Noni, no me

Anyone with an interest in pursuing a pharmaceutical-free lifestyle or just exploring the world of natural “wonder foods” has probably heard of Noni. Noni is most commonly available in the USA as a juice, and its proponents claim, among other things, that it provides a tremendous boost to the immune system. In Costa Rica the “Morinda Citrifolica” or Noni tree grows wild. It is a member of the coffee family and is easily recognized by its odd looking (and foul-smelling) fruit. The fruit goes from green to an almost translucent white when ripe. It is neither firm nor soft to the touch. For some reason it reminds me of a sea cucumber although I can’t ever remember actually touching one of those. Commercially available juice had additional ingredients added to the noni to mask the odor and improve the taste. But here, where it grows wild, you will find that people just drop the whole fruit into a blender and hold their nose or put the fruits in a glass jar to naturally ferment (see photo of fruits during the fermenting process). So far neither method looks appetizing to me. I have drawn the line. No noni, not for me.