Abstract:
Noni scientifically known as Morinda citrifolia L. of the rubiaceae family is widely known in
Southeast Asia and Australasia with a wide range of uses. Among the Polynesians, fermented
juice is very popular as traditional medicine with a variety of therapeutic properties. The
traditional medicinal properties of noni have in recent times permeated the Ghanaian society
with the usage increasing with minimal scientific information. The scientific information gap in
Ghana is the thrust of this study. The ripe fruits, collected from one plant, were fermented
traditionally and the juice was subjected to laboratory analyses for chemical analysis and
phytochemical screening. The laboratories at the Food Research Institute and Ghana Standards
Authority were used respectively since either of the laboratories could not perform both the
chemical analysis and phytochemical screening.
Field survey, using simple random sampling, was employed to sample thirty (30) respondents at
Akim Oda to assess the knowledge of noni as an emerging plant of potential in its cropping and
value addition.
The results of the laboratory investigations were the composition of minerals (iron, zinc, sulphur,
but no copper) and vitamin C; and the presence of phytochemicals namely tannins, flavonoids,
saponins and alkaloids. These confirm the therapeutic properties of the fermented juice thereby
favouring the indigenous knowledge as traditional medicine.
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