Tuesday 30 December 2014

What is Noni Juice?


Noni, also known as Morinda citrifolia, is a small, flowering shrub native to the Pacific islands, Polynesia, Asia, and Australia. It grows to a height of up to 10 feet high, and the leaves are dark green and oval shaped. The flower heads grow to become mature yellow fruit that have a strong odor.

Uses for Noni Juice

In traditional Polynesian medicine, noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit has been used for many health conditions, such as constipation, diarrhea, skin inflammation, infection, and mouth sores. It has an unpleasant odor and taste, so it is believed to be a last resort fruit by many cultures. Manufacturers today sweeten noni juice to improve the taste.

Traditionally, the leaves of the noni tree were used topically for healing wounds.

Noni juice, like the juice of many other fruits, is a source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The antioxidants may help to prevent certain diseases and help slow age-related changes in the body.

Animal studies evaluating the effects of noni suggest that it may have anti-cancer, pain-relieving, and immune system-enhancing effects. However, these studies mostly used extremely high doses that would be difficult to obtain from taking the juice. More importantly, there's insufficient reliable evidence about the safety or effectiveness of noni for any health condition in humans.

Noni is heavily promoted for a very wide variety of conditions, such as arthritis, atherosclerosis, bladder infections, boils, bowel conditions, burns, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, circulatory weakness, colds, cold sores, constipation, diabetes, drug addiction, eye inflammation, fever, fractures, gastric ulcers, gingivitis, headaches, heart disease, hypertension, improved digestion, immune weakness, indigestion, kidney disease, malaria, menstrual cramps, menstrual disorders, mouth sores, respiratory disorders, ringworm, sinusitis, skin inflammation, sprains, strokes, thrush, and wounds. There is no real evidence, however, that noni is effective for these conditions.

Caveats

Noni juice is high in potassium, so it should be avoided by people with kidney disease or those taking ,potassium-sparing diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, because it may result in hyperkalemia (dangerous elevation of potassium levels).

Friday 12 December 2014

What Is Noni Shampoo?

Many types of fruits and essential oils are used to make nutritional supplements and cosmetic products more effective, flavorful, aromatic and nourishing. One popular ingredient of these products is noni, the fruit of a tree that grows throughout Polynesia called Morinda citrifolia. Even though as of 2011 the fruit has not proven officially effective at anything besides being nutritious for humans, products like noni shampoo are regularly touted as moisture- and health-restoring concoctions for the scalp and mane.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), animal studies have proven this nutrient to have anti-cancer and antioxidant qualities that also can stimulate immune and cardiovascular health. The NIH still laments a lack of definitive research with human subjects, however. These types of studies are needed for a more official declaration of effectiveness — studies that are underway, as of 2011, by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the NIH concerning noni's potential role in fighting breast and prostate cancers.
These are just a few of the alleged uses for noni. Other indigenous traditions use the fruit to quell inflammation of the joints, treat diabetes, and prevent against illness. Many also hail noni's moisturizing and protein-synthesizing capabilities, primarily due to the enzymes proxeronine and xeronin.
Noni is most often reduced to powder form and packed into capsules as nutritional supplements, or dropped into hot water for tea. Another common preparation is to make a noni juice, which can be mixed with other juices for sale on the health food market. Other preparations include not just the noni shampoo, but also noni conditioner, lotion and soap.
Noni is a powerful dye to turn hair black. Some types of noni shampoo like a BSY Noni Black Hair Magic Shampoo include not just darkening noni but also ingredients like ginseng and the red mushroom known as Ganoderma lucidum. Another type of noni shampoo and conditioner is not designed to darken hair at all, just maintain hair's natural moisture and vitality. 

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Noni Juice Cures

Juicing is one of the newest trends in health and wellness; however, noni juice takes that trend a step further. A juice with a plethora of benefits, noni delivers an assortment of nutrients to the body in an easily digestible form. First used as a juice to ease digestive issues, noni has since been identified as an effective treatment for a host of other conditions as well.

What is Noni?

Noni is the name for a tropical fruit. Grown on a tropical evergreen tree, noni is native to the Pacific Islands of Polynesia and Tahiti. The fruit also grows abundantly in India, regions of Australia, South America, and the Caribbean. Today, the tree and its fruit are even grown in other parts of the world.

All of the parts of the noni tree serve as beneficial health treatments. The fruit, leaves, flowers, stems, bark, and roots are used for making medicine and treating a wide range of conditions. The fruit can be taken by mouth or used as a topical application with equally beneficial results; however, some individuals find the fruit and juice somewhat unpleasant in both smell and taste.

Health Benefits of Noni

The most common form of health treatment including noni is the juice. In any of its forms, however, noni is a great source of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. The fruit also boasts potent doses of vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and vitamin B3. The fat-free pulp is an added bonus that delivers additional nutrients, texture and even taste.
With all of these benefits and more, noni fruit is effective for supporting and improving health. The fruit is used to promote digestion, relieve pain, increase energy, prevent skin and hair issues, disable degenerative diseases, and fight cancer. More specifically, the fruit can be used to treat such conditions as colic, diabetes, liver disease, malaria, smallpox, asthma, arthritis, migraine, premenstrual syndrome, high blood pressure, muscle pains, atherosclerosis, and a variety of other common ailments.

Whether a juice cleanse sounds like a beneficial option or not, noni fruit is an effective health treatment for more than just its juice. The fruit itself possesses an abundance of nutrients, securing it as an alternative treatment option for a variety of conditions.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Noni Juice History and Uses

The Noni (Morinda Citrifolia) plant grows well on sandy or rocky shores. Apart from saline conditions, the plant also can withstand drought and grows in secondary soils. Thus the plant can be seen in clearings, volcanic terrain, lava-strewn coasts and on limestone outcrops.  Noni is a small evergreen tree which bears a fleshy yellow fruit.

Uses as food: The Noni fruit is edible, but does not have a nice taste or smell.

Nevertheless, Noni has been eaten during famine and in some Pacific islands is even a staple food of choice (Raratonga, Samoa, Fiji), where the Noni fruit were eaten raw or cooked.  These days people use Noni primarily in Juice form.  The Noni Juice is mixed with other fruit juices to make the taste and smell more palatable. Current research indicates that the Tahitian Noni fruit to be the more nutrient rich than other Noni fruit grown elsewhere.

Noni Characteristics

  • Main features: Grows 5-9 m tall.
  • Leaves: Large, simple, dark green, shiny, deeply veined.
  • Flowers: Small, white, growing from a fleshy structure. Blooms and fruits year round.
  • Fruits: Oval, medium 4-7cm, at first green, turning light yellow or white when ripe. Has many seeds.
  • Juice: Dark brown in color.
  • World distribution: Native to Southeast Asia but spread to India, the Pacific Islands and even South America.
  • Classification: Family Combretaceae.

Noni

Noni Flower - Morinda CitrifoliaNoni juice contains nutritional enzymes, anthraquinones and polysaccharides, all known to have various health benefits.  Noni is the common Polynesian name for morinda citrifolia also Known as Indian Mulberry. The plant indigenous to India, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, is a Noni of evergreen ranging in size from a small bush to a tree 20 or 30 feet high. Approximately the size of a potato the Noni fruit has a lumpy appearance and a waxy, semi-translucent skin that ranges in color as it ripens from green to yellow to almost white. Native Tahitians recognize it sight unseen because of the fruit's rancid smell when fully ripe. This smell decreases some as the fruit is fermented and the juice is prepared. The taste is also improved during this processing.

In other regions, the Noni is eaten raw with salt (Indochina, Australian Aborigines); or cooked as a curry.  Noni may also be fed to pig livestock.  The young leaves can also be eaten as a vegetable and contain protein (4-6%).  Noni seeds may be roasted and eaten.  As you can see Noni (Morinda Citrilfolia) is used in many ways and some may even surprise you.

Today's thoughts and uses: Noni is receiving more and more attention from modern herbalists, medical physicians, and high-tech biochemists. Scientific studies within the last few decades lend support to the Polynesians' claims of its unusual healing power. Some of the health-related ingredients of Noni fruit that have been isolated are Morindone, Morindine, Acubin, Terpene compounds, L. Asperuloside, various Anthraquinones, Alazarin, Caproic Acid, Caprylic Acid, Scopoletin, Damnacanthal, and Alkaloids.

Alkaloids are colorless, complex, bitter organic bases, and they are essential to maintaining healthy stasis in the body. Dr. Ralph Heinicke, a respected biochemist formerly at the University of Hawaii, has dedicated himself to the study of one alkaloid in particular found in Noni called xeronine. The body produces xeronine in order to activate enzymes and to regulate and give structure to proteins. According to Dr. Heinicke, without xeronine life would not exist. However extracting xeronine from the human body has been impossible to date. The body's protein molecules consume the alkaloid immediately after it is created; and therefore, there is never an appreciable, insoluble amount in the body.

Noni Fruit - Morinda CitrifoliaEven though the Noni fruit has only negligible amounts of xeronine, the juice does contain very large amounts of a precursor to the essential alkaloid called proxeronine. Proxeronine is a colloid that, unlike most colloids, contains neither sugars, amino acids, nor nucleic acids and thereby has been overlooked by most biochemists. This compound initiates the release of xeronine in the intestinal tract after it comes in contact with a specific enzyme which is also contained in the Noni juice. This particular chemical combination is believed to significantly affect cellular function, which can determine a whole host of physiological reactions. The enzymatic reactions that occur with taking Noni juice on an empty stomach are what Dr. Heinicke believes set cellular repair into motion.

Other uses: The bark of the Morinda (Noni) produces a reddish purple and brown dye used in making batik and the tree was widely grown for this purpose in Java. In Marshal Islands, a yellowish dye was also extracted from the roots and also used to dye cloth. The Noni tree was also purposely planted to provide support for pepper vines and shade tree for coffee bushes. The Noni tree was also used as a wind-break in Surinam.

Traditional medicinal uses: Various parts of the Noni plant are used to contain fever and as a tonic (Chinese, Japan, Polynesia); leaves, flowers, fruit, bark to treat eye problems, skin wounds and abscesses, gum and throat problems, respiratory ailments, constipation, fever (Pacific Islands, Polynesia); to treat stomach pains and after child birth (Marshall Islands).  Heated leaves applied to the chest relieve coughs, nausea, colic (Malaysia); juice of the leaves is taken for arthritis (Philippines). The Noni fruit is taken for lumbago, asthma and dysentery (Indochina); pounded unripe fruit is mixed with salt and applied to cuts and broken bones; ripe fruit is used to draw out pus from an infected boil (Tahiti & Polynesia); juices of over-ripe fruits are taken to regulate menstrual flow, ease urinary problems (Malay); fruits are used to make a shampoo (Malay, Tahitian, Polynesian) and to treat head lice (Tahiti & Polynesia). Other exotic diseases treated with the plant include diabetes and venereal diseases.

Role in the habitat: Like other mangrove and shore plants, the Morinda (Noni) helps to stabilize the shore and provide shade under which other less hardy plants can establish themselves. Their fruits appear to attract the Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), which also often make their remarkable nests out of the living leaves of the plant. In residence, these ants may protect the plant from insect predators.

Saturday 6 December 2014

10 Amazing Health Benefits of Noni

Morinda citrifola, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, nunaakai (Tamil Nadu, India), dog dumpling (Barbados), mengkudu (Indonesia and Malaysia), apatot (Philippines), kumudu (Bali), pace (Java), beach mulberry, cheese fruit, or noni (Hawaii), is a fruit native to Southeast Asia and Australasia. It is green at first, then turns yellow as it ripens, giving off a pungent odor. Weaver ants are attracted to it, which protects the plant from plant-parasitic insects.

It is most commonly sold in juice form. There are different types, such as unsweetened, sweetened, diluted with grape or other berry juices, or even noni powder mixed with water or juice. The best kind would be unsweetened, with pulp. Additives such as sweeteners and preservatives will cancel out the effects it has on your body, making it redundant; the pulp contains the most nutrients. Noni has a bad reputation of being a spam product, from ads saying that it is a cure-all. This is not true, and most of the products on the market are indeed hurting more than helping.

Nevertheless, noni may be what you are looking for to help alleviate pain or boost your immune system. Here are the 10 most important benefits this fruit has in detail.


1. Analgesic – Noni has the nicknames of “The Tree For Headaches” or “The Painkiller Tree”. Studies have shown that noni reduced pain comparable to the drugs tramadol and hydrocortisone, making it effective for arthritic and other joint pains.

2. Immune system booster – Noni activates macrophages and strengthens the immune system, which then produces more lymphocytes. It also contains antibacterial agents that fight infectious bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

3. Antidepressant/sedative – Noni stimulates seratonin and melatonin, two very important hormones. Seratonin affects mood, emotions, and sleep; imbalance in levels of serotonin may contribute to depression. Melatonin regulates the Circadian rhythm, which helps you sleep; keeping this regular will help you get a good night’s rest, also improving your mood.

4. Skincare/hair – Noni’s properties are useful on skin and scalp conditions, such as eczema and ringworm; also rubbed on scalp for lustrous hair; and will keep your skin young. Just rub some juice on affected skin/scalp, leave on for 15 minutes, rinse off. Ingestion of juice may help your nails to grow stronger.

5. Anti-tumor/anti-cancer – Noni stimulates the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is an extremely useful substance, one that is at the base of many of noni’s benefits. In this case, it reduces tumor growth and helps your body fight against the cancerous replication of cells. It also contains an immunomodulatory polysaccharide rich substance known as noni-ppt that further fights cancer. The immune boosting properties I mentioned in an above section are also a great help. One more thing that’s important are the amount of phytochemicals in noni that fight cancer. Phytochemicals are found in vegetables and herbs, if eaten regularly will build up preventive amounts. In the case of cancer already being present, noni and other plants with high amonts will slow, stop, or totally reverse the cancer process.

6. Hypertension – Noni is high in phytonutrients, selenium, and vitamin C, which fights free radical damage on blood vessel walls; scopoletin, a compound that may lower blood pressure; it is alkaline, which keeps bodily fluids from becoming too acidic, therefore hurting free radicals. It also has proxeronine, which is needed for the body to produce xeronine. Xeronine helps coordinate the cells to work harmonious, lowering stress and in turn, blood pressure. Also has the amino acid, tryptophan. When tryptophan enters the blood stream and goes to cells, it helps produce other substances that are important, such as even more seratonin, which is great for lowering blood pressure by way of its relaxing effect.

7. Cholesterol – Noni prevents the absorption of LDL cholesterol, thus reducing plaque in arteries, keeping you healthy and alive longer.

8. Memory – Noni, as mentioned before, prevents absorption of cholesterol by way of its large amount of phytosterols. This directly helps your brain stay healthier, and plaque does not build up in arteries feeding the brain, keeping it properly oxygenated.

9. Irritable Bowel Syndrome/constipation – Noni is high in soluble fiber, which helps ease the strain on your intestines and softens stool. Also has necessary vitamins and minerals to keep your intestines healthy.

10. Antibacterial/antifungal/antiviral – Noni has properties to fight infections comparable to that of prescription drugs. It contains anthraquinones, scopoletin, and terpenes, among others all work together to fight diseases.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Noni Makes Your Hair Lustrous and Strong - A Testimonial

I heard about Noni Black Hair Magic only a few weeks ago and had a very a good experience when I tried it. When I came to India two years ago, I had the luxury of having a body massage and hair dye treatment right at home. In India a masseuse will come to your home and give you a whole body massage at your house for a few extra bucks. Anyway, while she was giving me a massage she was explaining to me the benefit of massaging with mustard oil. Mustard oil is considered the king of oils. There is no oil as beneficial as mustard oil. She gave me a thorough massage from head to toe and it was wonderful. In the process of doing so she was telling me that using the popularly known brands of hair dyes that are full of chemicals and Ammonia not only weaken the hair and increase hair fall, they are also detrimental to the brain as you apply these chemicals to your scalp. Now that made a lot of sense, but the only alternative natural hair dye she recommended to me was henna. I really did not want to use henna as it leaves the hair red when the color eventually wears off. So I continued to use the popular hair dye that was available in the market that was also full of these detrimental chemicals. Finally after 2 years, I have found a wonderful all natural hair dye made from Noni.

I tried BSY Noni Black Hair Magic a few weeks ago and was stunned at the ease with which I could apply it to my hair. It smelled good too and was cool to the head and washed off easily. The first thing I noticed on applying it was that my hair did not fall out as much as I rinsed the shampoo off my hair. As I am writing this article and google searched some information on mustard oil I found this interesting piece of information.

“To make your hair strong and lustrous, an oil massage is a must. The massage increases the blood flow and provides hair follicles with all the nutrients required for good hair growth. You can also use olive oil if you have a problem of excess hair fall.

Although you cannot cure baldness, with little care, you can promote hair growth and slow hair loss. Massaging the scalp with aloe vera gel or coconut milk is an effective remedy for treating hair loss. Another method to strengthen the hair roots is by rubbing lemon juice onto the scalp after oiling the hair. Make sure you leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes and then wash it off as usual. This remedy will also help you in getting rid of dandruff. Besides you can also use eucalyptus oil for dandruff treatment by soaking a piece of cotton wool into the oil and rubbing it thoroughly into the scalp. After that just wrap a warm towel around the head for 15 to 20 minutes. Shampoo, and rinse. Repeat the treatment again after a week.

To color your hair naturally you can use henna leaves made into a paste and applied on the hair. It gives a reddish tinge to the tresses. If you want a darker color then put strong concoction of black coffee and tea in the paste. But beware. This recipe is only for brunets or redheads as the final color will not suit people of lighter hair. One more method to color the hair is by boiling equal parts of Gooseberry, Acacia concinna and soap nut in water till you get a dark colored liquid. Use this liquid to wash your hair. Make sure you pour it into the hair small quantities and rub vigorously. Rinse out with plenty of water. It is very good for dark hair. Hope these remedies help you. You will be amazed to see how these natural ingredients work wonders on your hair. Moreover, being non toxic are not harmful for the environment.”

I have quoted this paragraph to show you how elaborate and difficult it is to use all the ingredients listed above.

With BSY Noni Black Hair magic shampoo, you don’t have to work so hard to reap the same benefits listed above, and that is to strengthen the hair roots, prevent hair loss and get rid of dandruff and provide hair follicles with all the nutrients required for good hair growth.Not only that! You can apply Noni Hair dye even on your graying eyebrows with no fear of any chemicals getting into your eyes and harming them. Noni hair dye is all natural and not harmful to the body nor to the environment!