Morinda Root and Noni Juice

In the late 1990s, a friend tried to get me to join a network marketing company selling noni juice. I might have been able to sell a lot if I was the kind of person who just parroted the hype. But, I did my own research and found out that, while noni juice has medicinal value, the benefits were being greatly exaggerated. I declined his offer but I have recommended noni many times when I have felt it would be of real benefit.

I’ve seen this happen over and over with many herbal remedies. A new remedy becomes popular and pushed by enthusiastic marketing, rather than good clinical understanding. This is why we need more well-trained herbalists, instead of relying on the overly simplistic information that often goes with marketing herbal products.

Noni juice is the juice of the Morinda citrifolia tree. The Morinda genus consists of a small group of trees, native to Southeast Asia. The fruits, leaves, and/or roots from M. citrifolia and M. officinalis have been used as medicine and while the benefits may have been over-hyped, remedies from the Morinda trees can have benefits for your health.

Benefits of Morinda Root

Morinda root (from M. officinalis) is an important remedy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is not the same as the noni juice I just mentioned, which we'll cover later. Known as ba ji tian, morinda root is used to increase the kidney yang, which means it warms up or stimulates kidney activity, dispelling damp-wind. This means it helps to clear up edema and reduce constriction. Symptoms of a deficiency of kidney yang include the frequent urge to urinate, impotency, and premature ejaculation.

In TCM, the kidney qi (energy) is associated with the basic life energy (jing) that supports vitality and counteracts aging. So Morinda root is considered a longevity tonic for increasing vital energy and counteracting the aging process.

In TCM, the kidneys also help build the bones so structural problems can be seen as a lack of kidney energy. Morinda root is also believed to strengthen structural tissues like muscles and bones, helping to reduce pain in the lower back and knees. It may also help with arthritis aggravated by dampness and cold.

Morinda has a stimulating effect on the sexual organs, similar to the popular herb horny goat weed (Epimedium), but not as strong. It has a cortisol-like action, which helps to reduce inflammation. It also has an antispasmodic effect that can help to reduce blood pressure.

Morinda Root as a Kidney Tonic

My primary experience with using morinda is in a formula for tonifying the kidney qi. This formula contains morinda root and other TCM herbs that both aid the urinary system and support the structural system, including eucommia bark and Sichuan teasel root. I’ve had great experience using this formula to help people who have the eye pattern known as a uric acid diathesis. This eye pattern has large white patches on the iris fibers and is characterized by a weakness in the kidneys, which inhibits the flushing of acid waste from the tissues. This leads to an overacid condition which leaches alkalizing minerals from the bones and muscles, weakening them. I’ve found it helpful for leg, back, and knee pain, arthritis, and urinary problems, including frequent urinary tract infections.

Benefits of Noni Juice

The fruit of the Morinda citrifolia tree has been promoted as a cure-all. It is claimed to help all of the major chronic health problems people face in the West, including arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Studies suggest there is some basis for these claims which appear to be linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system benefits in the juice. Since all chronic and degenerative diseases have been linked to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, anything that helps to counteract these processes will probably help overall health.

It’s reasonable to use the noni fruit as a health tonic to reduce levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, which could help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. But, it should be accompanied by appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes. After all, there are many health-promoting herbs that also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, such as mangosteen, turmeric, lycium, aloe vera, rosemary, sage, and even green tea. And just like noni, many of them have also been hyped at one time or another. Suggesting that any of these remedies, by themselves, will cure cancer, heart disease, or diabetes is not just misleading, it is outright false. There are no miracle cures in nature. There are plenty of beneficial herbs, but marketing hype doesn’t help us use them responsibly.

Some of the more reasonable expectations one might have from taking noni juice include pain reduction, detoxification from tobacco, improved performance during exercise, and improved immune function. Other possible benefits might include improved mood, a modest reduction in blood pressure, and improved immune function.

Cautions About Price and Quality

Most, if not all, noni juice is reconstituted from noni puree or powder. In other words, the fruits are harvested and then cooked down to remove most of the water which is then shipped to a bottling plant where it is mixed with water to reconstitute it. This is done because shipping the actual fruit or juice would be difficult and costly.

But it’s also difficult and costly to ship the reconstituted juice. Why not just buy the bulk powder and mix it into a smoothie or juice drink yourself? A pound of noni juice powder from a reputable supplier is just a fraction of the cost of the reconstituted juice.

There’s another problem of which you should be aware. Some brands of noni juice may have been irradiated even if they claim otherwise. Some friends of mine who used to run a company that bottled liquid supplements for various other companies discovered that a major distributor was using noni juice concentrate that had been irradiated and claiming that the noni juice they sold wasn't irradiated. The final juice might not have been irradiated, but the damage had already been done. This is just one example of why you should buy from a company you can trust when sourcing natural products.

Using Morinda and Noni

In TCM, morinda root is typically used as part of a formula (as described above). You can make a decoction from the dried roots by simmering four grams of powdered root in a pint of water for 20 minutes. You can drink up to four cups of this a day. TCM doses of the root are between 4 and 16 grams a day. It would be impractical to take in capsules because this would mean taking from 8-32 500 mg capsules daily.

The recommended dose of the noni fruit juice extracts is typically two tablespoons once per day. You could also mix 1-2 teaspoons of the powdered fruit into water, juice, or a smoothie.