What’s All The Nonsense About Noni?
March 9th, 2007
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the latest buzz in the natural health world, you’ve certainly heard about the new super-juice coming from Hawaii, Tahiti and other tropical regions. Like many natural products that have received a lot of attention for their health benefits (and claims), Noni has been the subject of a lot of controversy, including a series of FDA warnings regarding health claims made about the juice.
So what’s the truth about the juice? Noni comes from a tropical fruit common to Hawaii and has been used for centuries by native populations on the islands. It is rich in carbohydrates, calcium, vitamin C, and sodium. It is full of polysaccharides, which are known to have antibacterial, anti-tumor and anticancer effects. They also stimulate the immune system. Noni also has a compound, known as skopoletin, which studies show is an antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine. It also helps regulate blood pressure and is a calmative substance, good for combating stress and aiding sleep. Noni is a dark purple fruit and all fruit of this color is known to have high quantities of flavonoid antioxidants. Noni is no exception. These antioxidants are excellent for combating free radicals and boosting cellular health.
Does that sound too good to be true? Of course not. Blueberries are every bit as wonderful and maybe more so. There’s nothing all that special about Noni juice, except that it’s new to the market. Noni is just another great fruit of the dark purple variety with some special qualities of its own.
Are people making false claims about it? Well, yes, probably. When anything catches fire like Noni has, some people just want to get rich by selling it. In the fever of money grubbing and promoting, they will often make exaggerated claims. The FDA is particularly fond of hammering companies that step over the line with natural nutritional products. Don’t worry that most pharmaceutical drugs cause horrific side effects and often don’t cure the problems they are promoted to cure. That’s part of our accepted health care system. But make claims that a fruit or plant may have curative powers and the FDA is all over you for making false claims. If you say that apple juice can cure digestive problems or help restore liver health…and if you say that on the apple juice literature you use to sell the juice, then the FDA will make you put apple juice through standard drug tests like any pharmaceutical drug.
The bottom line? Noni juice is healthy and provides some great vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. But don’t be taken in by exaggerated claims, exorbitant prices, or money-making schemes. Any berry juice made with dark purple berries will offer as much or more than Noni juice, so pay accordingly and drink to your health (financial and otherwise).
Noni fruit photo byhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Marshman
See all: antioxidants,good foods,health,sensible health
