NONI: Miracle or Mirage


What is NONI?

Morinda Citrofolia, commonly known as the Indian Mulberry, or
Noni in
Hawaiian, is a tree that bears Noni fruit, whose juice is claimed
by
Morinda, Inc. to have beneficial medicinal therapeutic effects on
many ailments in humans and in animals. The juice is marketed
as
Tahitian Noni or simply Noni, "a dietary supplement.

Where are the Noni trees grown?
According to information from Morinda, Inc., "Noni trees are
grown in
the South Pacific islands, Tahiti, Hawaii, Malaysia, French
Polynesia, where there is pollution-free volcanic soil." The roots,
bark, stem, leaves and fruits, according to the literature from this
company, have been used for medicinal purposes for over 2,000
years
in Polynesia, China and elsewhere. The early Polynesian
immigrants
brought the trees to Hawaii.

Do we grow these trees in the Philippines?
Apparently, yes. In Zamboanga City, the fruit is locally known
as "apatot" and "bangkuro," which some native folks take daily
for
its "medicinal effects." Some people say that we may even have
these
trees in Cebu. Health Undersecretary Milagros Fernandez stated
that
the Department of Health "is stepping in on the Noni fruit craze,
because taking the fruit may result in a fatal disease in the long
run."

What diseases is Noni supposed to be good for?
The manufacturer has testimonials from a variety of people,
including
patients, doctors, chiropractors, other healthcare workers, etc.
who
stated that Noni juice has helped them treat unlimited number of
diseases ranging from Athlete's Foot to Diabetes, High Blood
Pressure
to Arthritis, and Stroke to Cancer, etc. They make it sound like
Noni
is good for all diseases, and also effective for boosting the
immune
system, allergies, aches and pains, depression, fatigue, stress,
obesity, smoking, sleep problems, and many others. This
sounds too
good to be true.

Is Noni recommended as a beverage?
No, not as a fruit drink. Noni juice is marketed as a food
supplement. If it is to be taken at all, we suggest that it be done
under a physician's supervision. We do not have convincing
information either that it is safe to drink Noni juice as a beverage.

Does Noni have any bad side effects?
Morinda, Inc. sent us a pamphlet written by its marketing
endorser,
Dr. Neil Solomon, who reported that Noni side effects are
minimal and
include skin rash, belching, and diarrhea in less than 3% of
those
who ingested the juice. A Cebu physician recently reported
stomach
bleeding as a side effect in two of her patients. Dr. Solomon's
article was based on his "interviews with more than 20 doctors
and 20
other health professionals who treated over 8000 people who
took
Noni." The report does not contain any original scientific
laboratory
and clinical studies of his own whatsoever. We do not have any
medical data on its effects on the brain, the heart, the liver, the
pancreas, the kidneys, and other organs of the body.

Are there studies to support these claims?
The company sent us a couple of scientific papers, one from
France
and one from Hawaii, on experimental studies in the laboratory
mice.
We were unable to find independent double blind scientific
studies on
humans that will confirm these limited findings in mice and
convince
us (and the entire global medical community) that Noni is indeed
a
miracle drug effective for all illnesses. We all want to find
the "Fountain of Youth" but until it is proven to be genuine by our
present state-of-the- art medical technology, I suggest you keep
the
fountain of money flowing to your own bank accounts and away
from the
banks of the company and its middlemen. More importantly, let
us not
self-medicate and delay seeing our physician for the correct
diagnosis and appropriate treatment of whatever illnesses we
have.
Our health, well-being and life may depend on it.

What are the specific claims on Noni's medicinal value?
The article of Dr. Solomon and the tape-recorded testimonials
we
received claimed that "Noni helped 78 percent of those who took
the
juice for one or more problems." The article also claimed that
"mice
who had cancer who were treated with Noni lived longer, about
119%
average increase in survival time," that Noni lowered the blood
pressure among people with high blood pressure, that those
with
Diabetes were better controlled, that Noni alleviates pains, that it
helps regulate sleep, that it increases energy, that it has
antibacterial properties, that it can protect against digestive and
heart damage, that it inhibits pre-cancer function and growth of
cancer tumors in humans, etc. To put things in proper
perspective, I
would like to repeat that none of these claims of curative powers
of
Noni have been scientifically tested and proven beyond doubt in
the
medical arena in the United States, Europe or elsewhere at this
writing. In view of this, medical ethics forbid physicians from
prescribing Noni to their patients as a substance with healing
powers
on diseases.

How does Noni exert its alleged "curative" action?
According to Dr. Solomon's report, while Dr. Ralph Heinicke, a
biochemist and another Noni endorser, "was with the Pineapple
Research Institute in the US in the 1950s, he isolated a
crystalline
material, proxeronine, which he later realized was a critical
component for the synthesis of xeronine, whose action ultimately
enables a normal body cell to work efficiently and help a
damaged
cell repair its deficiencies." It is theorized that during stress or
illness, aches and pains, etc, the level of proxeronine and
xeronine
goes down, and ingesting Noni extract or juice, which contains
proxeronine, will normalize the level of xeronine to help the body
strengthen its immune system and treat whatever is ailing itself,
in
a natural way.

How popular is Noni?
Noni has penetrated the Philippine market in December of 1998.
Morinda Inc. reported a total global commissionable sales of
$5.45
Million for November 1997, compared to $2 Million for November
1996.
For November 1999, the predicted sales is over $30 Million. The
company claims to have an exclusive agreement with the French
Polynesian government to harvest and export Noni juice to the 16
countries Morinda, Inc is marketing the juice in. It has achieved a
debt- free enterprise in just 2 ½ years, according to its ads. The
company's economic incentive is obvious.

So what is the final verdict on Noni?
This is a brewing controversy. The final verdict is still out there.
What is needed at this time are extensive scientific researches,
exhaustive double-blind studies, in the animal laboratories and
then
clinical trials in human subjects, done by sectors that have no
vested or financial interest in Noni, like the Food and Drug
Administration of the United States, independent university
research
centers and laboratories around the world, etc.

There is no question that all of us, including physicians, will
welcome a cure- all miracle drug with no adverse side effects.
However, we should be very wary and careful in evaluating
marketing
information about any such "cure-all" products or items that have
not
been thoroughly, tested, proven and accepted by the medical
community. Testimonials and anecdotal reports are not scientific
enough. Anyone can claim anything.

Remember the popular "cure-all snake oil" con-artists made
hundreds
of millions of dollars from in the 1800s and early 1900s? We are
not
saying Noni juice is in the same category. What we are saying is
that
todate we do not have enough scientific evidence in the medical
community about Noni's actions, efficacy, dosage, safety,
adverse
effects, etc. Therefore, as prudence would dictate, the keywords
are:
buyers beware! This could be a mirage and not a miracle.

How about Noni for cancer or AIDS patients?
We have been asked if Noni could be used as a last resort
treatment
for non- operable cancers, or full-blown AIDS. Obviously, the
patient
will have to discuss this with his/her attending doctor, but
personally, as a practical measure, I would not have any quarrel
with
this approach, so long as the case has been diagnosed as
hopeless and
the doctors have given up. Then, there's nothing to lose, so to
speak.

Is it safe to take Noni as a food supplement?
We do not know for sure. Morinda, Inc. and its endorsers assert
that
Noni is a "natural fruit juice, with no additives whatsoever, and is
safe to take, even with medications, whose action Noni even
enhances." A thirty two ounce-bottle of Noni costs around $45.00
(P1800). It is not cheap. Our advice is for those interested in
Noni
juice to consult their physician first before taking it.

How do I feel about Noni?
As a physician and scientist, who has been in practice for nearly
28
years, this writer is objectively skeptical about any one product or
substance that claims to be a cure for all diseases and
conditions.
Since the evolution of medical science over the past centuries,
no
one drug or chemical (alone and in itself) has been discovered
to
have a cure-all effect. If Noni products were properly assayed,
analyzed and scientifically proven to be efficacious and safe for
short term or chronic use, I would be among the first to use it
and
prescribe it. At the present, I am putting my judgement about
Noni on
hold, pending the much-needed independent scientific studies.
The yet
unknown possible serious side-effects scare me.

As a human being, however, who is subject to all possible
infirmities, I, like you, am praying, against all odds, for a miracle
drug, or drugs, that can finally cure all infirmities and diseases
on
earth. But, until then, I will stick to the conventional medications
approved for specific ailments by the FDA and BFAD that I have
proven
for almost three decades to be effective and safe for my patients,
for my family and for myself.


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Our readers are invited to send in their medical questions for
possible inclusion in future issues of this column. Mail your
questions to the author at Heart to Heart Talk, c/o Cebu
Cardiovascular Center, Cebu Doctors' Hospital, Osmena
Boulevard, Cebu
City, Philippines


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Philip S. Chua, M.D. is Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery of
Cebu
Cardiovascular Center at Cebu Doctors' Hospital, where he and
his
team do open-heart and coronary bypass surgery. He is a senior
consultant in cardiovascular surgery based in Northwest
Indiana,
U.S.A. and shuttles to Cebu every other month to do cardiac
surgery.
He was a Denton A. Cooley Cardiac Surgery Fellow at the Texas
Heart
Institute in Houston. Dr. Chua is a weekly columnist of Cebu
Daily
News, MALAYA Philippine national daily, Southern Leyte Times,
the
Filipino Reporter of New York, Filipino Press of San Diego, and
the
Pinoy Monthly of Chicago. He is past president of the American
Heart
Association (NWI), the Association of Philippine Physicians in
America (APPA) and the Society of Philippine Surgeons in
America
(SPSA).