Morinda citrifolia or noni is a shrub that belongs to the Rubiaceae (coffee family) and is popularly known by many names like canary wood (Australia); fromager, murier indien (French); Indian mulberry, cheese fruit (English); nunaakai (Tamil Nadu, India); lada (Guam, N. Mariana Islands); kesengel, lel, ngel (Palau); kikiri (Solomon Islands); kura (Fiji); mangal‘wag (Yap); dog dumpling (Barbados);  mora de la India (Spanish); nen, nin (Marshall Islands, Chuuk); non (Kiribati); mengkudu (Indonesia and Malaysia); noni (Hawaii); pace (Javanese); nonu, nonu atoni, gogu atoni (Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Wallace, Futuna); weipwul (Pohnpei, Micronesia); Kumudu (Balinese) and nono (Cook Islands, Tahiti).

Morinda citrifolia, an evergreen tree or shrub, can grow from 3 to 10 meters high as a mature plant. Varieties of the noni may differ in size and color of the fruits, leaves, taste, odor and seed contents in each noni fruit. The noni plant bears fruit throughout the year; the noni fruit is spherical and can be 3 to 10 centimeters wide and over 20 centimeters long. The fruits are green when matured but change to light yellow, then whitish when ripe. The leaves are usually rounded, elliptical or long and strap-like.  Most varieties of noni have fetid taste and smell but others are odorless. Each noni fruit contains many seeds that are reddish brown and triangular; the seeds are buoyant and easily dispersed by water and the birds. This explains the wide distribution of Morinda citrifolia in the tropical regions.

Noni plant grows well on sandy and rocky shores but it can survive any kind of environment.  It can thrive in coral atolls or lava-strewn coasts, saline coasts, in limestone soils or outcroppings including the forests. It can also endure drought as well as grow on secondary soils.

The noni plants are used in various ways. The bark and roots of Morinda citrifolia are used for dying clothes. The tree itself acts as support and shade to vines and bushes as well as windbreaker. Ancient Polynesians though have used noni as a cure to various illnesses. In addition, traditional medicine in Asia Pacific found the noni plant to be effective cure to common disorders.

• China, Japan and Hawaii uses parts of the noni to cure fever and as tonic drink.
• Pacific Islanders use the noni leaves, flowers, fruit, and bark for eye problems, wounds and abscesses, gum and throat disorders, respiratory diseases and constipation.
• People in the Marshall Islands use noni to relieve stomach pains and given to women after delivery.
• In Malaysia, the leaves are heated and placed over the chest to ease coughing, nausea and colic discomfort.
• In the Philippines, the leaves are made into tea by old people to treat arthritis.
• Indochinese eat the noni fruits to cure backpain (lumbago), asthma and dysentery.
• Malaysian women regulate their menstrual flow by drinking noni juice from over-ripe fruits; this also helps treat urinary problems.
• Fruits are made into shampoo and to eliminate head lice in Hawaii.
• Pounded unripe fruits are applied to cuts and broken bones by the Polynesians.

Studies about the health benefits of Morinda citrifolia reveal that the plant contain a vast amount of nutrients from plants (phytonutrients) such as scopoletin, octoanoic acid, potassium, vitamin C, terpenoids, anthraquinones and many other antioxidants. The most important component in the plant that Ralph Heinicke, a retired biochemist, discovered is the alkaloid. The alkaloid in the noni produces xeronine which helps in the cell regeneration of the body. Therefore, the noni plant is now considered a wonder herb that can help treat cancer and other disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, AIDS, gastric ulcers, mental depression, senility, atherosclerosis, vascular diseases and drug addiction.

With the growing concern for natural and herbal remedies, the Morinda citrifolia (noni) has been commercially distributed worldwide as noni fruit juice, noni capsules, noni powder, and noni soap and even including noni shampoo, lotion and spray.

Noni Plant and Fruit

The noni plant can grow up to six meters tall. Its flower is small and creamy white which develops into a fruit that is as big as a potato. The fruit is green when unripe and turns into yellow or white when mature. Inside the fruit are over 100 seeds that can be eaten when roasted. When the fruit is just ripening, it emits a pungent smell that is terrible. Others call it cheese fruit because it resembles the smell of cheese.

The roots, barks, leaves, flowers, roots or rhizomes including the green and ripened fruits are used in traditional medicine by the Polynesians.

• Green fruits are used to cure menstrual cramps, bowel problems, liver disorders and urinary tract infection.
• Liquid tonic from the leaves and barks of noni are used to treat urinary infections and muscular pains.
• Juice from the fruit can treat head lice when applied to the scalp.
• Cuts and broken bones are treated with mashed green noni fruit with salt.
• Facial impurities and skin infections like boils are treated with poultice from ripe noni fruit.
• Noni seed oil applied topically to the skin aids against inflammation, acne and facial moisture.
• Leaves are crushed and steeped as tea and can treat tuberculosis, arthritis, rheumatism. It can also be an anti-aging treatment.

With noni being processed and sold commercially nowadays, people drink noni as a general tonic to many health problems ranging from colds, flu, headaches, sinus infections, menstrual cramps, sprains, injuries, skin infection, poor digestion to chronic disorders like diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and arthritis, ulcers including mental depression, senility, and addiction.

Noni Nutritional Properties

Amazingly, there are about 150 nutracueticals, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals in noni juice specifically. Nutracueticals refer to food products that give health and medical benefits, as well as disease prevention and treatment. Phytochemicals are chemical substances that are produced by plants that also give health benefits. No wonder noni is considered by many as a magic drink.

Noni Health Benefits

Here are some health benefits from nutrients found in noni based on research:

• Antioxidants repair skin and avoid damage body due to age-related disorders.
• Anti-inflammatory reduces swelling due to infections or injury.
• Antibacterial strengthens the body against infectious bacteria such as Staphylococcus, E-coli, Salmonella and Sigel. These antibacterial components are Acubin, Alizarin, Asperuloside and Anthraquinone.
• Vitamin C helps fortify the immune system.
• Serotonin prevents moodiness and lowers blood pressure.
• Scopoletin helps dilate the blood vessels; it also has antifungal, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Natural enzymes helps in the proper functioning of the digestive tracts.
• Anthraquinone, Damnacanthal and Selenium destroy cancer cells.
• Beta Sitosterol, Noni-ppt and limonene prevent cancer cell actions.
• Polysaccharides stimulate the white blood cells and build up the immune system.
• Proxeronine and Xeronine help expand the cell membranes for better nutrient absorption.
• Nitric oxide reduces the growth of tumor, inhibits the radical duplication of cancer cells and reduces the risk of diabetic hypertension.

The noni plant has been used for centuries as an alternative medicine. Additional research and clinical trials are currently being conducted to further corroborate and explore noni juice benefits and other potential uses of noni.