Noni is one of the many Cambodian products that can improve the body's resistance to infectious diseases.
Noni (Morinda citrifolia) is an exotic fruit native to the Pacific Islands, South-East Asia, Australia and India. Formerly known as NONO or Pomme-chien in Tahitian, it is now widely recognised for its many medicinal virtues. It can be identified by its potato-like appearance, with the skin of a pineapple. The fruit is green then yellow, but once ripe its colour becomes whitish, and it is also recognisable by its distinctive smell and rather bitter taste. The advantage of Noni is that everything can be used: the fruit, the leaves, the roots, the bark and the flower.
History
Noni and its tree have over 2000 years of history. Once widely used in South-East Asia and Polynesia as a medicine and food, Noni was not marketed until 1995. From Nono, it was renamed Noni by traders to avoid any negative connotations with ‘No’. It was therefore decided to rename it Noni. This very special fruit is sold all over the world, mainly in juice form. For several decades now, Noni's composition and virtues have never ceased to amaze: rich in vitamins A and C, iron, niacin and potassium, many scientists have proved that Noni can help with everyday health concerns, with its strong potential to boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer. It could also help in the treatment of diabetes and has anti-ageing properties.
Cambodia is also a consumer of Noni. Cambodians have been using it under the name ‘Nhor’ for around two centuries. Nhor is mainly used as a traditional medicine and as a vegetable in the preparation of the famous Amok, the Cambodian dish par excellence. For medicinal purposes, Cambodians crush the bark of the tree to make an ointment to relieve muscle and joint pain.
Preparing Amok
Only the young leaves are used to make Amok, as their taste becomes too bitter when they reach maturity. Noni fruit is also used to make juice. The method used is a simple maceration of the ripe fruit. The fruit is cut into pieces, soaked in water, brought to the boil and then filtered before being left to stand for a few weeks. However, this type of preparation is tending to disappear, with younger generations preferring the sweeter flavours of mangoes and coconuts, or industrial sodas.
Noni on sale in Cambodia
Dried Noni leaves, which can be used to make tea, are also available from a number of traders in the Russian Market, for half a dollar per two hundred grams. There is a Cambodian company that produces Noni juice, ‘Nonikhmer’, which sells a litre of Noni for ten dollars, which is still very reasonable compared to the juices made by foreign companies available in the health food sections of the capital's supermarkets, at higher prices.
On the natural products market, Noni has become a sure thing, attracting a great deal of interest and being widely advertised. Noni is now worth around three billion US dollars worldwide. If you don't have any trees at home, and don't want to break the bank either, there's still the option of Noni tea (Marché Russe in Phnom Penh) or Noni juice sold by Khmernoni (262 Boulevard Sothearos - Telephone: 012 844 223 or 016 844 223), which also offers other products based on Cambodian plants and fruit such as cinnamon, moringa, local honey and soursop.
DC & CG
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