Noni (Morinda Citrifolia) was originally indigenous to Southeast Asia but thanks to the Polynesians, the Noni plant has been domesticated and cultivated around the world. Today you can find Noni in India, Tahiti, the Caribbean, South America, West Indies, and Hawaii. When Noni ripens on the vine it has a rancid smell and tastes somewhat cheesy described by those who have eaten it ripe off the vine. Noni has a long list of medical uses in many of the aforementioned cultures.
In many cultures the Noni fruit, flower, leaves, bark and root have all been used for medicinal purposes. The Polynesians have a long history of use for this plant. It has been said the leaves can be mixed with oil and applied to the skin to help with rheumatic pain, inflammation, gout, ulcers, neuralgia, cough and colds, ringworm, and boils. It has even been said that the juice could help control blood sugar in adults. In 1930’s the Noni fruit was used internally for a wide range of aliments. Noni fruit can be used as a cleansing formula, to help remove intestinal worms, and to help improve respiration and lung function.
Noni is packed full of phytonutrients and vitamins such as the following:
* anthraquinones
* damnacanthal
* Vitamin A
* octanoic acid fatty acids
* linoleic acid
* oleic acid
* acetic acid
* palmitic acid
* esters
* Ketones
* lactones
* alcohols
The above list of phytonutrients and vitamins in Noni can also help the body fight microbes, help fight against inflammation, help fight carcinogens, and boost the immune system. In research conducted on mice, Noni has been shown to boost the immune system directly by increasing the activity of macrophages and or lymphocytes in the immune system. In recent studies, the polysaccharides in Noni have shown to exhibit an anti-tumor effect and when taken in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents it can help improve recovery time.
Noni has been traditionally used as an analgesic pain reliever and sedative. Researchers recently put this to the test with mice in an experiment and found that in fact Noni did demonstrate a non-toxic analgesic pain relieving effect and sedative effect on the mice. The researcher’s findings did confirm the traditional analgesic properties and uses of the Noni plant.
Noni is a valuable medicinal plant, given the recent discoveries about Noni the future looks bright for this plant, but further studies should be performed to discover its full potential. If you want to relax one evening, drink some Noni tea and if you have a headache or mild aches and pains in the body, try Noni which comes in a liquid, capsule, or tea bag forms.