The Left Lane
Noni will be tested as cancer fighter

The noni fruit, known for its putrid odor and use in alternative medicine in Hawai'i, is about to undergo its first scientific research study to determine if it is valuable in cancer treatment.

Dr. Brian Issell, head of the Clinical Sciences Program at the University of Hawai'i's Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i, has been awarded $340,000 for a two-year study to test noni in cancer patients. Noni in capsule form will be given to cancer patients who are not responding to standard treatment.

Noni has been used in Asian and Pacific island cultures for hundreds of years, not just for cancer but to control diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. While there is no formal evidence to support its usefulness, many people place the ripe fruit in a jar and drink the resulting liquefied extract, which may have undergone different levels of fermentation.

More information about the noni study is available from the center's Clinical Trials Unit at 586-2979.

Having trouble judging the reliability of online medical information? To help out, Kaiser Permanente has launched the Health Information Check Up program to assist people in analyzing Web sites, and offer consumer input along with expert perspective.

Kaiser members and non-members can use this tool by going to www.kp.org/hicheckup. According to the organization, more than 40 million Americans turn to the Web for some of their health information.

Got tree? Courtyard could use a nice one

The Honolulu Academy of Arts is looking for someone to donate a tree, to be placed in the courtyard of a new suite of Asian art galleries. The galleries are under renovation, scheduled for completion in January.

The tree — only one is needed — should be about 6-8 inches in trunk diameter and have a 15- to 20-foot canopy. Among the acceptable species: Ficus retusa (Chinese banyan), F. benjamina (weeping banyan) and F. religiosa (sacred bo).

Academy officials especially hope for a sacred bo tree, also known as the bohdi tree, because it is under such a tree that tradition says the Buddha attained enlightenment.

The academy will arrange for the trimming and transportation of the tree. To donate, call 532-3619.