Noni
Morinda citrifolia or
Noni 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. Noni tree is more like a shrub or small tree with its height ranging from 3-10 m. It has rounded branches, dark shiny leaves, reddish-brown seeds, small groupings of edible white flowers which in due course progress into a few-inches long, potato or egg-shaped greenish white fruit carved with many round grooves.
Noni or Indian Mulberry, the fruit of the Morinda Citrifolia tree, is actually a species of the coffee family - and like coffee, it is a stimulator, but not in the way you would imagine. Native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, the Noni fruit has been particularly well revered in Hawaii, where it is a part of many traditional medicinal remedies.
English common names include great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, and cheese fruit.
It is also nicknamed the "vomit fruit" because of its strong smell, which worsens as the fruit ripens. It tastes fairly bland, which is why it is usually blended with other fruits when juiced.
Many of the medicinal benefits though, are largely attributed to the fact that the noni plant is a source of phytonutrients - which have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial compounds, known to boost the immune system as well as repair cellular damage.In India, ancient ayurvedic texts mention noni, or ashyuka in Sanskrit, as a remedy to stimulate internal cleansing by treating parasitic infections of the stomach and for asthma, as well as a an external remedy to treat joint pains and for the skin ailments and as an anti-ageing solution.
Fruit Juice: When used externally, it works on head lice. When you drink it, it helps with diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, stomach ailments, heart disease, gastric ulcers, circulation problems, to stimulate menstruation, lowering cholesterol, fever, cough and cold, relieve high blood pressure, arthritis, AIDS, cancers, and poor digestion, stroke, weight loss, and any sort of infection. It is even considered to be an excellent treatment for senility and depression.
Noni Tea: Made from the leaves, noni tea contains antioxidants and works as an anti-ageing treatment. It is also beneficial for digestive issues, and works as a cure for diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, food poisoning, and intestinal worms.
Noni Leaves: Wrapping noni leaves around affected areas can cure arthritis, sore and swollen joints, stomachache and headache. A mixture of raw fruit and leaves is a cure for skin infections such as boils, and bruising.
In the Polynesian Islands, root preparations were used to heal sting-ray and jellyfish wounds. The bark was also traditionally used as an aid for mothers giving birth.
Noni
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 Noni pulp powder include vitamin C, niacin (vitamin B3), iron and potassium. Vitamin A, calcium and sodium are present in moderate amounts. When Noni 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 Noni juice are high compared to an orange, and potassium content is moderate. The juice is otherwise similar in micronutrient content to a raw orange.
The noni plant is a source of antioxidants, Vitamin C, and potassium. Every part of the shrub - from leaves to roots, has been used to treat a variety of ailments.
Read More at Wikipedia.
Recipe using Noni see Here and Here.
