Scientific name: Morinda citrifolia
Family: Rubiaceae

Native to the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, Australia and India, this evergreen tree is famous for both its foul smell and its medicinal properties. A member of the coffee family, it has historically been used to dye textiles yellow or red (purplish brown).

Noni is one of the most-used Hawaiian plant medicines and in Samoan cultures all parts of the plant are used, not just the fruit. Though medicinal benefits have yet to be fully substantiated in clinical trials, it is believed that drinking Noni juice as well as using other parts of the tree can help in the alleviation of the following ailments, to name a few: colds, flu, diabetes, anxiety, cancer, inflammation, hypertension and depression.

Because of its wide-spread popularity, Noni juice can be found in most grocery stores in Hawai‘i and the trees are everywhere. Juice is best drunk when combined with a sweet fruit to help with the smell.