**Growing Habitat:**
– Morinda citrifolia grows in shady forests, open rocky or sandy shores, and various environments like volcanic terrains and lava-strewn coasts.
– Takes 18 months to mature, can grow up to 9m tall, and yields 4-8kg of fruit per month.
– Tolerant of saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils.
– Has large, simple, dark green, shiny leaves.
**Uses:**
– Noni fruit is utilized in beverages, powders, cosmetic products, oil, and leaf powders.
– Indigenous peoples used Noni fruit as emergency food during famine.
– Consumed raw or cooked in Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia.
– Leaves are used in Thai cuisine and as a salad ingredient in Cambodia.
**Traditional and Medicinal Uses:**
– Noni fruit, leaves, and root are used in Polynesian cultures as a general tonic.
– No confirmed evidence of clinical efficacy for any intended use.
– FDA issued a warning for marketing unapproved drugs and false health claims.
**Dyes:**
– Noni fruit is used for producing dyes by Austronesian peoples.
– Morinda bark produces a brownish-purplish dye used for making batik.
– Yellowish dye extracted from roots in Hawaii for cloth dyeing.
**Nutritional and Phytochemical Composition:**
– Morinda citrifolia fruit powder contains carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin C, niacin, iron, and potassium.
– Noni juice has high sodium levels compared to oranges and moderate potassium content.
– Fruit contains phytochemicals like lignans, flavonoids, fatty acids, and alkaloids.