Noni juice is not hepatotoxic.
Noni juice (Morinda citrifolia) has been approved for use as a safe food within the European Union, following a review of safety. Since approval, three cases of acute hepatitis in Austrian noni juice consumers have been published, where a causal link is suggested between the liver dysfunction and ingestion of anthraquinones from the plant. Measurements of liver function in a human clinical safety study of TAHITIAN NONI Juice, as well as subacute and subchronic animal toxicity tests revealed no evidence of adverse liver effects at doses many times higher than those reported in the case studies. Additionally, M. citrifolia anthraquinones occur in the fruit in quantities too small to be of any toxicological significance. Further, these do not have chemical structures capable of being reduced to reactive anthrone radicals, which were implicated in previous cases of herbal hepototoxicity. The available data reveals no evidence of liver toxicity.
West
Brett-J
BJ
Research and Development Department, Tahitian Noni International, American Fork, UT 84003, USA. brett_west@tni.com
Jensen
C-Jarakae
CJ
Westendorf
Johannes
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000880:Anthraquinones / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D001628:Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D032066:Morinda / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018675:Toxicity Tests
D000880:Anthraquinones