Celebrated for centuries as a powerful folk remedy and source of nourishment during times of famine, the Noni plant was discovered more than 2000 years ago.

Noni is native to Southeast Asia, but has been spread throughout India and into the Pacific Islands as far as the islands of French Polynesia. The Polynesians introduced Noni to the Hawaiians, where it has been central to Hawaiian culture for centuries.  Hawaiian Kahuna healers considered Noni their most sacred herb. and it was used for a variety of medicinal purposes. Today, most of all the Noni juice comes from French Polynesia.

Noni continues to be used all over the world to treat a variety of diseases. In China, Samoa, Japan, and Tahiti, various parts of the tree (leaves, flowers, fruits, bark, roots) serve as tonics and are used to treat fever, eye and skin problems, and gum and throat irritations, as well as constipation, stomach pain, or respiratory difficulties. In Malaysia, Noni is used for urinary problems and menstrual pain.  Heated Noni leaves applied to the chest are believed to relieve coughs, nausea, or colic. In Indochina, the fruit is used to treat asthma, lumbago, and dysentery. For cuts and broken bones, unripe fruit is pounded, then mixed with salt and applied to the affected area.  In Hawaii, ripe fruits are applied to draw out pus from an infected boil.

Although the fruit has a bitter taste and offensive odor, it is considered a basic food in some Pacific islands and served either raw or cooked.  Some Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it with curry.

Elmer Drew Merrill mentioned the Noni plant in his U.S. Military Survival guide written for soldiers based in the South Pacific during World War II.  In his book, Merrill recommended the fruit to American soldiers as an emergency food.  But it wasn't until much later that scientists began taking a serious look at the potential health benefits of the Noni fruit.

Research into chemicals found in morinda citrifolia, Noni’s botanical name, was already well underway in the 1970s, and early research dates back to 1920.

Noni really came into its own in 1992 when a study presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research revealed  promising results on Noni’s ability to prolong the lives of mice with lung cancer.  Soon Noni was being marketed as an anti-cancer agent with powerful disease-fighting properties by manufacturers and distributors. Although the claims were accompanied by hundreds of impressive and believable testimonials, the unsubstantiated reports were not backed by reliable scientific evidence. 

Noni has been a topic of scientific interest for over 85 years, but most of the research has focused on Noni’s anti-cancer properties. Although Noni appears to contain chemicals that combat cancer cells, research is ongoing, and it is far too early to recommend Noni in the treatment of cancer. Although studies have yielded promising results, the US Food and Drug Administration had determined that the evidence is limited and inconclusive.

So began the battle between Noni distributors and the FDA. For more information on Noni and the FDA, click here!

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The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for treatment of any health problem. As with any herbal or dietary supplement, talk to your doctor before making Noni juice or Noni supplements a part of your regular diet.

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