By Changsong Li

My discovery of the noni fruit and how it positively impacted my life.

The first time I encountered Noni juice was when my mother introduced it. She said, “We recently are enjoying Noni juice, and I also shared this with your Dad. He loves it very much!”, and then I said, “What does it taste like?”, “A little sour, because it is made of a kind of fruit, Noni. So I am curious about this fruit, which is new to me. After that, I began learning more about this superfruit online and in other materials.  

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is a rich source of iridoids, a class of cyclopentane pyran monoterpenes found in the plant kingdom. Due to the unstable nature of its C1-OH group, iridoids often react with sugar to form glycosides. Based on the integrity of the cyclopentane unit, it can be divided into two types: iridoid glycosides and secoiridoid glycosides. 

Additionally, we can find the dimer of iridoids, named as bis-iridoids and non-glycosidic iridoids, in nature. It contains two basic carbon frameworks: substituted iridoids and secoiridoids. In conclusion, its structure comprises four groups: iridoid glycosides, secoiridoid glycosides, non-glycosides, and bis-iridoids.

Iridoid glycosides account for the predominant fraction in Noni compared to other iridoid forms . The representative iridoid constituents in noni fruit mainly include deacetylasperulosidic acid (DAA), asperulosidic acid, morindacin, and scandoside. This figure illustrates the pharmacological mechanism of action of iridoids.  

The green one represents the common pharmacological activities of iridoids, which are now under further study, such as neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antitumor activities, while the orange one represents activity constituents.

After learning this, I began ordering Noni from the Partner.co – The company’s website, and I still remember how excited I was when the parcel was delivered to my home.  When I took my first sip, it was honestly quite sour, even slightly astringent—but I knew that was the taste of something 100% natural. 

By the second sip, the flavour became more layered, with hints of other fruits, such as blueberries. After drinking that, a few hours later, I felt so good, especially with my mood. I think this happened because of the Iridoids’ neuroprotective adaptation function. 

Regeneration and repair

Regeneration and repair of the central nervous system (CNS) are complex processes involving multiple links and factors. Nerve growth factors (NGF) are involved in many functions of the nervous system, including growth, survival, and the repair and regeneration of neurons. 

However, they hardly penetrate the blood-brain barrier and are easily hydrolysed. In this case, the researchers aim to identify natural lipophilic compounds that promote neuronal differentiation and regeneration. 

To date, all the available data suggest that the iridoids are a class of natural lipophilic compounds with the properties of endogenous neurotrophic factors, which could be considered as potential leads for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases” (Habtemariam，2018). 

Sleep Quality

So I know why Iridoids in Noni made me delighted. Having gotten these benefits, I shared Noni with my friend who has anxiety and a sleeping problem in his daily life. I believe it will relieve some anxiety, and it must improve his sleeping quality.  

Beyond noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.), numerous fruits such as Gardenia fruit, Cornelian Cherry, and European Cranberry are recognised as natural sources of iridoids, predominantly in the form of iridoid glycosides.

References:

Habtemariam S. Iridoids and Other Monoterpenes in the Alzheimer’s Brain: Recent Development and Future Prospects. Molecules. 2018;23:117. doi: 10.3390/molecules23010117. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Wang C, Gong X, Bo A, Zhang L, Zhang M, Zang E, Zhang C, Li M. Iridoids: Research Advances in Their Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Pharmacokinetics. Molecules. 2020 Jan 10;25(2):287. doi: 10.3390/molecules25020287. PMID: 31936853; PMCID: PMC7024201.