Noni fruit - morinda citrifolia
One very interesting member of the madder family (Rubiaceae) is the painkiller tree or Indian mulberry (Morindia citrifolia), a small tree native to tropical Asia and south to Australia. It has been introduced throughout the tropical Pacific region and the Caribbean islands. In fact, its Pacific distribution coincides with many plants valued by the early Polynesians, such as breadfruit and taro. The yellowish-white, multiple fruit or syncarp is composed of numerous, fused, ripened ovaries, each derived from a separate white flower. Each section or hexagonal marking on the fruit represents the place where a flower was once attached.
The painkiller tree was used by people throughout tropical regions of the world. In the Caribbean region, the shiny green leaves were used by the Caribs as a poultice for wounds, rheumatic joints, fevers and headaches. The leaves were applied directly to the afflicted area to relieve pain. Polynesians called the plant "noni" and used the ripe fruit as a poultice. The mashed fruit was applied directly to the afflicted area, including deep cuts and broken bones. A medicinal drink was also made from the fruits and used as a remedy for tuberculosis. The fruits were also eaten (raw or cooked) as famine food. Noni fruits and tonic can reportedly cure a variety of ailments ranging from arthritis, rheumatism, sores, boils, and even eliminate head lice. To this day, noni is considered a cure-all and is widely used by Polynesians. According to A.K. Kepler (Hawaiian Heritage Plants, 1984), one of the active ingredients of noni is morindin, a tricyclic phenolic compound. A yellowish dye was also obtained from the roots of this plant, an important dye for tapa cloth (bark cloth).
During the last decade of the twentieth century, there has been a "herbal revolution" in the United States, with an increased interest in natural herbal remedies. Because of its remarkable cure-all reputation among Polynesians, a lot of attention has been focused on "noni" (Morinda citrifolia). Several companies are now marketing noni extract juice from the ripened fruits or dried extract in capsule form. The extract contains proxeronine (precursor of the amino acid xeronine) and the enzyme proxeroninase which catalyzes the conversion of proxeronine into xeronine in the human intestine. According to the literature provided by these companies, xeronine aids in the uptake of vital nutrients (amino acids, etc.) by cells lining the small intestine. To find out more up-to-date information about "noni" do an internet search.