Morinda citrifolia is a tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends through Southeast Asia and Australasia, and the species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalised.
It is commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, nunaakai (Tamil Nadu, India), dog dumpling (Barbados), mengkudu (Indonesia and Malaysia), apatot (Philippines), kumudu (Bali), pace (Java), beach mulberry, cheese fruit or noni (from Hawaiian).
NUTRIENTS AND PHYTOCHEMICALS:
M. citrifolia fruit powder contains carbohydrates and dietary fibre in moderate amounts.These macronutrients evidently reside in the fruit pulp, as M. citrifolia juice has sparse nutrient content. The main micronutrients of M. citrifolia pulp powder include vitamin C, niacin (vitamin B3), iron and potassium. Vitamin A, calcium and sodium are present in moderate amounts. When M. citrifolia juice alone is analyzed and compared to pulp powder, only vitamin C is retained in an amount that is about half the content of a raw navel orange. Sodium levels in M. citrifolia juice (about 3% of Dietary Reference Intake, DRI) are high compared to an orange, and potassium content is moderate. The juice is otherwise similar in micronutrient content to a raw orange.
M. citrifolia fruit contains a number of phytochemicals, including lignans, oligo- and polysaccharides, flavonoids, iridoids, fatty acids, scopoletin, catechin, beta-sitosterol, damnacanthal, and alkaloids. Although these substances have been studied for bioactivity, current research is insufficient to conclude anything about their effects on human health.These phytochemicals are not unique to M. citrifolia, as they exist in various plants.
BENEFITS:
Throughout tropical regions, virtually every part of Morinda citrifolia was used to treat disease or injury. Its curative properties were well known and commonly employed. PatoaTama Benioni, a member of the Maori tribe from the Cook Islands and a lecturer on island plants explains: Traditionally Polynesians use Noni for basically everything in the treatment of illness. Noni is a part of our lives. Any Polynesian boy will tell you he’s had experience with it.
We use juice from its roots, its flowers, and its fruit… my grandmother taught me to use Noni from the roots and the leaves to make medicine for external as well as internal use, and for all kinds of ailments, such as coughs, boils, diseases of the skin, and cuts.
• Noni was frequently utilized for its anti-parasitic activity.
• Respiratory ailments, coughs, and colds were treated with Noni.
• A juice made from pounding Noni leaves, roots and fruit mixed with water was administered for diarrhea.
• Dried and powdered forms of the bark mixed with water and administered with a spoon treated infant diarrhea.
• Small pieces of fruit and root infused with water were given to kill intestinal parasites.
• Boiled bark decoctions were given as a drink for stomach ailments.
• Coughs were treated with grated bark.
• Charred unripe fruit was used with salt on diseased gums.
• Pounded fruit combined with kava and sugar cane was used to treat tuberculosis.
• Babies were rubbed with fresh, crushed leaves for serious chest colds accompanied by fever.
• Eye washes were made from decoctions for eye complaints from flower extracts.
• Leaf infusions were traditionally taken to treat adult fevers.
• A mouthwash consisting of crushed ripe fruit and juice was used for inflamed gums in young boys.
• Pounded leaf juice was used for adult gingivitis.
• Sore throats were treated by chewing the leaves and swallowing the juice.
• Skin abscesses and boils were covered with leaf poultices.
• Swelling was controlled with leaf macerations.
• Heated leaves were often used for arthritic joins and for ringworm.
