The concept of “cancer treatment” may bring up unpleasant thoughts of chemotherapy and its many nasty side effects. But there may be a medicinal plant that’s better than chemo at fighting cancer – the noni tree (Morinda citrifolia).

Native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, the noni tree is a small tropical tree often found in volcanic soil. Historically, many parts of the noni tree have been used on their own or alongside other herbs in traditional medicine.

A study by a team from Universiti Putra Malaysia shows that extracts from the leaves of the noni plant may be an ideal functional food or complementary therapy in managing or even preventing lung cancer.

Noni leaf extract fights cancer

Lung cancer ranks among the deadliest of all cancers, taking around 1.4 million lives every year. Nearly 80 percent of these cancers are classified as non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC), a type of cancer that is notoriously hard to treat with chemotherapy.

The study, published in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, took a look at erlotinib, one of the more common drugs used for chemotherapy treatments for NSCLC. They compared this drug with noni leaf extract, testing both against lung cancer cells from both mice and humans.

In both cases, noni leaf extract worked better at inducing apoptosis – programmed cell death – in NSCLC cells. It also did not cause any side effects commonly observed in patients taking erlotinib.

More importantly, noni leaf extract exhibited no toxicity towards normal lung cells. The study noted that this is something that chemotherapy is notoriously incapable of producing.

As amazing as the results of the study are, this isn’t the first one to identify noni leaf extract’s possible effectiveness against cancer.

A previous animal study also made similar observations about noni leaf extract. Here noni leaf extract was also found to be more effective than erlotinib in suppressing lung tumor growth in mice.

Other healthy benefits of noni

It’s not just the leaves of the noni tree that can provide you with health benefits. Many of the other parts of this amazing plant can also help keep you healthy. Here are some of the benefits that the noni can give you.

Helps alleviate pain

Noni has been used in traditional folk medicine for its pain-relieving effects. Studies have shown that taking noni juice can significantly lower the amount of pain felt by people with arthritis.

Supports immune health

One of the most abundant nutrients in noni juice is vitamin C. This is an antioxidant that helps your immune system by protecting your cells from damage from free radicals and environmental toxins.

Gives you more endurance

Pacific Islanders believed that eating noni fruit strengthened the body during long fishing trips and voyages. Studies show that there is some truth behind this belief.

In one such study, long-distance runners who drank 3.4 ounces (100 ml) of noni juice twice daily experienced a 21 percent increase in the time before they became fatigued.

Scientists speculate that noni is able to do this due to its high antioxidant content. These may reduce the damage that your muscles usually incur when you exercise.

The noni tree truly is a wonderful medicinal plant that can provide you with a lot of benefits for your health. If you interested in these benefits, consult with your healthcare professional to know how you can benefit from noni.

Sources:

GreenMedInfo.com 1

PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

GreenMedInfo.com 2

Pubs.RSC.org

Healthline.com

AJOL.info 1

AJOL.info 2