Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia)

Common Names
Indian mulberry, noni, canary wood (En); fromager, bois douleur, murier indien (Fr); mora de la India (Sp); 海巴戟, 檄樹 (Cn)

Plant Distribution
South Asia, South Pacific, East Asia, Australia, the Caribbean

Edible Parts
Young leaves and terminal buds are cooked to supplement other dishes; mature leaves used to wrap around fish and then eaten with the cooked fish; unripe fruit cooked with curries; ripe fruit consumed raw with salt; dried leaves or fruit used to make infusions and teas.

Health values
Beta-carotene: medium in leaves; vitamin E: high in leaves; ascorbic acid: high in leaves; calcium: high in leaves; iron: medium in leaves; protein: 3.5% in leaves. Leaves and fruit contain xeronine (an alkaloid that repairs the damaged cells), scopoletin (a coumarin that regulates blood pressure), anthraquinones, americanin A (a potent antioxidant of neolignan), phenolic compounds, etc.

Read more: Indian mulberry, in Discovering Indigenous Treasures: Promising Indigenous Vegetables from Around the World. 2009. AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center.