Tahiti in a Bottle
So what’s the deal with Noni juice?
That’s what an HSI member named Chung-On wants to know. He writes:
“Lately, I have heard a lot about the miracle Noni juice can do to heal all kind of illness and promote health. (They say) Noni juice can help diabetes, sleeplessness, joint pain, skin, heart disease, and many other illness. Can this Noni really provide that kind of medical miracle??? Hope you could bring some insight about this juice.”
Chung-On is doing exactly the right thing that all of us should do when presented with a list of the wonderful benefits that a product can provide: Ask questions and do some research.
The problem with Noni juice, however, is that unraveling the myths from the facts among the tangles of marketing hype can be daunting. But it may be well worth it, because Noni juice has been shown to provide some very useful health benefits.
Minus and plus
Let’s start by getting the one big negative out of the way.
Over the past few years, Noni juice has been very aggressively promoted through multilevel marketing (MLM). This marketing technique recruits customers to become sales representatives, who are then encouraged to recruit new customers to become sales reps, and so on. Needless to say, many people are put off by this type of sales practice, especially because it often uses e-mail spamming as a recruiting tool.
But you can find companies that sell Noni juice the old fashioned way – without strings attached. So once you get past the MLM situation, Noni’s potential benefits abound.
We first told you about Noni juice in the July 1997 HSI Members Alert. In that issue, Betty Kamen, Ph.D., noted that the Noni plant has been used to treat health conditions for many centuries in Hawaii and Tahiti. Medical literature and lore from these and other Pacific islands chronicle many accounts of Noni’s virtues – reports that range from the anecdotal to the scientific.
In addition, research has shown that Noni may be effective in addressing problems associated with diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, vision problems, gastric ulcers and carpal tunnel syndrome, to name just a few. Some of these benefits can be explained by several specific actions, observed in laboratory tests: Noni appears to have a stimulating effect on muscles, anti-microbial activity, as well as pain-relieving and tranquilizing properties.
Dr. Kamen writes: “Searching the medical literature, I was surprised to find reports from pockets of the world other than the South Sea islands. In India, Java, and Africa, different parts of the plant are used for various medical applications. The fruit, for example, relieves diarrhea; the bark mitigates stomach complaints; the flower is good for conjunctivitis. In the Caribbean, the leaves are poulticed on wounds and rheumatic joints, and are applied on the head to relieve pain. In Guam, the juice is squeezed from the flowers and applied to sore eyes; the fruit pulp is used as an insecticidal shampoo.
“For prevention, Noni is taken once a day, preferably between meals, with amounts varying depending on the product. Polynesian folk tradition dictates that Noni be taken at a restful or peaceful time of day.”
The cancer question
One of those who found the marketing of Noni juice by MLMs to be unbecoming was HSI Panelist Jon Barron who admits that at first he dismissed MLM testimonials about Noni benefits. But Jon describes his reaction as “shocked” when he had a chance to examine the nutrients in Noni juice, which he now describes as a “serious cancer treatment.” But even though he’s enthusiastic about Noni, Jon has not become a distributor, to avoid bias in his judgment.
In addition to his Baseline of Health web site (jonbarron.org), Jon also maintains a site called Cancer Tutor (cancertutor.com), specifically devoted to sharing information about alternative cancer treatments. Here are three important points that Jon makes about Noni juice on his Cancer Tutor site:
- Noni juice stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which may be the key to its health benefits. In addition to helping regulate blood circulation and the functions of major organs (including the brain), scientists have discovered that nitric oxide also boosts immune response and reduces tumor growth.
- Jon writes: “Dosage is critical. Based on my readings 32 ounces a day, as a minimum, is required for a person with active cancer. Because it is so expensive, after you are in remission you will probably want to greatly reduce the dosage and use other treatment plans to sustain your remission.”
- The most effective Noni juice is manufactured from multiple parts of the Noni tree, not just the fruit. It’s also important for a Noni juice product to be cold-processed, not pasteurized (a heat process), with no preservatives or sugar added. Quality can vary dramatically from one brand to another, so this should be considered a “buyer beware” market.
I would strongly encourage anyone who’s interested in using Noni juice in a fight against cancer to read more details about Noni and other alternative treatments on Jon’s Cancer Tutor site. Then – after doing some research – talk to your doctor or health care practitioner about using Noni juice as part of your cancer protocol.
And if you’ve already used Noni juice to address cancer or any other health problem, please drop us a line so I can share your experience with other HSI members.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
“Noni Juice Treatment For Cancer” Jon Barron, Cancer Tutor, cancertutor.com/cancer/noni.html
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