for premature aging, disease, and death. Noni appears to be a substance that can protect us from these invaders and help us flourish despite them.

Remember, juice extracted from Noni fruit grown in the virgin soil of the Tahitian Islands is the best source of components of the xeronine system, and the only Noni juice Dr. Heinicke endorses. Discover for yourself why people call Noni an ancient health miracle for modern times. The answer to your personal quest for health and healing may be. ..Simply Noni.