Traditional Uses:
Polynesians
picked the noni fruit before it was ripe, and place it in
a jar in the
direct sunlight. When fully ripe, the noni fruit was mashed
into a puree and the juice
was
extracted through a cloth. The juice was then ready for use.
People traditionally
took the juice during times of rest, when the body was under
the least amount of stress. Noni was also served as a food
dish.
Traditional Medicinal Uses:
- Parts of the fruit are used as a tonic and to contain fever (China, Japan, Hawaii)
- The
leaves, flowers, fruit, and bark can treat eye problems,
skin wounds and
abscesses, gum and throat problems, respiratory ailments, constipation, and
fever (Pacific Islands, Hawaii) - Used
to treat stomach pains and after delivery (Marshall Islands)
- Heated
leaves applied to the chest relieve coughs, nausea, and
colic (Malaysia)
- Juice
of the leaves is taken for arthritis (Philippines)
- The
fruit is taken for lumbago, asthma, and dysentery (Indochina)
- Pounded,
unripe fruit is mixed with salt and applied to cuts and
broken bones
- Ripe
fruit is used to draw out pus from an infected boil (Hawaii)
- Juices
of over-ripe fruits are taken to regulate menstrual flow
and ease urinary
problems (Malaysia)
- The
fruit can be used to make shampoo (Malaysia, Hawaii) and
to treat head lice (Hawaii).
- Other
exotic diseases treated with the plant include diabetes
(widespread) and
venereal diseases.
