NONI information: the history of the plant

Where did the Noni fruit come from?

Noni is said to have been drunk in for over 1500 years in The Cook Islands, Hawaii, Tahiti and other Pacific islands.

Some think it came to the Pacific from South East Asia and India. How it spread between the islands is not clear, however, although some experts feel voyagers and settlers from the Marquesas Islands carried the first Noni fruit to the islands of the Pacific.

However, it is clear that from the earliest times Noni fruit and Noni juice was widely consumed in the Pacific islands. In fact, because of its value and popularity, Noni was grown in small bush gardens and large plantations.

Noni in the ancient world

The early Polynesians (just like their descendants today) drank Noni juice and used Noni fruit for a healthy food, for dying their cloth and as a medical and healing plant. Scientific literature has hundred of references to the widespread popularity of Noni and Noni juice among ancient societies right across the tropical regions of the globe.

Noni juice in early India

Since we think Noni fruit first grew in Northern India, we would expect to find ancient Indians consumed M. Citrifolia for its healing properties. Indeed, the doctors of ancient India said almost every part of the Noni plant could heal. The root was a cathartic and febrifuge (for lowering fever) agent. Juice from Noni leaves, rubbed over affected parts in gout patients, relieved their pain, the doctors of India said. And Noni leaves were used as a tonic, febrifuge, and healer of wounds and ulcers for healing. Noni fruit and juice was eaten and drunk by patients with throat complaints, spongy gums, leucorrhea (unusual menstrual bleeding), dysentery and sapraemia (blood poisoning by bacterial putrefaction).

Noni juice consumed in the Pacific

In ancient Fijian society Noni fruit was eaten both cooked and raw. In Niue, people regularly ate Noni, and Filipinos made a kind of jam from Noni (in fact they particularly appreciated fermented Noni.)

Noni juice in SE Asia, Australia and Africa

We have found that Australian aborigines were fond of Noni juice and Noni fruit. In Burma, raw Noni was cooked in curry, the ripe Noni fruit was eaten with a pinch of salt, and Noni seeds were roasted and enjoyed raw with salt.

In Nigeria, Noni juice and Noni fruit treated malaria, fever, jaundice, yellow fever and dysentery.

Further uses of Noni in early medicine

Over-ripe Noni was given to induce vomiting (as an emmenagogue) and some doctors used Noni juice to relieve the pain of painful urination (dysuria) and assist in diabetes. And it was recommended internally for liver diseases, coughs, swollen spleen and as a slightly laxative medicine.

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