History of Noni

Since noni is now catching the attention of everyone wanting to eat natural foods to stay healthy, many people are paying more interest in the history of noni. Of course, if you are going to eat something exotic, such as noni, you probably want to know as much about it as possible such as where it comes from.

Where does noni come from?

While most people want to know more about the history of noni, there are not many records that really pinpoint where noni plants originate from. They are a tropical species of the Morinda genus, in the Rubiaceae family of plants. That lineage is almost always associated with tropical plants containing very healthful properties. Although none so healthful as noni.

Since the noni plant grows best in the rich volcanic ash of the south pacific islands, and the seeds are able to float on the ocean waves, noni plants have made their way around most of the world’s equatorial region.

No one knows where they originated, but the oldest known records of noni’s use are from tribal leaders and kahunas across Polynesia. These records go back at least 1,500 years, when these tribes first started making medical records.

The oldest accounts of noni being used for medicine are from Tahiti and Hawaii, where the soil it grows on are the richest in nutrients.

Where do noni plants grow?

Noni plants grow commonly in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, most of the pacific Islands including Tahiti and Hawaii, and even as far east as central America!

Few plants known to botanists can germinate by using floating seeds… Since it doesn’t take human (or even birds) interacting with them for noni seeds to spread, they have been able to reach shores of even the most remote pacific islands and grow.

However, noni plants are tropical and cannot handle frost. That keeps them confined to the equatorial belt around the planet, and since that path is blocked by Central & South America in the east, and Africa in the west, noni plants have not been found in the Atlantic ocean at all, except for small crops in northern south America which were brought over by humans to be planted there on purpose.

Wherever noni comes from, if the soil is nutrient rich and the air is always warm, your noni is very likely full of healing properties.