Noni fruit facts | Health Benefits

Noni fruit with its scientific name Morinda citrifolia is the fruit that belongs to the family of coffee plants. It is an evergreen like woody shrub which bears the fruit of several inches in diameter. The small white flowers grow in clusters which then turns into a lobe shaped fruit. Noni fruit has small bumps and its color ranges from green to pale yellow. The matured or ripened Noni fruit has pungent smell and distinctive taste. Although noni fruit has both a distinctive taste and pungent smell when rip, it has a long list of health benefits. It was used by traditional healers for the centuries. Today, the leaves, fruit, stems, roots and bark is used as the medicine for the various ailments.

Name	Noni Fruit
Scientific Name	Morinda citrifolia
Native	Native to Southeast Asia and Tropical Northern Australia. It is distributed from Asia, Pacific to Caribbean region. It is naturalized and cultivated in the tropical regions.
Common/English Name	Awl Tree, Brimstone Tree, Beach Mulberry, Canary Wood, East Indian Mulberry, Cheese Fruit, Grand Morinda, Forbidden Fruit, Hog Apple, Headache Tree, Large-Leaved Morinda, Indian Mulberry, Morinda, Leichardt’s Tree, Limburger Tree, Noni Berry, Noni, Noni Fruit, Pain Killer Tree, Pain Bush, Rotten Cheese Fruit, Togari Wood, Tahitian Noni Fruit, Wild Pine, Turkey Red, Canary-wood, Great morinda, Cheesefruit, Rotten cheesefruit, Indian-mulberry, Bois douleur, Pau-azeitona, Mora de la India, Lada, Nono, Indian mulberry
Name in Other Languages	American Samoa: Nonu; Australia: Morinda; Banaban: Te Non; Barbados: Wild Pine; Borneo: Mengkudu; Brazil: Noni; Burmese: Yaiyae; Chamorro: Ladda; Chinese: Hai Bin Mu Ba Ji; Chuuk: Nin; Cook Islands: Nono; Cuba: Mora De La India; Czech: Rojok Citroníkolistý; Danish: Noni; Dominican Republic: Baga; Dutch: Kaasvrucht; El Salvador: Ruibarbo Caribe; Fijian: Kura; French: Nono; French West Indies: Rubarbe Caribe; German: Noni-Baum; Gilbertese: Te Non; Guadeloupe: Ruibarbo Caribe; Guam: Ladda; Haiti: Fromagier; Hawai: Indian Mulberry; India:- Bengali: Chaili, Gujerati: Surangi, Hindu: Ach, Kannada: Ainshi, Malayalam: Cadapilava, Marathi: Alita, Oriya: Gondhonagi, Pindre, Sanskrit: Ashyuka, Tamil: Chayapattai, Telugu: Maddi Chettu; Indonesia:- Javanese: Mengkudu Pache, Minahasa, Gorontalo: Bengkudu, Madurese: Kodhuk, Sundanese: Kudu, Sumatra: Mekudu; Khmer: Nhoër Thôm; Kiribati: Non; Kosrae: Ee; Laotian: Nhor; Malaysia: Mengkudu Besar; Marquesas: Noni; Marshall Islands: Nin; Nepalese: Hardikath; Nicaragua: Noni; Niue: Gogu Atogi; Northern Marianas: Lada; Norwegian: Nonomorinda; Pakistan (Urdu): Achu; Palau: Ngel; Philippines:– Bisaya: Bancudo, Iloko: Apatot, Maguindanao: Bankoro, Subanum: Galongog, Sulu: Nino, Kuyonon: Rukurok, Tagalog: Tumbong-Aso; Pohnpei: Weipwul; Portuguese: Pau-Azeitona; Puerto Rico: Mora De La India Noni; Rotuman: Ura; Samoa: Gogu Atogi; Seychelles: Mirier De Java; Singapore(Chinese): Luo Ling; Solomon Islands: Urati; Spanish: Huevo De Reuma; Sri Lanka (Sinhalese): Ahugaha; Surinam: Parja; Swedish: Noni, Taiwan: Luo Ling; Tahitian: Mona; Thailand:– Northern Thailand: Mata Suea, Karen: Yae Yai, Tokelau: Monu; Tongan: Gogu Atogi; Tobago & Trinidad: Pain bush; Tuvalu: Nonu; Uvea/Futuna: Gogu Atogi; Vanuatu (Bislama): Yalotri; Vietnam: Nhau Nui; Wallis and Futuna: Nonu; Yap: Mangal‘Wag
Plant Growth Habit	Erect, glabrous shrub/small tree, crooked with conical crown
Growing Climate	Warm, humid, seasonal
Soil	Infertile, acidic, alkaline
Plant Size	Height: 3-10 m
Root	Deep taproot
Bark	Greyish or yellowish to brown, fissured, glabrous
Branchlets	Quadrangular, jointed
Leaf	Simple, opposite, glossy green, pinnately veined, elliptic-oblong, glabrous; Length: 20-45 cm; Wide: 7-25 cm
Petioles	Length: 0.5-2.5 cm
Stipules	Broadly deltoid, membranous
Flower	Bisexual, fragrant, white, corolla funnel shaped, ovoid to globose heads; Length: 1.5 cm
Fruit shape & size	Ovoid, pyramidal drupes, Length: 3-10 cm; Across: 3-7 cm
Fruit weight	4-8 kilograms
Fruit color	White, greenish white to yellow white
Flavor/aroma	Pungent
Fruit Taste	Distinctive
Seed	Two seeds, black, albuminous
Major Nutritions	Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 33.65 mg (37.39%) Carbohydrate 3.4 g (2.62%) Calcium, Ca 10.1 mg (1.01%) Protein 0.43 g (0.86%) Sodium, Na 10.5 mg (0.70%) Total dietary Fiber 0.2 g (0.53%) Total Fat (lipid) 0.1 g (0.29%)
Health Benefits	Antioxidant properties Treats cancer Prevent gout Strengthen muscles Cardiovascular ailments Fatigue Protects liver Anti-psychotic agent Reduce arthritis Impairs memory Treat diabetes Skin health Gastric problems Heal wounds Immunity power
Calories in 100 g	15.3 Kcal.
Traditional uses	Heal cuts, broken bones, bruises, wounds and sores. Stomachic, emmenagogue, deobstruent and laxative. Treats metrorrhagia, arthritis, dropsy, leucorrhoea, asthma and diabetes. Cure dysentery, fevers, diarrhea, dizziness and headache. Purgative, febrifuge and cathartic properties. Heal ulcers and wounds. Provides relief from sore throat. Treatment for sapraemia and leucorrhoea. Eliminate head lice. Sores, scabs and toothache. Used as a poultice on wounds, carbuncles, boils and pimples. The root bark and stem are useful for treating jaundice. Roots are used for tetanus and stiffness. Aid for childbirth. Reduce signs of aging. Useful for rheumatism.
Precautions	Lead to hyperkalemia. Kidney, liver, diabetic and renal patients should not use Noni fruit. Results a throbbing headache. Experience skin rash, problem in breathing or itchiness. Belching, headache, vomiting, nausea, gas, diarrhea, pimples and mild rash are minor side effects. Consult with the healthcare provider.
How to Eat	Consumed raw or cooked. Used to make rujak or consumed with sambal. Drunk with sugar or syrup. Young fruits are used in curries. Young leaves are consumed as vegetables. Used as a meat or fish wrapper. Bud is consumed as food. The leaves are added to eel soup. The seeds are roasted.

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