How Xeronine is made in the body

Dr. Ralph Heinicke pioneered the study of the alkaloid Xeronine. Xeronine is produce in the body from the building blocks Proxeronine and Proxeronase. These building blocks are abundant in the juice of the Morinda citrifolia fruit.

Xeronine is a relatively small alkaloid that is physiologically active in the picogram range. (Editorial note: a picogram is one trillionth of a gram.) It occurs in practically all healthy cells of plants, animals and microorganisms. However, the amount of free alkaloid is minute, and is well below the limits of normal chemical analytical techniques.

Even though Noni fruits have a negligible amount of free xeronine, they contain appreciable amounts of the precursor of xeronine. This precursor, which I have named "proxeronine", is a strange molecule. The molecular weight is relatively large, namely about 16,000. In contrast to most plant colloids, this colloid contains neither sugars, nor amino acids, nor nucleic acids. Thus most biochemists have overlooked this relatively abundant molecule which occurs in most tissues.

Noni fruits also contain the inactive form of the enzyme that releases xeronine from proxeronine. Unless this pro-enzyme becomes properly activated, however, Noni juice will cause few physiological reactions.

Fortunately, if Noni juice is drunk on an empty stomach, the critical pro-enzyme escapes digestion in the stomach and enters the intestines. Here the chances are high that it may become activated.

Many years of research are still required to demonstrate convincingly how xeronine functions at the molecular level in a cell. In the meantime I can suggest certain hypotheses which can act as a guide in planning experiments. I am basing these hypotheses both on clinical results with bromelain pills as well as on a limited number of laboratory and animal experiments carried out with pure xeronine.

I am proposing that the primary function of xeronine is to regulate the rigidity and shape of specific proteins. Since these proteins have different functions, we have the usual clinical situation where administering one simple drug causes an unbelievably wide range of physiological responses.

I believe that each tissue has cells which contain proteins, which in turn have receptor sites for the absorption of xeronine. Certain of these proteins are the inert forms of enzymes which require absorbed xeronine to become active. Other proteins become potential receptor sites for hormones after they react with xeronine. Thus the action of ginseng, bromelain and Noni in making a person feel well is probably caused by xeronine converting certain brain receptor proteins into active sites for the absorption of the endorphin, the well being hormones. Other proteins form pores through membranes in the intestines, the blood vessels, and other body organs. Absorbing xeronine on these proteins changes the shape of the pores and thus affects the passage of molecules through the membranes. Thus the action of bromelain, Noni, and ginseng in improving digestion may be ascribable to this action. These are just a few of the many exciting actions of this newly discovered alkaloid. Since Noni is a potential source of this alkaloid, Noni juice can be a valuable herbal supplement.

Another critical problem in using Noni juice as a health supplement is timing. If the juice is drunk on a full stomach, it will have very little beneficial action.

The pepsin and acid in the stomach will destroy the enzyme that liberates xeronine. For a seriously sick person, drinking the juice on an empty stomach rarely poses a problem because the patient is too sick to want to eat anything.

However, for the average person who wants to drink Noni juice as a health tonic, timing is critical. I would recommend drinking 100 ml of Noni juice a half-hour before breakfast. At this time the juice will pass rapidly through the stomach and into the intestines, where it may be converted into the active enzyme. At any other time of the day, especially at meal times, the primary effects of drinking Noni juice will be psychological and caloric. Because of the strong flavor, the psychological effect might not necessarily be positive! To obtain the maximum effect of the active ingredient in Noni, I would recommend also that Noni juice not be drunk with coffee, tobacco or alcohol. At times the combination of these materials and Noni can give some unexpected side effects. At other times the combination merely lowers the potentially beneficial effect of xeronine.

Although the islanders recommended both green fruit and ripe fruit, my personal recommendation would be to use only the green fruit. The green fruit has more of the potentially valuable components and less of the undesirable flavor.

In light of the new information on the action of xeronine, what are some of the possible applications of Noni juice? First I should make the caveat that for all of the possible applications which I am listing, one must always add the phrase "some types but not other types."

What is the function of this essential nutrient?
1. It activates dormant enzymes that are found in our small intestines, this is very important, since we eat too many foods that are lacking in sufficient quantities of enzymes. Our bodies need specific enzymes to enjoy efficient digestion, calm nerves and to increase our physical and emotional energy.

2. Xeronine protects and keeps the shape and suppleness of protein molecules so that they may be able to pass through the cell walls and be used to form healthy tissue. Without these nutrients going into the cell, the cell can not perform its job efficiently. Without pro-xeronine to produce xeronine our cells and then our complete body suffers.

3. The enzyme xeronine which the body produces from the pro-xeronine found in the Noni plant, also assists in enlarging the membrane pores of the cells. This enlargement allows for larger chains of peptides (amino acids or proteins) to be admitted into the cell and to feed us better. If these chains are not used they become wast and this precious source of energy is lost by going to fat or being eliminated.

4. Every cell in the body is like a house with doors and windows. When you have to drive a car into a garage you need to open the large door. The same goes on in our body if we have to absorb a larger protein molecule, we need to open a larger pore if we are to use it. Xeronine, which is made from pro-xeronine, assists in the enlarging the pores and allowing better absorption of nutrients.