M. littoralis Blanco; M. macrophylla Desf.; M. tomentosa B.Heyne ex Roth; and others Rubiaceae Canary wood; cheese fruit; hog apple; Indian mulberry Fruit juice Noni fruit contains several classes of compounds: polysaccharides; glycosides of fatty acids and alcohols (including noniosides E-H and 3-methyl-3-butenyl glucoside); iridoids (e.g. asperuloside and its derivatives); flavonoids (e.g. narcissoside, kaempferol, quercetin and rutin); coumarins (e.g. scopoletin); lignans; phytosterols; carotinoids and volatile constituents including monoterpenes and short chain fatty acids and fatty acid esters (Dalsgaard et al. 2006; Pawlus and Kinghorn 2007; Potterat and Hamburger 2007). The seeds contain toxic AQs, including lucidin, alizarin and rubiadin; however, products made from ripe fruits without seeds do not contain these compounds. High levels of potassium (56 mEq/l) have been found in some noni juice products (Pharmaceutical Press Editorial Team 2013). Clinical data assessing the effects of noni are limited. In a phase I clinical trial investigating the optimal and maximum tolerated oral dosage of noni juice in 51 patients with advanced cancer, the maximum tolerated dose was found to be 12 g daily. Dose-related differences in self-reported physical functioning, pain and fatigue control were self-reported, but no tumour response attributable to noni was observed (Issell et al. 2009). A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of daily consumption of noni juice on blood lipid levels in 132 adult heavy smokers for 1 month. Results showed that noni juice was able to mitigate cigarette smoke-induced dyslipidemia, attributed to presence of iridoids (Wang et al. 2012). An earlier study by the same group found that 29.5 ml or 118 ml of noni juice taken daily by heavy smokers for 30 days reduced plasma superoxide anion radicals by 27% and 31%, respectively, and reduced plasma lipid hydroperoxide levels by 24.5% and 27%, while placebo juice did not significantly affect levels (Wang et al. 2009). A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 100 women over 18 years, given 400 mg noni capsules or placebo over three menstrual cycles, found no reduction in menstrual pain or bleeding in the noni group compared to placebo (Fletcher et al. 2013). A number of pharmacological studies on noni juice and its constituents have been undertaken, indicating anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and hypoglycaemic activities (Brown 2012; Pawlus and Kinghorn 2007; Potterat and Hamburger 2007; Wang et al. 2008). However, little mechanistic work has been done and these properties may be due at least in part to non-specific antioxidant effects. An in vitro study found that noni juice concentrate and a proprietary noni juice product (Tahitian Noni® Juice) potently activated cannabinoid 2 (CB2
Noni
Morinda citrifolia L.
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Antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidaemic effects in smokers:
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Anti-inflammatory and immune system effects via cannabinoid receptors:
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