Noni or Morinda citrifolia, Rotten Cheesefruit, Great Morinda, or Indian Mulberry.   

Noni grows in shady forests as well as on open rocky or sandy shores and is tolerant of saline soils and drought conditions.  This small tree grows naturally in Cooktown and surrounds and can be seen along Webber Esplanade just past the fishing lease, in the Botanic Gardens, and many other places. The small white flowers and fruits appear all year round with yields between 4-8 kg of fruit every month throughout the year. Is a commercial crop in other places.

The fruit is an oval 4-7cm, green to yellowish, ripening to whitish brown, soft and squishy with many seeds which are edible when roasted. The fruit is eaten raw or with a curry.

The juice – sold as Noni Juice - is reported to be a “cure-all” for everything from cancer to HIV. However the fruit also smells like rotten cheese. I have been unable to test the qualities of the juice as I cannot get past the incredibly pungent aroma of the ripe fruit. Some locals remove the seeds, add juice and swear by it as a pick-me-up.  One older local told me that it nearly killed him as he had so much energy that he was building rock walls in the heat of the day and had a heart attack!   So if you can get past the smell…..

The smell of the fruit also attracts fruit bats, which aid in dispersing the seeds.

Fruits are believed to be as an appetite and brain stimulant. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that noni juice increased physical endurance in mice.  A pilot study in distance runners showed increased endurance capacity following daily intake of noni juice over three weeks, an effect attributed to increased antioxidant status.

From the US National Cancer Institute:

An extract prepared from the fruit of Morinda citrifolia, a plant that yields various herbal preparations. Morinda citrifolia fruit juice has antioxidant properties and may prevent tumorigenesis via inhibition of DNA-carcinogen adduct formation.

The bark contains a red pigment and the roots contain a yellow pigment, still used in making dyes by the local people. The wood can be used in light construction, canoe parts and paddles, axe and adze handles, and digging sticks.

Traditional uses: Treatment for malaria, general febrifuge, and analgesic (leaf tea); laxative (all parts of the plant); jaundice (decoctions of stem bark); hypertension  (extract of leaves, fruit, or bark); boils and carbuncles (fruit poultice); stomach ulcers (oils from the fruit); scalp insecticide (seed oil); tuberculosis, sprains, deep bruising,  rheumatism (leaf or fruit poultices); sore throat (gargling a mash of the ripe fruit); body or intestinal worms (whole fresh fruits); laxative (seeds); fever (leaf poultice); cuts and wounds, abscesses, mouth and gum infections, tooth aches (fruit); sties (flowers or vapor from broken leaves);  stomach ache, fractures, diabetes, loss of appetite, urinary tract ailments, abdominal swelling, hernias, stings from stonefish, and human vitamin A deficiency (leaves). The  leaves are also used as a medicinal poultice or body wrap. The green fruit, leaves and the root/rhizome to treat menstrual cramps and irregularities, the root has been used to treat urinary difficulties.

Contemporary uses (worldwide): treatment of attention deficit disorder, addictions, allergies, arthritis, asthma, brain problems, burns, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, diabetes, digestive problems, endometriosis, fibromialgia, gout, hypertension, immune deficiency, infection,  inflammation, multiple sclerosis, muscle and joint pain, polio, rheumatism, sinus, and veterinary medicine have yet to be validated.