THIS WEEK'S QUESTION

Q. Why do you criticize noni juice as a cancer treatment? There are over 300 research articles about noni and more cropping up every day.

A. Noni is Hawaiian for a plant known scientifically as Morinda citrifolia, a small evergreen tree that grows in Polynesia. There is no doubt that it is used medically in both Polynesia and Hawaii, possibly even as a cancer remedy. There has been a small set of experiments at the University of Hawaii with injected noni juice. As I said in Herbs Against Cancer, "This is encouraging, even exciting." But the above experiments involved animals receiving a dose many times more concentrated than what humans receive by mouth.

It is often said that noni is non-toxic. But it contains two toxins, hexanoic acid and octanoic acid. This raises concerns. {See: Genetics 1998 Aug;149(4)1899-908 and Behav Genet 1998 Nov;28(6):455-64}.

Noni is mainly sold via aggressive multi-level marketing and the parent company and its salespeople often make exaggerated claims.

A case in point is the current letter writer. She claims there are over 300 research articles about noni. Yet Medline, which contains nine million peer-reviewed listings, reveals just 17 articles about noni, and a total of four concerning its role in cancer.Three of these are by the same author, Dr. Annie Hirazumi, and in fact these are her only Medline publications.

When you consider that there are literally thousands of articles on vitamin C, vitamin A, or selenium and cancer, noni's four listings seem mighty thin indeed.

As consumers we are constantly assailed by people trying to tap into the universal fear of cancer. Some of their products are genuine boons, others are definitely not. Our most reliable tool for telling the real from the bogus is scientific research. The science behind noni is preliminary, at best. Proponents don't make it more substantial by exaggerating its scope or importance.

P.S.There is a chapter on noni in my book, Herbs Against Cancer, which you can order by clicking here.

In addition, Moss Reports clients can ask questions directly to Dr. Moss's associate, Anne Beattie by emailing her at TMRAnne@aol.com.

If you have questions about purchasing a Moss Report for a particular kind of cancer, you can call our office at 718-636-4433 or you can order your Moss Report BY CLICKING HERE via our secure order form, and ask your question in the box provided

Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. is director of the The Moss Reports for cancer patients. Dr. Moss is the author of eleven books and three documentaries on cancer-related topics. He is or has been an advisor on alternative cancer treatments to the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the American Urological Association, Columbia University, the University of Texas, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the German Society of Oncology. He wrote the first article on alternative medicine for the Encyclopedia Britannica yearbook. He is listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the East, and Who's Who in Entertainment (as a film documentarian). This Web site does not advocate any particular treatment for cancer. We urge you to always seek competent medical advice for all health problems, especially cancer. Before consulting our site please read our full Disclaimer statement.

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