For thousands of years the first peoples of Earth have known the importance of respecting all living things. There is a natural cure for every ailment that afflicts humankind; the caveat is that we must not continue to dismantle all the wild ecosystems.
One of the most amazing plants that I have come across over the past quarter of a century of studying forests is the South Pacific noni or Morinda citrifolia.
This small blossoming shrub with its dark, glossy, one-foot-long evergreen leaves is indigenous to Tahiti, southeastern Asia and Australia. It has been naturalized in China, India, parts of Africa and the Americas.
About 1,500 years ago the Polynesians took noni seeds with them as they colonized the South Pacific Islands including Hawaii.
The noni plant produces egg-shaped fruits with indented pit-marks. Its tasteless, yellowish-white skin becomes near transparent when the fruit ripens. The ripened pulp, on the other hand, smells of strong cheese and the extracted pulp juice is quite bitter.
The fruits contain reddish-brown seeds that float in the ocean, which accounts for nonis’ widespread global distribution. Noni flourishes under harsh environmental conditions including the onslaught of salt, drought, sandy Australian soils, porous volcanic Hawaiian soils and nutrient poor limestone soils of Guam.
Noni fruit was an important food source for Australian, Burmese, Fijian and Samonian aboriginals, and the red dye form the bark and yellow dye from the roots were used extensively by these peoples.
Noni roots, flowers, seeds, leaves, bark and fruits contain more than 140 nutraceuticals or medicinal extracts that act synergistically in the human body and I recommend only using organically certified products — www.hawaiian-noniworks.com. Noni can be taken as a capsule, juice or as an oil in an extract, and is also available in a powder for pets.
Noni fruits contain 800 times more proxeronine than pineapple. Proxeronine is converted in the human body into a group of nitrogenous compounds, the main constituent being xeronine.
Xeronine enables all human cells to work more efficiently in addition to correcting deficiencies and repairing damaged cells.
Noni’s medicinal properties are known to enhance the thyroid and thymus glands, which fend off infections. Moreover, noni boosts the human immune system by bolstering macrophages and lymphocytes — two integral parts of our defense system.
Incredibly, noni’s medicinal properties help the human body attain homeostasis or a state of being normal. For instance, noni will correct blood sugar if it’s too high or too low or if the body’s acidity is too high or too low.
Japanese scientists isolated the compound damnacanthal from noni fruit, which inhibits some precancerous cells and thus tumor growth. Noni has also been shown to be effective in raising T-cell counts in victims suffering from AIDS.
Noni is an effective treatment for Type II diabetes. Scopoletin is a plant nutrient found in noni fruit that helps dilate blood vessels, and successfully reduces high blood pressure.
Noni has terrific antibacterial properties able to combat Shingella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus morganii, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus aureus and Escherichia coli.
Noni contains a class of unsaturated hydrocarbons called terpenes — key components of essential plant oils, which help rejuvenate cells and possess strong analgesic actions that relieve pain. Noni is renown for its pain relief properties.
In fact, in a study group of 8,000 patients in the U.S. over three quarters of the people that took noni reported relief from arthritis, bursitis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, cluster head aches and migraines.
Noni is also an anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic that efficiently fights allergies. It reduces menstrual cramps and it lessens the need for men with an enlarged prostate to urinate at night.
Veterinarians in the U.S. have experienced tremendous success using noni in treating pain, inflammation and as an anthelmintic or ridding animals of worms. The use of noni obviates the need for pharmaceutical muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory and steroids. Noni enhances dog’s immune system, joint health, circulation, digestion, and various skin conditions. Noni can also be used to treat cats and horses.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls appetite, mood and anger. Noni has a powerful serotonin binding capacity, which helps people who suffer from sleep disorder. Furthermore, noni provides relief for those suffering from depression, nausea, digestive problems, diarrhea, anxiety, arrhythmias, and it has been proven to lower cholesterol. Noni increases energy and endurance, and it helps reduce weight.
Noni is safe for children and pregnant or lactating mothers.
This remarkable South Pacific plant packs a tremendous natural punch and is most worthy of being at the front and in the center of your medicine cabinet.
Dr. Reese Halter is a public speaker and conservation biologist. His upcoming book is entitled “The Incomparable Honey Bee,” Rocky Mountain Books. He can be contacted through www.DrReese.com.
