Noni, Morinda citrifolia, has been used extensively in folk medicine by Polynesians for over 2,000 years. Noni is a traditional food and medicine in many tropical areas including the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, India, and the Philippines. Ancient People Used Noni fruit for both internal and topical applications. Noni is still used by the local population in Hawaii for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart health maintenance, abnormal growths, and other chronic disorders.

But based on clinical practice and numerous animal studies, it is widely believed that the polysaccharide-rich substances found in Noni Fruit Juice attack abnormal cells and abnormal growths by stimulating body’s immune system. In animal cancer studies, Noni juice treatments reduced the formation of abnormal cells in the heart, lungs, liver, and kidney and prolonged the life span of mice by more than 75%.

Noni Nutritional Information is reported by the College of Tropical Agriculture, University of Hawaii at Manoa who published analyses of fruit powder and pure juice.

Selenium
An important anti-oxidant and trace element found in Noni juice that preserves the skin’s elasticity, thus slowing the aging process. Selenium also increases oxygen flow to the heart and may prevent blood clotting and hypertension.

Anthraquinones (Damnacanthol)
Important antiseptic and anti-bacterial plant chemicals found in Noni juice. They have been shown in laboratory tests to kill pre-cancer cells, Lewis Lung carcinoma, and prevent DNA damage. It stimulates the immune response to cancer by activating the body’s T-cells, or “Cancer Killers.” T-cells are extremely important for people suffering from cancer, AIDS, or other diseases which compromise the body’s immune systems.

Glycosides
Newly discovered compounds that prevent cancer and scavenge free radicals.

Scopoletin
A little-known, but hard-working chemical component of Noni juice with many wonderful health benefits. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. It regulates serotonin, the body’s “feel-good” hormone, which helps to ward off feelings of anxiety and depression, and may be why people who drink Noni juice often experience a sense of well-being. It is a vasodilator and lowers blood pressure. It binds to melatonin and helps to regulate sleep, hunger, and body temperature. As if all these were not enough, scopoletin is also an analgesic.

Terpene
Rejuvenates cells and rids the body of toxins.

Limonene
A bitter cancer-fighting compound commonly found in Noni juice and citrus fruits.

Adaptogen
An adaptogen is a substance that has a global balancing effect on all body systems. There are only 12 known adaptogens; of these 12, Noni Juice is said to be the “premiere” adaptogen.

Alkalinity
Tissues degrade and disease thrives in an acidic environment. Noni Juice promotes an alkaline body chemistry, the optimal state for good health.

Anti-Oxidant
Anti-oxidants, such as green tea, pycnogenol, and vitamin C, among others, are important in neutralizing “free radicals”, or particles that cause DNA damage that can lead to cancer. Noni Juice has recently been found to be the most effective of all known anti-oxidants.

Low Glycemic Index
A 3:1 ratio of carbohydates to fiber in Noni Juice helps balance blood sugar levels.

Macronutrients
Noni nutritional analyzed as a whole fruit powder, noni fruit has excellent levels of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, providing 55% and 100% of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), respectively, in a 100 g serving. A good source of protein (12% DRI), noni pulp is low in total fats (4% DRI).

These macronutrients evidently reside in the fruit pulp, as noni juice has sparse amounts of macronutrients

Micronutrients
The main micronutrient features of noni pulp powder include exceptional vitamin C content (10x DRI) and substantial amounts of niacin (vitamin B3), iron and potassium. Vitamin A, calcium and sodium are present in moderate amounts.

When noni juice alone is analyzed and compared to pulp powder, only vitamin C is retained at a high level, 42% of DRI.

Phytochemicals
The history of published medical research on Noni Phytochemicals numbers only around a total of 110 reports which began appearing in the 1950s (searched in September 2008). Just since 2000, over 100 publications on noni have been published in medical literature, defining a relatively young research field. Noni Nutritional Research is at a preliminary stage, as it is mainly still in the laboratory as in vitro or basic animal experiments.

Noni fruit contains phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples: * lignans – a group of phytoestrogens having biological activities shown by in vitro experiments * oligo- and polysaccharides – long-chain sugar molecules that serve a prebiotic function as dietary fiber fermentable by colonic bacteria, yielding short chain fatty acids with numerous potential health properties not yet defined by scientific research on noni * flavonoids – phenolic compounds such as rutin and asperulosidic acid, common in several Rubiaceae plants * iridoids – secondary metabolites found in many plants * trisaccharide fatty acid esters, “noniosides” – resulting from combination of an alcohol and an acid in noni fruit * free fatty acids – most prominent in noni fruit are caprylic acid and hexanoic acid, responsible for unique pungent (cheese-like) aroma of ripe noni fruit * scopoletin – may have antibiotic activities; research is preliminary * catechin and epicatechin * beta-sitosterol – a plant sterol with potential for anti-cholesterol activity not yet proven in human research * damnacanthal – a potentially toxic anthraquinone, putatively an inhibitor of HIV viral proteins * alkaloids – naturally occurring amines from plants. Some internet references mention xeronine or proxeronine as important noni constituents. However, as no reports on either of these substances exist in published medical literature, the terms are scientifically unrecognized. Further, chemical analysis of commercially processed juice did not reveal presence of any alkaloids.

Although there is evidence from in vitro studies and laboratory models for bioactivity of each of the above phytochemicals, the research remains at best preliminary and too early to conclude anything about human health benefits provided by Noni or Noni Juice. Furthermore, these phytochemicals are not unique to Noni, as nearly all exist in various plant foods.

Laboratory noni nutritional experiments demonstrated that dietary noni juice increased physical endurance in mice. A pilot study in distance runners showed increased endurance capacity following daily intake of noni juice over three weeks, an effect the authors attributed to increased antioxidant status.

Although Noni’s reputation for uses in folk medicine extends over centuries, no medical applications as those discussed below have been verified by modern noni nutritional research.

In China, Samoa, Japan, and Tahiti, various parts of the tree (leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, roots) serve as tonics and to contain fever, to treat eye and skin problems, gum and throat problems as well as constipation, stomach pain, or respiratory difficulties. In Malaysia, heated noni leaves applied to the chest are believed to relieve coughs, nausea, or colic.

The bark of the great morinda produces a brownish-purplish dye for batik making; on the Indonesian island of Java, the trees are cultivated for this purpose. In Hawaii, yellowish dye is extracted from its root in order to dye cloth. The fruit is used as a shampoo in Malaysia, where it is said to be helpful against head lice.

The bark of the great Morinda Produces a brownish-purplish dye for batik making; on the Indonesian island of Java, the trees are cultivated for this purpose. In Hawaii, yellowish dye is extracted from its root in order to dye cloth. The fruit is used as a shampoo in Malaysia, where it is said to be helpful against head lice.

Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Selective Cox II Inhibitor
Unlike typical pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, Noni Juice decreases pain and inflammation while protecting stomach, kidney, and liver cells.

Humectant
As a humectant, Noni Juice helps tissues retain moisture.

Immuno-modulator:
Noni Juice intelligently supports the immune system, not just by boosting it, but by regulating it to suppress the allergic and auto-allergic responses.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noni