ATUALIZAÇÃO DAS EVIDÊNCIAS DA MORINDA CITRIFOLIA (NONI) NA PRÁTICA CLÍNICA

Abstract

Based on the popular saying that patients using Morinda citrifolia (Noni) had no weight reduction during chemotherapy treatment, a literature review was proposed regarding the biological effects of this plant on the possible reduction of cell catabolism during cancer therapy. The active search in several databases provided an enrichment in the bibliographic collection of the work regarding the physical-chemical, biological and medicinal content of the use of Morinda citrifolia. Besides its antitumoral use, antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and immune stimulant effects were also described. The objective was to analyze and summarize the evidence updates of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni) in clinical practice. The methodology used was the collection of data relevant to the subject and to pre-established parameters based on reviewtype articles in the last 20 years collected in the PUBMED, SCIELO, BVS, COCHRANE LIBRARY and MEDLINE databases. Thus, the objectives were described from several medicinal effects of the plant, its benefit is through the leaf, fruit or root when the process of maceration and/or decoction with antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumoral, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and immune stimulant activity is performed (Pimentel et al., 2015). In Brazil, its use is common and facilitated by the climate, with favorable conditions for its planting and culture, and by popular beliefs in the natural substrate as an adjuvant treatment to contain the advance of cancer. The current literature addresses different effects and actions that it has on the systems of the human body, being a plant widely used in herbal medicine and by the population in general through common sense. From the review of the data and the analysis of the evidence it was possible to observe a herbal effect of Noni not only antitumor but also a plant that is able to exert antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, anthelmintic, antioxidant, antifungal and hypotensive effects. Moreover, it is important to emphasize the social aspect of the use of this herbaceous because several generations and cultures have herbal medicine, specifically the use of Noni as a cure or adjuvant treatment for various diseases.