Noni Juice Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

noni fruit is used to make noni juice

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Noni juice is sourced from the fruit of the noni tree (Morinda citrifolia) found in Tahiti, Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Australia, and India. Although noni juice has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, its use has come under scrutiny due to potential risks and unsupported health claims.

Also known as the Indian mulberry, the noni tree is prized for its bark, which is used to make red and yellow dye for clothing and batik. In addition to the fruit of the noni tree, the stems, leaves, bark, and root of the noni tree are also used for medicine.

Noni fruit is sometimes called cheese fruit because of its strong smell and bitter taste. It is more often used as a famine food rather than as a staple of a regional diet.

Noni became popular in the 1990s when the juice was heavily promoted as a health beverage. In 1992, a dehydrated form of the fruit was introduced into the United States by Herbert Moniz of Herb's Herbs, who produced both powdered and capsule supplements.

Noni Juice Nutrition Facts

A 1-ounce serving of noni juice has 5 calories, 1 gram of carbohydrates, and 10% of your daily recommended vitamin C intake. This nutrition information is provided by the USDA.

  • Calories: 5
  • Fat: 0g
  • Sodium: 5.1mg
  • Carbohydrates: 0.9g
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Sugars: 0.9g
  • Protein: 0g
  • Calcium: 209mg

Carbs

Noni juice has very few carbohydrates. A 1-ounce serving of unsweetened noni juice has just under 1 gram of sugar. When purchasing noni juice, check for added sweeteners that would increase the sugar (and calorie) content.

Fats

Noni juice does not contain fat.

Protein

There is no protein in noni juice.

Vitamins & Minerals

Noni juice has 9 milligrams of vitamin C in a 1-ounce serving, which provides 10% of your recommended intake for the day. It also contains 209 milligrams of calcium.

Calories

Noni juice is low in calories if your portion is small, with just 5 calories per ounce. An older study published in 2009 found that noni juice is safe up to 750 milliliters (or about 25 ounces of juice) per day, which would increase the calorie content to 125 calories. Also if your noni juice contains added sweeteners, this will also increase the calorie content of noni juice.

Noni Juice Benefits

Noni juice benefits include providing anti-inflammatory effects for smokers and high levels of antioxidants. It also may improve joint health, increase endurance, boost immune activity, help with weight management, improve bone health in women, support normal blood pressure, and improve oral health. It is important to note that the results of these studies are mixed and in many cases more research is needed. That said, here are some potential health benefits of noni juice.

May Benefit Smokers

Although the anti-inflammatory effects of noni juice are often exaggerated by supplement manufacturers, there is one group in whom noni juice may exert tangible benefits—smokers. A 2012 study from the University of Illinois reported that drinking 29.5 milliliters to 188 milliliters of noni juice (about 1 to just over 6 ounces) per day for 30 days significantly reduced cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and inflammation in smokers compared to placebo.

Contains High Levels of Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants

Noni juice is known to be rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (compounds that prevent free radicals from damaging cells). Because free radicals can lead to conditions such as heart disease and cancer, there is speculation that noni juice may have preventative qualities. More research is needed, though, before this claim can be made.

Has Historical Health Uses

Noni juice has a long history of use in native cultures, where it is believed to treat constipation, diarrhea, skin infections, and mouth sores. The leaves of the plant were also frequently applied to the skin to aid in wound healing.

Today, alternative medicine practitioners have ascribed noni juice with a multitude of health benefits, including the treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure, menstrual disorders, heart disease, gastric ulcers, depression, atherosclerosis, HIV, and cancer. However there is currently no evidence to support these claims.

Adverse Effects

There is some debate regarding the safety of noni juice for medical uses. While it is likely safe when consumed as a beverage, the overuse of noni juice or its extract may cause harm to the liver.

The noni plant contains anthraquinones, compounds found to be hepatotoxic—or toxic to the liver—and carcinogenic. There have been several confirmed reports of liver injury, including hepatitis and liver failure, attributed to noni consumption.

The National Institutes of Health currently advises against the use of noni juice in people with liver disease, including chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis B.

Noni juice also is high in potassium and should be avoided by people with kidney, heart, and liver disease as well as those taking potassium-sparing diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Doing so can lead to hyperkalemia (excessively high potassium levels).

Similarly, if you have bleeding disorders or are taking blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin) or Plavix (clopidogrel), you should avoid using noni as it may further slow blood clotting. And if your noni juice contains added sugars, it should be used with caution by people with diabetes.

Noni may also interact with other drugs and treatments, such as phenytoin, the liver enzyme UGT (uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase), and both chemo and radiation therapy. Due to the lack of safety research, noni should not be used in pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children.

When It's Best

Unless you live in Hawaii, the Caribbean, or some other tropical region, it is unlikely that you will find fresh noni fruit in the produce aisle. If you do, you can peel it and eat it raw—if you can bear the bitter taste. Other people will juice it or add it to smoothies. The fruit is ripe when is slightly soft and has a slightly yellowish skin.

Some people believe that fermented noni juice is inherently more healthy and will make it at home over the course of 6 to 8 weeks. Unless you know how to properly pasteurize the fermented juice, it is best to stick with the pre-bottled juices in stores.

In juice form, it is available in many health food stores, usually in pasteurized or fermented juice forms. If buying noni juice or extract, check to see how much sugar it contains. Noni juice is naturally bitter, so the juice will usually be sweetened with sugar, agave syrup, or some other natural or artificial sweetener, but this will contribute to carb content and calories, and may not actually be as healthy as it seems.

Noni can also be found in powder, tablet, extract, or capsule form, either online or in dietary supplement stores. Noni juice and supplements are intended for short-term use only. Dietary supplements are not routinely tested for quality or safety in the United States. As a general rule of thumb, choose supplements from well-known manufacturers with an established brand presence. Try not to be swayed by health claims that may or may not be true.

9 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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By Meredith Hirt
Meredith is a writer and brand strategist with expertise in trends forecasting and pop culture. In addition to writing for Verywell Fit, Playbook, and Forbes Advisor, she consults with trend agencies to use data-driven storytelling and actionable insights to help brands solve problems and engage consumers.