Information about the Noni book (English Version)
Noni Morinda citrifolia
Old Tradition and Modern Recognition
Johannes Westendorf and Cornelia Mettlich
Copyright
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Note
This book is intended only as information about the noni plant and its benefits. It reports testimonials from noni users and research papers published in the literature. This book is not to be used for diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease. The authors are not responsible for any health problems which may be caused by the use of noni products discussed in this book.
Content
| Preface | 4 |
| Introduction by Leland White | 7 |
| Morinda citrifolia (Noni) Environment and growth characteristics | 11 |
| Traditional use of the noni plant | 15 |
| Noni as a food plant | 15 |
| Use of noni as medicinal plant | 33 |
| Rediscovery of noni | 48 |
| Ralph Heinicke | 48 |
| Anecdotal health-promoting effects of noni fruit juice | 53 |
| Increases overall well being | 58 |
| More Energy | 58 |
| Reduces inflammation and pain | 59 |
| Fewer infections | 61 |
| Improves sleeping | 62 |
| Fewer problems with stomach and digestion | 62 |
| Fewer allergies and asthma | 65 |
| Improves skin | 67 |
| Fewer headaches | 68 |
| Fewer gynecological disorders | 69 |
| Improves growth of hair and nails | 69 |
| Benefits cholesterol levels and reduces high blood pressure | 70 |
| Improves type II diabetes | 71 |
| Helps reduce or stop smoking | 72 |
| Fewer gum problems | 73 |
| Improves wound healing | 73 |
| Less depression | 75 |
| Removes warts | 75 |
| Improves osteoporosis | 76 |
| Improves sexual potency | 77 |
| Positive effects against cancer | 77 |
| Improves Parkinson’s disease symptoms | 81 |
| Beneficial effects of noni fruit juice | 82 |
| Based on scientific investigations | 82 |
| Energy and the role of oxygen | 85 |
| Pain and inflammation | 96 |
| Effects of noni on pain | 99 |
| Effects of noni on the immune system | 106 |
| Effects of noni on the hormonal system | 112 |
| Effects of noni cholesterol blood level | 120 |
| Effects of noni on blood pressure | 123 |
| Antimicrobial activity of noni | 124 |
| Safety studies investigations of noni | 128 |
| Acute and chronic toxicity | 130 |
| Allergenic potential | 133 |
| Fetotoxic activity | 133 |
| Mutagenic and carcinogenic activity | 134 |
| Case studies suggesting toxic effects of noni fruit juice Liver toxicity | 138 |
| Nephrotoxicity | 142 |
| Interactions between noni fruit juice and coumadin | 143 |
| Noni fruit juice as transport vehicle for cocaine | 144 |
| When should you not take noni? | 145 |
| Chemical composition of noni | 148 |
| Noni fruit | 152 |
| Nutrient content of noni fruit | 152 |
| Amino acid content of noni fruit | 153 |
| Vitamin content of noni fruit | 155 |
| Mineral content of noni fruit | 161 |
| Fatty acid content of noni fruit | 161 |
| Polysaccharide fraction of noni fruit | 165 |
| Noni fruit compounds with pharmacological properties | 166 |
| Noni leaves | 169 |
| Nutritional content of noni leaves | 170 |
| Amino acid content of noni leaves | 171 |
| Metal content of noni leaves | 173 |
| Noni leaf compounds with Pharmacological properties | 174 |
| Noni seeds | 175 |
| Noni roots | 177 |
| The quality of noni products | 179 |
| Analytical methods | 179 |
| Local differences | 184 |
| Processing of Noni fruit juice | 187 |
| Analysis of inorganic-marker compounds | 190 |
| Analysis of organic-marker compounds | 193 |
| Acknowledgements | 197 |
| Attachments | 198 |
| Reference index | 198 |
| Subject index | 214 |
Preface
The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of the traditional uses of the noni plant and its fulminant worldwide distribution in the past decade, to those who are already familiar with its use as well as those who wish to become acquainted with it.
We live in a century of rapid changes and technical progress, many of which our psyches fail to appropriately understand. Technically we live in the 21st century; however, emotionally we are at times, closer to the stone age. This discrepancy often creates distrust of modern technology, especially when it relates to medicinal technology.
One of the most difficult experiences in our life is to learn that we are suffering from a disease, but lack the ability to fight it. Regardless of how effectively we solve other problems in our life, we now learn that we cannot help ourselves. We are told to entrust our most precious possession, our body, to other people who use techniques which we do not understand. This creates anxious distrust, which increases if we are confronted with different diagnoses from other physicians.
Many people try to avoid this situation by consulting specialists in natural healing. The positive experiences of these people are that natural healing emphasizes the whole body and not just a single organ. Natural healers also spend more time with their patients than most physicians who follow the traditional principals of medical school.
Medical schools focus mainly on the treatment of disease symptoms, whereas holistic or natural healing seeks to activate the self-healing forces of the body. Although this book reports on only one medicinal plant, noni, which is used in natural healing, we do not wish to recommend one over the other. We are convinced that the greatest benefit will result from a combination of both disciplines. While physicians from traditional medical schools have generally ridiculed natural healing in the past, a change has recently occurred. Disciplines, such as phytotherapy, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, or acupuncture are now better accepted and are taught as part of medical university training. Although the quantity of holistic training is still very modest, it is no longer excluded at these universities. The interest, which many physicians have in the noni plant, shows that traditional medicine, and the experience of generations of humans arising from a detailed observation of nature, will find its way more and more into modern medical practices.
In order to overcome the distrust of many physicians to natural healing, it is important that supporters not fight against medical schools, but instead follow scientific principles. Suppose a patient consults a physician and relates the „miraculous“ power of the noni plant. The physician, who may not be familiar with noni will likely search the internet. What he finds is a mass of data. Much of what he finds will be negative, leading him to conclude that therapeutic effects attributed to noni are obvious nonsense. Because he has no time to critically select between the positive and negative reports, he concludes that he cannot recommend noni. However, if he can be convinced to try noni on some of his patients, he will probably change his mind, because he cannot ignore the obvious beneficial effects.
The question is how can we convince our physicians to use noni as part of their therapy? This will be possible only if we can provide credible reports about cases and good scientific investigations on its benefits. This is the principal purpose of this book.
Hundreds of publications in „peer reviewed“ scientific journals are available in the meantime. The expression „peer reviewed“ indicates that the publications have been critically reviewed by several experts before they are published. This process guarantees the quality and acceptance of scientific findings among the community of scientists. However, publications about noni are still largely unknown among people working in medicine. We often hear the argument that scientific investigations confirming the benefits of noni do not exist. In this book we will provide an overview of the scientific literature of noni, as well as traditional observations made by generations of indigenous tribes in the south pacific and parts of Asia. Additionally, we will begin with an epidemiological investigation. In this study we report on as many people as possible who regularly drink noni juice. These people were asked how much they drink per day, when they started, why, and whether it provided therapeutic effects. We will also report whether their physician knows that they take noni and if he/she recommends it. We will focus on medical data reporting changes in the health status of the patients. About 2000 reports collected so far will be discussed in this book. We also will report all of the side effects of noni which came to our knowledge. Case reports about liver toxicity, nephrotoxicity, changes in blood clotting from other published hematological reports will be discussed extensively. Finally, we will demonstrate how one can distinguish between quality differences of noni juices on the market.
It is our intention to help consumers of noni products better understand the power of this plant, and to optimally use it for their benefit. We are especially interested in providing convincing scientific evidence to more and more physicians about the benefits of noni products as a part of their therapy. We hope that one day in the near future noni will find acceptance and a firm place in the practice of modern medicine.
Bremen May 1st, 2009
Johannes Westendorf
Cornelia Mettlich