international standard serial number (issn): 2319-8141 international journal of universal pharmacy...

494 | P a g e International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2319-8141

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International Journal of Universal Pharmacy and Bio Sciences 2(6): November-December 2013

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UNIVERSAL

PHARMACY AND BIO SCIENCES IMPACT FACTOR 1.89***

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Pharmaceutical Sciences REVIEW ARTICLE……!!!

MORINDA CITRIFOLIA (NONI) – A DETAILED REVIEW

Sridevi Nagalingam, Changam Sheela Sasikumar* and Kotturathu Mammen Cherian

Department of Cellular & Molecular Biochemistry, Frontier Lifeline & Dr. K.M. Cherian

Heart Foundation, R-30-C, Ambattur Industrial Estate Road, Mogappair, Chennai - 600 101.

KEYWORDS:

Morinda citrifolia; Noni;

Polynesian; traditional

medicine; nutritional

value; therapeutic

property; Xeronine.

For Correspondence:

Dr. C. Sheela

Sasikumar*

Address:

Chief Scientific officer,

Department of Cellular

and Molecular

Biochemistry, Frontier

Lifeline Pvt. Ltd. & Dr.

K.M. Cherian Heart

Foundation, R-30-C,

Ambattur Industrial

Estate Road, Mogappair,

Chennai - 600 101.

ABSTRACT

Morinda citrifolia Linn Rubiaceae also called as ‘noni’ is being used

for many centuries as traditional medicine by Polynesians for over

2000 years. Morinda citrifolia is an evergreen shrub that originated in

Southeast Asia and has been naturalized in many other regions around

the world. Various communities throughout the world consume the

fruit and leaves of this traditional medicinal plant for its versatile

therapeutic nature. The fruit of this plant has a strong butyric acid

smell and a cheesy flavor due to the presence of carboxylic acid, where

as the leaves and roots are meant for many therapeutic processes and is

also used as dyes. Morinda citrifolia is found to have a broad range of

therapeutic effects like antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor,

anthelmintics, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, immune

enhancing effect etc.; hence, the juice obtained from ripe and unripe

fruit seems to be a more recent innovation that has been commercially

exploited to a greater extent in recent times. Therefore this review will

briefly investigate on the nutritional and therapeutic values of Morinda

citrifolia.

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1. INTRODUCTION:

Morinda citrifolia Linn (Rubiaceae) commonly known as Noni, is a traditional and Polynesian

medicinal plant that has been used for more than 2000 years. When the ancestors of Polynesians

migrated from South East Asia they brought many plants with them for food and medicinal

purposes, among them Noni was one of the most popular herbal medicinal plant that was used to

treat many types of diseases (Adams, 2001). Noni is called by different names by various cultures

throughout the world as Indian mulberry, Ba Ji Tian, Yor, Nono or Nonu, Cheese fruit, Nhau,

Mengkudu in Malay, Nhau in South East Asia, Ach in Hindi and Nunakaai in Tamil (Cardon, 2003).

Almost all parts of this tree such as leaves, root, bark, stem, and fruits are used for medicinal

purposes. Traditional cultural conversations with experts from Fiji, Hawaii, Rotuma, Samoa, Tahiti,

and Tonga, highlighted their significant role in ancient diets. Large-fruited M. citrifolia var.

citrifolia, Small fruited Morinda citrifolia var. bracteata and Morinda citrifolia cultivar ‘potteri’ are

some of the genetically modified variety of Morinda citrifolia which are being primarily focused for

greatest cultural, economical, medicinal and for manufacturing commercial products (Noni syrup,

Noni fruit juice, Noni powder, Noni soap, Noni face wash etc.,) in recent times (Nelson and

Elevitch, 2006). Noni is highly valued as a nutraceutical and contains a number of phytochemicals

such as scopoletin, alkaloids, sterols and flavonoids and is reported to possess antioxidant potential

and to help various types of diseases.

Due to its reported health benefits there is a high demand for this fruit in countries such as the

United States of America, Japan, China and Europe. To manage this demand, some countries have

increased the field of cultivation of Noni. There is however little scientific research to review the

actual nutritional and functional properties of Noni products. This paper attempts to report on the

scientific evidence relating to the nutritional and functional properties attributed to this plant.

2. Features of NONI Tree and fruit

Morinda citrifolia is a 2 to 9 meters tall evergreen tree naturalized in many regions of the world but

originating from South East Asia (Morton, 1992) and then distributed by humans, birds, animals and

natural causes into the islands of the Western Pacific and eastern Pacific, which include Tahiti and

Hawaii (Johansson, 1994 and Whistler, 1991).

The distinct variety depends on the morphology of leaves and fruits. The fruit results from

coalescence of the inferior ovaries of many closely packed small tubular white flowers inside the

peduncle, the size of which varies from 3 to 10 cm wide and sometimes over 20 cm long. The fruit is

normally green in colour and turns light yellow when it is matured and then to translucent white.

The pulp is juicy and bitter in taste while the odor of the fruit varies depending upon the variety.

Mostly the fruits are devoid of smell but some fruits have a butyric acid smell in their ripened form



(Cardon, 2003; Ross, 2001). The outer layer of the fruit contains numerous triangular pits; reddish

brown in colour each containing four seeds. The leaves are opposite or whorled with long or short

petiolate; lamina ovate, broadly elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, 15 to 30 cm wide and 20 to 40 cm

long (Fig 1 and 2).

Fig 1 Morinda citrifolia L (Rubiaceae) with flowers, ripe fruit and unripe fruit

Source: http://www.commerce.gov/media/photo/2011/06/13/noni-biotechs-noni-fruit.

Fig 2 Morinda citrifolia L (Rubiaceae) Tree

http://www.commerce.gov/media/photo/2011/06/13/noni-biotechs-noni-fruit



Source: The picture was taken from the collection of Moorea Biocode Specimen

No. MBIO25759/2010/location Moorea/Place of origin Paopao (Moorea, French Polynesia)/

Morinda citrifolia L (Rubiaceae)

3. Production of Noni

Morinda citrifolia (Noni) undergoes several different stages of maturity. The yield of fruit depends

upon the procedures used and conditions under which it is cultivated. After planting the saplings, it

takes nine months to one year for the plants to bear fruits under favorable conditions (Plant

population, good soil fertility and drainage, good water supply, adequate disease, pest and weed

control, adequate fertilizer plan, ambient temperature). Since the yield of this fruit is very low in the

first year, the technique of pruning the branches and bushes is employed by many farmers to

increase their yield. It is possible to obtain yields of 7 tonnes per hectare per year by the end of the

second year after planting, and 70 tonnes per hectare per year by the end of the fifth year. If the plant

is cultivated with a density of 638 saplings per hectare with good soil fertility, drainage, irrigation

and appropriate pest, disease and weed control, along with an appropriate fertilization plan, one

hectare can yield around 35 tonnes of fruit (Nelson, 2001; 2003).

4. Harvesting:

Noni fruits are harvested two or three times per month in the early stage (Stage 3) by hand picking

from the branches and transported to the processing facility. In the early stages of development;

Noni fruit has a hard exterior, hence it is not prone to damage. Immediate exposure to sunlight after

harvesting is not recommended. They need not be refrigerated. The fruits are harvested at different

stages; specifically at ‘hard white’ stage (Stage 5), where the fruits are at their best for juice

production (Nelson, 2001; 2003).

Noni fruit can be classified into five stages depending upon the color and the hardness. (Fig 3)

Fig 3 Stages of Morinda citrifolia depending upon the color and hardness

http://biocode.berkeley.edu/cgi/biocode_query?bnhm_id=MBIO25759&one=T



Source: The picture was collected from the Hawaii in-Natural highlights 2011 and Asian noni.com.

5. Processing of Noni fruit

The processing of fruits generally falls under two categories: a) Traditional and b) Non-Traditional.

The traditional method comprises drip-extraction and fermenting / Aging, whereas the non-

traditional method involves pressing or squeezing the extract from ripened fruits.

a) In the traditional method the whitish harvested Noni fruits are collected, washed, air dried

and placed in a vessel for 2 to 4 months. Ripe fruits produce more fruit juice than half ripe or unripe

fruit. The fermentor vessel used for fermentation must be made of glass or steel or food grade

plastic. The initial appearance of the extract is golden or amber in colour and gradually darkens with

the age of the extract. After the fermentation process the extract is collected and drained from the

spigots at the base of the container. Care must be taken so that there will be no contact between the

extract and air throughout the process. The Noni extract is finally decanted, filtered and stored in

containers. The pH of the juice is approximately 3.5, which provides a sour taste.

b) In the Non-traditional method the extract is separated into pulp and seeds from ripened fruits

by squeezing with hands through cheesecloth, a paint strainer or by homemade pressing devices like

a hydraulic fruit press. The resultant extract will be amber golden in colour which can be collected

and stored in closed vessels either by refrigeration or by pasteurization.

Noni juice can also be processed by other methods such as:

5.1 Amended or mixed Noni juice: Noni juice is mixed with other fruit flavours to improve the taste

of the product. Some producers choose to dilute their juice with water and sweeten the product

with the addition of sugar.

5.2 Reconstituted NONI powder: The fruit is chopped, dehydrated, powdered, standardised for

polysaccharides. Reconstituting with lots of warm water with desired flavour and sold as a

dietary supplement.

a. Noni juice powder: Noni juice is evaporated and shaped into a powder form which can be used

in various commodities, including reconstituted juices. Noni juice powder is highly hygroscopic

and must be mixed with a non-hygroscopic carrier or packed with a suitable desiccant to enable

it to preserve its powdered formulation (University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006).

6. Components of Noni

Morinda citrifolia fruit contains 90% of water content, 11.3% of dry matter, 8.4% of minerals

(potassium, sulfur, calcium, phosphorous and trace amount of selenium) (Chunhieng, 2003) dietary

fibers, protein, vitamins (ascorbic acid, Provitamin A), about 160 phytochemical compounds and

more than 120 Nutraceutical compounds, these are Naturally occurring, biologically active

chemicals in plants, that helps to prevent and treat various types of diseases (Sridevi Nagalingam et



al., 2012). Additionally, fermented Noni includes micronutrients, non-volatile and volatile

components, Ketones, lactones, beta-Carotenoids, terpenoids, proxeronine (Heinicke, 2001), beta-

sitosterol, carotene and polyphenols like flavonoids, flavone glycosides, rutin (Ying et al., 2002)

anthraquinones, damnacanthal, morindone, alizarin, nordamnacanthal, rubiadin, rubiadin-1-methyl

ether, aucubin, asperuloside and scopoletin are found to have analgesic property and have an ability

to control serotonin levels in the body and are responsible for most therapeutic activity of M.

citrifolia (Wang and Su, 2001).

Proxeronine precursor of xeronine in noni improves functionality of human proteins and acids like

cinnamic acid, octanoic acids, hexanoic acids, alcohols (3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol), esters (methyl

octanoate, methyl decanoate), benzoic acid, folic acid, ascorbic acid, caprylic acid tocopherols,

tocotrienols. All these vitamins, proteins, minerals and Biochemical constituents were claimed to

benefit health and may prevent or delay many illnesses (Wang and Su, 2001).

7. Protective role of Noni

The use of the whole plant has traditionally played a major role in the health of Polynesians. Noni

fruit has been used as a food, drink, medicine, dye and cosmetic. The root, leaves, stem, bark,

flowers and fruits are reported as herbal remedies for diabetes, hypertension, muscle aches,

menstrual difficulties, headaches, AIDS, arthritis, cancer, gastric ulcer, sprains, mental depression,

senility, poor digestion and atherosclerosis (Wang et al, 2002; West et al, 2006). Noni is reputed to

have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, anti tubercular effects, analgesic activity,

immunological activity, antihelminthic, analgesic, hypotensive, anti inflammatory and immune

enhancing properties. Due to its beneficial effects the fruit juice of Noni is widely distributed

throughout the world as a nutraceutical dietary supplement. The leaf of this plant is directly used on

skin for treating ulcerations and for minor infections and also used as a treatment for broken bones,

deep cuts and wounds (Duke et al, 2002 ; Mc Clatchey, 2002).

8. Medicinal application of Noni

Noni fruits have been assessed in a small number of human clinical studies, however most work has

been carried out in-vitro with a moderate number of studies.

8.1 Antimicrobial Activities

Microbes play a major role in all types of infections which include viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae and

protozoa. All these pathogenic micro-organisms cause either acute infection or chronic infection.

Nowadays, there is a mounting interest on investigating the antimicrobial activity of natural

compounds in order to protect or prevent microbial infections. Therefore, this review article will

focus some anti-microbial activity of Morinda citrifolia fruit extract.

8.1.1 Antibacterial activity –



Anti bacterial activity was the first action observed for Noni. Numerous in vitro studies have been

published on the antibacterial activity of Morinda citrifolia extract with reports, that it inhibits

certain bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus lactis,

Streptococccus thermophilus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Vibrio

harveyi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella paratyphi A, Aeromonas hydrophila,

Vibrio cholerae, Chromobacterium violaceum and Enterobacter faecalis (Gerson, Paul et al., 2006;

Nakanishi, Sasaki et al., 1965). The ripe fruit was found to have higher anti-microbial activity than

other parts of the plant (Muthu Saravanan Manoharan et al., 2008; Locher et al., 1995).

8.1.2 Antifungal activity

Fungus remain a significant cause of different types of infections like skin infections (ring worm of

the body, groin), nail infection, Candida infection, Fungal meningitis (inflammation in membrane

covering the brain and spinal cord), Aspergillus (pulmonary and blood stream infection) etc.

Morinda citrifolia has shown antifungal activity on various fungi including Candida albicans,

Aspergillus niger, Trichophyton, Mentagrophytes, Penicillium sp, Fusarium sp, Aspergillus,

Fumigatus, Mucor sp, Rhizopus sp and Aspergillus flavus (Muthu Saravanan Manoharan et al.,

2008).

8.1.3 Antiviral A compound named 1- methoxy-2-formyl -3-hydroxyanthraquinone isolated from the root of

Morinda citrifolia (Umezawa, 1992) was shown to suppress the cytopathic effect of HIV infected

MT- 4 cells without inhibiting cell growth.

8.2 Antihelminthics activity

Anthelmintics are substances that expel parasitic worms from the body. Traditional medicine

practitioners have used various indigenous plants for treating helmintic activities (Satyavati et al.,

1976; Lewis et al., 1977). One such plant is Morinda citrifolia. Julia Francis McHugh Morton, an

American author and a botanist, University of Miami, reported that Noni has been used in the

Philippines and Hawaii as an effective insecticide and also found that within a day the ethanol

extract of Morinda citrifolia leaves induced paralysis and death of the human parasitic nematode

worm, Ascaris lumbricoides (Raj, 1975; Hiramatsu et al., 1993).

8.3 Anticancer activity

A Japanese research team has recently shown immunomodulatory effects of Morinda citrifolia

(Hirazumi et al., 1996). The ethanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia fruit juice has been found to have

anticancer and immune enhancing capacity against Lewis Lung Cancer (LLC) and prolong the life

span of a cancer survivors by stimulating the important mediators like T-cells, thymocytes and

macrophages that produce cytokines for tumor cytostasis and cytotoxicity (Hiramatsu et al., 1993).

Moreover, Noni juice slows down the tumor cell cycle and increases the response of cells to other



immunized cells that fight tumor growth by stimulating the release of several mediators from murine

effector cells, and has a powerful macrophage activator activity that is alleged to play a major role in

tumor death (Hiramatsu et al., 1993; Hirazumi et al., 1994, 1996, 1999).

It was also proved that depending upon the sex and considered organ, the Noni juice prevents the

formation of chemical carcinogen DNA adduct when fed with 10% of Noni juice along with water

to cancer induced rat models .(Wang and Su, 2001) Noni root extract containing anthraquinone,

damnacanthal may change the morphology of particular type of cells in human neoplasias (K ras and

NKR cells) that are highly malignant and proliferent that associates with several types of cancers

like lung, colon, pancreas and leukemia (Hiramatsu et al., 1993).

8.4 Antidepressant activity

Clinical depression is one of the major and important public health issues in developed and

developing nations. The treatment of depression involves many modalities which include

psychotherapy and pharmacological interventions. Many scientists have investigated the potential

role of some plants like Hypericum perforatum, Ginkgo biloba, Apocynum venetum, Valeriana

officinalis, Melissa officinalis and Morinda citrifolia for the treatment of depression and anxiety,

(Weeks, 2009). Morinda citrifolia lowers the stress, and helps the response to some extent by

elevating serotonin blood levels (Sathish Kumar, 2007). It is also found that Morinda citrifolia can

be tolerated even at high dosage without any side effects (West et al., 2009). Moreover the recent

findings indicate Morinda citrifolia acting as an inhibitor of MAO-A and MAO-B (Monoamine

Oxidase) involve in synergistic effect from multiple active components (Shixin Deng and Brett,

2011).

8.5 Antigenotoxicity

Genotoxins are substances that amend DNA structure, where the structural modification can be

carried out in both somatic cells and germ cells which are transmitted from one generation to

another. Substances that can reduce the activity of genotoxins are commonly known as

Antigenotoxins. In the past few years considerable advancements have been made with natural

products that possess anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties. Since Morinda citrifolia is

rich in anthraquinone and other active compounds it has an ability to control oxidative damage

caused by free radicals and associated with anti-genotoxic potential. (Zin et al., 2006; Sang et al.,

2001). Recent research has shown the anti-genotoxic effects and the role of Noni juice against

chromosomal aberration and sister chromatid exchange induced by a chemotherapeutic agent,

mitomycin C (MMC) in human lymphocytes (Treetip et al., 2008). These results suggest that active

compounds present in leaves, roots and juice of Noni may possess an antigenotoxicity activity.

8.6 Antioxidant



Plants are known for their natural antioxidants which act as important inhibitors of lipid

peroxidation. Plants also provide a defense mechanism for living cells against oxidative damage.

Herbal and natural products have been used as medicines for many centuries throughout the world to

neutralize ROS. The antioxidant properties of ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of Noni juice have

been assessed using the ferric thiocyanate method (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid test (TBA) for lipid

oxidation measurement. The tetrazolium nitroblue (TNB) for radical scavenging activity showed

that there was a strong inhibition of lipid oxidation compared to α- tocopherol and butylated

hydroxyl toluene (BHT) (Mohd et al., 2001), and when assessing the potential capacity of Noni

juice to protect cells from superoxide anion radical (SAR) induced oxidative damage, the

scavenging activity of Noni juice against superoxide anion radical showed 2.8 times higher level of

activity than that of Vitamin C and 1.4 times that of pycnogenol (PCG) (Wang and Su, 2001).

8.7 Antitubercular

Polynesians were the first persons to use Noni leaves and juice against tuberculosis. Researchers in

Philippines reported that Noni has an ability to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They also reported

about 89 % of bacteria in a test tube were killed by Noni juice extract, which was almost as effective

as the anti tuberculosis drug Rifampcin, which has an inhibitory rate of 97% (American Chemical

Society, 2000 ; Author Unlisted, 2001.)

8.8 Analgesic

The analgesic activity of Noni showed that rats had greater pain tolerance (162% and 212%,

respectively) compared with the placebo group (Wang et al., 2002) when fed with 10% and 20%

Noni juice. A Research team from France also studied the analgesic and sedative effects of Noni on

mice by writhing and hotplate tests. The Root extract of Noni (1600mg/kg) showed similar analgesic

activity to that of morphine (75% Vs 81% respectively), and it also proved to be non-toxic (Younos

et al., 1990).

8.9 Immunological Activity

A polysaccharide rich, ethanol insoluble precipitate of Noni in Lewis Lung Cancer (LLC) mice

enhances immunity and also been reported to exhibit antitumor effect in mice by acting as an

immunomodulator (Hiramatsu et al., 1993, 1999). The alcoholic extract of Noni publicized to inhibit

tumor promoting factor TNF-α (Hokama, 1993) and it also has a capability to stimulate and release

several mediators like interleukin-1 beta (IL-1b), IL-10, IL-12, interferon-gamma (IFN-g) and nitric

oxide (NO) (Hiramatsu et al., 1993, 1999). An in vitro study (Wang et al., 2002) also showed that a

50% alcoholic extract of Noni juice stimulated the BALB/c thymus cells in the (³H) thymidine

analysis of the thymus.

8.10 Anti-inflammatory Activity



The anti-inflammatory activity of Noni has been shown in rats against acute inflammatory responses

of pro-inflammatory agents, with inhibition of rat paw edema. (Mc Koy et al., 2001). Another group

of research team has also proved the inhibitory activity of Noni juice in vitro against cyclo-

oxygenase enzymes (COX 1 and COX 2) involved in inflammation (Su et al., 2001).

8.11 Cardiovascular activity and Hypotensive effect

Recently, researchers have demonstrated the regular Noni juice supplement decreases cholesterol

and Triglyceride by 18% in vivo and reduced blood clotting and prevent thrombus formation. More

over they stated that the lignans and phenyl propanoid present in the Noni juice could prevent the

deterioration of cholesterol in the body, prevents the formation of atheromatous plaques by lowering

the lipids or oxidizing the low density lipoproteins (LDL) and assist with the prevention of

atherosclerosis (Kamiya et al., 2004).

It was found that both ethanol extract of Noni and hot water extract of Noni lowered the blood

pressure in anesthetized dogs (Moorthy and Reddy, 1970; Youngken et al., 1958, 1960). Research

based on the in vivo experiment demonstrated that a total extract of the Noni roots has hypotensive

effect but still this mechanism is unclear (Dang Van Ho, 1955; Davison, 1927 and La barre J et al.,

1961).

8.12 Anti lithiatic effect

The use of Noni to inhibit the stone formation caused due to the induction of ethylene glycol was

demonstrated in male albino rats. This observation indicated the possible anti lithiatic activity of

Noni (Murugesh et al., 2006).

8.13 Wound healing effect

Noni contains a broad range of phytochemical constituents and bioactive compounds which have

been documented to treat broken bones, deep cuts, bruises, sores and wounds (Singh et al., 1984).

The fresh leaf is used for the treatment of wounds and also as a poultice for broken bones and

sprains (Ivan, 2001). A study by Vijaykumar Pandurang Rasal et al., 2008 demonstrated that a Noni

leaf extract increased the hydroxyproline content in granuloma tissues which further confirmed the

involvement of collagen in the wound healing process.

8.14 Oestrogenic activity

Noni was found to have health benefits in alleviating menstrual symptoms. Scientific studies on

Noni have demonstrated several relevant biological effects (Wang et al., 2002). The flavone

glycosides in Noni fruits are structurally classified as one type of phytoestrogen, while these

phytoestrogens display very modest oestrogenic binding to the oestrogen alpha receptor compared to

endogenous or synthetic steroids, they may provide more selective actions on reproductive and non-

reproductive oestrogen targets (Cos et al., 2003).



8.15 Antidiabetic Activity

When Noni juice was habitually taken by patients with type 2 diabetes as a combination therapy

(Noni and oral hypoglycemic agents), it lowered glucose levels under fasting and postprandial

conditions (Sathish kumar., 2007). Noni was also found to be safe and well tolerated to improve the

living quality of patients. Xeronine is a small alkaloid and active compound of Noni, in the presence

of insulin it activates the peripheral cell membrane insulin receptors and assists the normal

absorption of glucose. A low Glycemic index - A 3: 1 ratio of carbohydrate to fiber in Noni juice

helps to balance blood glucose levels. Noni modifies the immune system to keep the sensitivity of

beta islet pancreatic cells intact.

Besides regular consumption of Noni, it also inhibit the biosynthesis, absorption and secretion of

lipids which could reduce the body weight and acts as an anti-obesity agent (Nishioka and Nerurkar,

2007; Saf-ur Rehman Mandukhail et al., 2010).

9. Adverse effects

Noni, being highly rich in potassium, it is not recommended for patients with liver and kidney

diseases. The consumption of Noni leads to the development of hyperkalemia in patients with

potassium-restricted diets. Hyperkalemia can lead to nausea, muscle weakness and irregular

heartbeat (Mueller et al., 2000). In addition, consumption of Noni juice beyond the concerned level

(750 ml of Noni juice per Kg body weight per day, in vivo) of intake, in rare cases of liver problems

may further complicate the disease.However there is no persuasive evidence in relationship between

chronic hepatitis and consumption of Noni juice. Higher consumption of Noni juice during

pregnancy could delay ossification and skeleton alteration in fetus (pawlus et al., 2005)

10. Conclusion

This review has drawn collectively with various biological properties of Noni. The whole plant of

Noni, predominantly its fruit has been used for many centuries by Polynesians and ancestors as a

traditional folk medicine. Variety of research with controversial methodologies suggests many

functional bioactive compounds of Noni but not yet quantified. The most important active

compounds identified in Noni are phenolics like damnacanthal and scopoletin, organic acids

(caproic and caprylic acid), vitamins (ascorbic acid and provitamin A), amino acids such as aspartic

acid, and minerals. Compounds like Xeronine and alkaloids are also been reported; but their

presence is controversial and structure was unknown. Many active compounds in Noni provide a big

platform for the plant in nutritional and medicinal therapy. The antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,

antidiabetic, anticancer, antihelmintic, antitubercular, and antioxidant effect of Noni may helps to

cure many diseases. Several studies are still needed to identify the nutritional values and the

functional compounds that constitute the Noni plant, to explain its mechanisms of action involved in



various diseases and to determine the real potential of this fruit with best technological processes

that are used to extract and enhance these properties. A detailed study on Noni in the above

mentioned domains will create opportunities in the future to consider it as a well known medicinal

plant all over the world, which can be used for treating various communicable and non-

communicable diseases.

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