Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Introduction: Morinda citrifolia L. (noni) is an evergreen or small tree that grows in many tropical regions of the world. Morton (1992) reports that the fruit of this tree has a history of use in the pharmacopoeias of Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asia. In the past decade, the global popularity of noni fruit juice has increased dramatically (Dixon and others 1999; McClatchey 2002). While there are several publications describing various potential health benefits of noni fruit (Wang and others 2002), journal publications regarding safety are limited.

A few case reports have been published in which a connection is attempted between an adverse event and noni fruit juice consumption (Mueller and others 2000;Carr and Bergeron 2004;Millonig and others 2005; Stadlbauer and others 2005). However, the sketchy details and limited number of cases reported are inadequate to draw any conclusion. On the other hand, the fruit has been subjected to an official safety evaluation within the European Union and found to be acceptable for human consumption (European Commission 2002).

This review article will compensate for the lack of information and context in the published literature, and will thus assist health professionals and scientists in assessing the wholesomeness of noni fruit juice.