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Tahitian Noni Juice - A ‘Get Healthy Quick’ Scam?

Often, what we think about a potential opportunity is based upon our own perceptions of life.

There is, perhaps, no right or wrong answer so therefore the following is merely my opinion -

Noni is a wild-growing fruit believed to have originated in South-East Asia. Polynesians are known to have used all the various parts of the plant for some 2,500 years or so.

A food scientist, John Wadsworth, travelled to Tahiti in 1993 after reading the research of a Dr. Heinicke who suggested that Noni had some excellent qualities.

When Wadsworth returned to America he formed a company called Morinda (now known as Tahitian Noni International) who now have several thousand distributors across the globe, primarily selling Tahitian Noni juice in various formats, via multi level marketing.

I may look into the working of the MLM side of Noni another time but, today, I decided to look at Noni in terms of the alleged health benefits as that looks far more interesting.

What is the Tahitian Noni Juice Scam?

It would appear that Noni was originally marketed as a product that had amazing healing properties, something that was highlighted much more than I ever noted with either monavie or xango. I have seen websites suggesting that Noni, which comes from the morinda citrifolia fruit, can aid with the following -

• weight loss
• diabetes
• arthritis
• headaches
• alleviation of cancerous pains
• strokes
• multiple sclerosis

Further research would suggest that Morinda themselves were making such claims in the late 1990s, something that may well have contributed to their multi million dollar revenues each year.

These claims also drew criticism from the FDA though as they were not researched and totally unsubstantiated.

In 1998 the attorney generals office made an undisclosed settlement with Morinda which is believed to have run into the tens of millions of dollars. Additionally, Morinda were ordered to make refunds to any customers who requested them in writing as well as removing any product testimonials which they were unable to provide proof for.

Morinda were also ordered to cease making any claims or suggestions of health benefits with regard to Noni, for which there was no scientific proof available.

I wasn’t able to find the answer but I wonder if it was around this time that the organisation changed the company name from Morinda to Tahitian Noni International?

Have things changed?

If you search the web for information about Tahitian Noni juice then you will find that a lot of the sites that appear high in the search results are not only trying to sell the product but many are also making some pretty bold claims.

Many will point visitors to less than credible scientific and medical ‘facts’, some will promote themselves whilst rubbishing the competition and others still will make outrageous claims.

To be fair to Tahitian Noni International, however, it would seem like these offerings are probably from some rogue distributors, looking to make a quick buck whilst not necessarily selling according to the guidelines given to them. That’s something that happens with most MLMs and, in fact, a large number of other businesses too.

The official Noni site, or at least the UK version that I looked at, seems to be above board in it’s claims.

There are some fairly insignificant claims, such as how Noni fruit can aid the immune system, and certainly no wild claims at all. In fact, at the bottom of each page of the site is a disclaimer which clearly states that nothing on their site has been evaluated by the FDA and that Noni should not be considered a cure or treatment for any disease.

Also at the bottom of their web pages are a pair of small logos which seem to suggest that they belong to the UK Direct Selling Association (DSA) and that they abide by an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) code. There is a link to the DSA consumer code but a search of the OFT failed to through up any link or reference to Noni, though it’s possible that they are found by a term I had not thought of searching for.

Conclusion

To recap, my view is that the official and founding company behind Noni, Tahitian Noni International, were involved in making some wild claims back in the 1990s but they seem to have put things right now and not making sales based on unproven hype.

However, some independent distributors do seem to be looking for sales via overly enthusiastic and potentially misleading marketing.

Verdict : I don’t think that Tahitian Noni International is a scam, but beware of Noni juice from other sources - if they claim amazing health benefits then look for the proof and make sure it is from a reliable and recognised medical or scientific body before you believe it.