Taxonomy:
Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae)
Common Names:Indian Mulberry
English Names: Wild Fig
Noni Apple
Polynesian and Hawaiian Names:
Noni
Nonu
Nono
Mengkudu
Kura
Morinda citrifolia L.
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Rubiales
Family: Rubiaceae - Madder family
Genus: Morinda L. - Morinda
Species: Morinda citrifolia L. - Indian Mulberry
(Wagner,W.L., Herbst,D.R.,Sohmer,S.H. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.)
(National Plant Database. 2003.)
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Food Uses:
Due to the bad taste, the Noni fruit was eaten only in times of famine. (Whistler,W.A. 1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine.)
However, some pacific islanders relished the noni fruit's foetid taste,
eating it even when other foods were plentiful. In 1920, Niue islanders ate it regularly,
and Filipinos made a jam from it, preferring the taste when it was fermented (Kepler, A.K.1983.
Hawaiian Heritage Plants.) Also, the fruits were served as food for pigs.
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Medicinal Uses:**
Morinda citrifolia was probably the most widely and commonly used medicinal plant prior to the European Era.
The practice of poulticing boils is a traditional remedy shared by all the Polynesian peoples.
The leaves are typically heated over a fire before they are applied to a boil. Also they are applied to cuts,
abscesses and inflammations.
In Samoa and Tonga the crushed or chewed fruit, or occasionally other parts of the plant,
are commonly used for treating infections of the mouth and gums, and for sore throat and toothaches.
In Samoa, the flowers are employed in treating styes (matafa), while in Tonga and Niue,
vapor from the broken leaves is used for this purpose. In Tonga, an infusion of the leaves or bark
is sometime used to treat stomachache, and the leaves are commonly used in massage for "ghost sickness".
Also, in Samoa juice from the crushed leaves is sometime dripped into the eyes, nose, or mouth for the same purpose.
The traditional use of Morinda as a "ghost medicine" is based on the belief that ghosts are repelled by the plant's odor.
In Hawai'i, in addition to using Noni for boils, wounds, and fractures, the fruit is used to prepare a tonic for ailments
such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and loss of appetite.
In Tahiti, Morinda is used for treating diabetes, fish poisoning, stings from reef fish(nohu), tonsillitis, abdominal swelling,
burns, ranula (a swelling that develops bellow the tongue-commonly called double tongue), and inflammation
of the fingers or toes.
(Whistler,W.A. 1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine.)
(Petard. 1972.)
In the Cook Islands, the fruit, combined with Miro (Thespesia populnea) fruits and Tou (Cordia subcordata) leaves,
are used to treat urinary tract ailments. The fruits alone are used sometimes in remedies for abdominal swelling
and diaphramic hernia. Also, an infusion of the grated roots is sometime applied to the top of the head to treat stings f
rom stonefish.(Whistler,W.A. 1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine.)
In Fiji the young shoots in coconut oil are greatly esteemed for the cure of ringworm and similar affliction such as
scabies and the itch, and for the treatment of acute rheumatic pains. The leaves are chewed and applied as a poultice
for inflammation and rheumatism and a steam bath made from the leaves is used to relieve stiffness.
The leaves are also used to treat boils and gastric ulcers, and to remove pus from an infected ear.
The hot juice from the leaves and flowers is squeezed into ulcers, and the leaves then used as a bandage.
The fruit is also used to treat ringworm, and the bark is used with the leaves of Waro Turoto (Cayratia seemanniana)
to treat sinusitis. The roots are used with those of Uci (Euodia hortensis) and Boiboida (Geniostoma vitiense)
to treat malnutrition. The leaves are used with those of Waliaqilo (Psychotria sp) to treat hemorrhoids,
and with the leaves of Alu (Epipremnum pinnatum) to relieve pregnancy pains. The grated root and fruit of the var.
potteri is chewed morning and evening to treat a sore throat, while a preparation made by pounding and straining
the young fruit is applied directly to mouth ulcers and hemorrhoids. Swollen testicles or hernia are treated with
fluid pressed from the stem. Pain caused by barbs or poisonous fish may be relieved by holding the affected area
in the steam of boiling leaves. To aid the removal of a splinter, a leaf is held over the cut.
In Tonga the plant is commonly used to treat diarrhea in infants, while the crushed leaves moistened in water are
applied to aching joints or massage into aching muscles. The fruits are crushed and the juice dripped onto aching
teeth or sore gums. The leaves are used in general tonics.
In Samoa the leaves are used to cure rheumatism and in cases of filarial swellings, or swellings of joints.
In the Gilbert Islands, "te non", as the plant is called, may be used on its own, but more frequently it is combined
with other ingredients in medicine used to treat skin or intestinal infections. For example, the leaves are used as a
deodorant, while a concoction of the root with coconut is taken internally for scabies and skin eruption, or to bring a
boil to a head. A concoction of the roots with Pandanus roots is used as a dressing for tropical ulcers or a large
coral cut, while a combination of equal amounts of the ripe and unripe fruits is used to prepare a concoction which
is taken to treat stomachache, diarrhea and blood in a stool.
(Cambie,R.C.and Ash,J. 1994. Fijian Medicinal Plants.)
** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.
(Whistler, W.A.1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine.)
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Scientific Research:
In a study, a team of Japanese researchers studied the effect of over 500 extracts from tropical plants on the
K-ras-NRK cell (a precursor to certain types of cancer).
The compound, damnacanthal, found in Morinda citrifolia (Noni), was found to be an inhibitor of Ras function.
Ras cells were seeded into 96 plates and incubated at 33 degrees centigrade for 24 hours.
The Noni plant extract was added and the cell morphology was examined every day for five days.
The Ras function was inhibited by the injected plant extract. This same compound has been found to
inhibit the Epstein-Barr virus early-antigen activation. The extract from the Morinda Citrifolia was found
to be most effective in inhibiting Ras function among the 500 tested extracts.
(Induction of Normal Phenotypes in RAS transformed cells by Damnacanthal from Morinda Citrifolia.Hiramatsu,
T.,Imoto,M.,Koyano,T.Umezawa,K.Cancer Letters 73.1993.161-166.)
The Hawaiian plant Morinda citrifolia might be effective in combating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria
that causes tuberculosis (TB). Scientists at the 2000 International Congress of Pacific Basic Societies in Honolulu,
Hawaii, reported on studies that identified certain active chemicals in the Noni plant that were effective in
eliminating the TB bacteria in the laboratory setting.
The conventional medical treatment for TB consists of a regimen of antibiotics taken over the course of several months.
Effective treatment requires strict adherence to the treatment plan. The drugs used to treat TB may cause side effects
such as gastrointestinal upset, hepatitis in some, drug interactions, hearing loss. But for the time being, antibiotics
remain the only proven effective treatment for TB. Nevertheless, scientists continue to search for effective alternative
approaches.
Researchers
from the Philippines have tested a variety of plants, including the
Noni, for antimicrobial activity in the presence
of the tuberculosis bacteria. These tests were designed to determine whether chemicals in plants such as the Noni could
destroy the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. What the researchers found was that extracts from the Noni plant killed 89%
of the tuberculosis bacteria, which compares favorably with one of the currently prescribed drugs for TB called rifampicin.
The researchers identified the active compounds in the Noni plant to be plant steroids, or phytosterols.
The significance of these research results is twofold. First, the phytosterols in the Noni plant may help resolve the serious
health problem of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis, and increasingly, multi-drug-resistant TB(MDRTB) by attacking the bacteria
through a different mechanism than antibiotics. Treating MDRTB is challenging. Some drugs are not effective in combating
drug-resistant strains of TB, and they often cause side effects. The research on the Noni plant may offer an effective
alternative treatment, especially for those in Hawaii, which has one of the highest rates of antibiotic-resistant
TB in the United States.
The research on the Noni plant represents an important breakthrough in the continuing search for plant compounds capable
of effectively combating M. tuberculosis and its various strains. Still, more research is needed to evaluate
Noni healing properties. (Saludes,J.,Garson,M.,Franzblau,S.,Franzblau,S.,Aguinaldo,A. Potential antimycobacterial
agents isolated from the leaves of noni. Presented at:2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies;
December 18,2000;Honolulu, HI.)
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Botanical Name: Morinda citrifolia L.
English Name: Canary Wood, Indian Mulberry, Turkey Red
Hindi Name: Ach, Achi, Al, Barraal
Sanskrit Name: Achchhuka, Achuka, Ashyuka
Asamiya Name:
Bengali Name: Aal, Ach, Achhu, Aich, Bartundi, Chaili, Huldikunj, Hurdi, Rouch, Surangi
Gujarati Name: Aal
Kannada Name: Ainshi, Anishi, Avishe, Burmanona, Dodda Thagachi, Haladi Paavate, Haladi-Pavate, Haladipaavate, Hal
Marathi Name: Aal, Al, Alita, Aseti, Baratindiala, Bartondi, Barutndi, Makadphal, Nagakunda, Nagkura, Surangi
Malayalam Name: Cada-Pilava, Cadapilava, Kadapilva, Kadappilavu, Karrapitalavam, Katappilavu, Kattapitalavam, Mancha
Oriya Name: Gondhonagi
Punjabi Name:
Tamil Name: Chayapattai, Mancanatti, Manjanathi, Manjanatti, Manjatbavattai, Minamaram, Nona, Nuna, Nunaa, Nunav
Telugu Name: Maddi, Maddichettu, Manajaparvetti, Mogali, Molaga, Molagha, Molugu, Molugu Chettu, Mulugu, Thogaru
