What Are the Benefits of Noni Fruit?

A noni fruit has been studied to be a fruit providing many health benefits. The noni fruit is grown on trees in tropical locations. This fruit may be also be called nono, nonu, Indian mulberry, cheese fruit or Ba Ji Tian. The tree of the noni fruit grows on a shrub, sometimes a tree, reaching 12 feet. The fruit starts off green, then ripens to a yellow with a pale flesh with dark seeds. It takes about 3 months for the noni fruit to ripen on a tree.
The noni fruit has a foul odor and is not known to have a delicious taste. Indigenous people are also known to use the entire tree for health benefits including the stems, bark, leaves flowers and roots. The noni fruit is replete with phytochemicals such as terpenoids, octoanoic acid, rutin, ursolic acid, damnacanthal and caproic acid. These plant-based phytochemicals are known to have a large range of benefits to health.

Origins

• The incredible health properties of the noni fruit were discovered by the Polynesians in the South Pacific over 2,000 years ago. The fruit originated from southeast Asia, but the Polynesians found they recovered from major illnesses after eating the fruit they called "the fruit of God."

Polysaccharides

• Polysaccharides are also called galactose, glycosides or glucuronic acid. They're known to be an immune system stimulator and to be have anti-bacterial properties. Other properties include anti-tumor and anti-cancer.

Scopoletin

• Scopoletin has been known to dilate a human's vascular system and may cause a lowering of blood pressure. This phytochemical is also an anti-inflammatory. Additionally, the analgesic properties may help sufferers of headaches, Alzheimer's and migraine headaches. Scopotetin also holds anti-fungal and anti-bacterial benefits, as well as histamine-inhibiting properties for allergy sufferers.

Noni Fruit and Cholesterol

• Noni has been studied to reduce total cholesterol and triglycerides for those who drink the juice once a day for a month. The researcher, Mian-Ying Wang, M.D., started researching the benefits of noni fruit after trying the juice on his own. He found he was personally affected by the health benefits of the noni fruit.

Forms of Noni Fruit

• The noni fruit doesn't have to be eaten as a whole piece of fruit. Many manufacturers have created a juice that's much more pleasant smelling and tasting than eating the raw fruit on its own. Capsules can also be bought if you don't want to try to eat such a foul-smelling fruit. Pure noni fruit powders can be mixed with foods and beverages.

Noni Fruit Nutrients

• As reported by the University of Hawaii, the noni fruit provides 55 percent of fiber in a 100g serving as required by the Dietary Reference Intake. Noni fruit is low in fat, with 12 percent protein. There are many micro-nutrients in the noni fruit, including vitamin C, B3, potassium, iron, vitamin A, calcium and sodium.