Noni Extract and Diazepam in Mice: Reduced Movement Is a Limited Sedation Endpoint

An animal comparator does not establish that a supplement can replace a prescribed benzodiazepine.

What the paper found

A small mouse experiment compared aqueous noni fruit extract with diazepam. The extract reduced aggression and spontaneous movement and prolonged ketamine-associated loss of the righting reflex. Diazepam generally produced stronger effects on the reported measures.

What the evidence cannot establish

Groups contained six mice. Loss of righting reflex after another anesthetic is not ordinary human sleep, and reduced movement can influence behavioral anxiety measures.

Implications for forensic review

For toxicology interpretation, identify the extract, species, route and combination exposure. The findings support further investigation of central depressant activity; they do not establish a human dose, reliable anxiety treatment or safety when a person combines noni with diazepam.

Source and related reading

Source: PMC4061592, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; case-review implications are an interpretation.

Related: Dominant Midazolam Sedation Was Associated With ICU Delirium in a Matched Cohort.