Recipe
Traditional fermented noni juice
- Herb:
- Noni Morinda citrifolia
- Method:
- Fermentation
- Plant part:
- Fruit
About 40 minAdvancedRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Put whole ripe, washed fruits into a sterilised glass jar with a lid and stand the jar in the sun.
- Leave for 4–8 weeks; the fruits break down and dark juice collects at the bottom. Do not open the jar.
- Decant the juice through a fine cloth, bottle in dark glass and keep cold.
- Traditionally 30 ml is drunk in the morning on an empty stomach, diluted with water; discard the whole batch if it smells spoiled or shows mould.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 kg of ripe fruit yields about 300–400 ml of juice
- Solvent:
- the fruit's own juice; spontaneous fermentation for 4–8 weeks in a sealed jar in the sun
- Shelf life:
- several months in a cool place; discard if it smells spoiled
- Target compounds:
- iridoids (deacetylasperulosidic acid), scopoletin, potassium; fermentation breaks down sugars and lowers pH
Notes
An advanced process with a spoilage risk; uncontrolled spontaneous fermentation is not for everyone. The juice is high in potassium — skip it with kidney disease. EFSA assessed reported liver injury cases with commercial juice and did not establish causation; still, this is a small-dose drink, not litres.
Why it works
Spontaneous fermentation turns sugars into acids and alcohol and lowers the pH, partly preserving the juice; iridoids and scopoletin remain. EFSA did not accept health claims for noni — it assessed safety only, and even that for a commercial pasteurised product.
Literature
- EFSA (2009): Opinion on the safety of Tahitian Noni 'Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit puree and concentrate'. EFSA Journal 7(10):998 — Safety assessment of commercial juice, including reported liver cases.
- Mueller BA et al. (2000): Noni juice (Morinda citrifolia): hidden potential for hyperkalemia? Am J Kidney Dis 35:310–312 — High potassium content — risk in kidney disease.
Related
Noni — Herb card
Fermentation — Processing method detail