History Generation to Generation Knowledge of noni's healthful benefits has been passed from parents to children for countless generations in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. Families used the noni fruit both internally and externally for its innumerable benefits. Though noni was widely used and cherished in French Polynesia, its marvelous secrets remained unknown to the rest of the world for thousands of years. Then, in the twentieth century, ethnobotanists interested in the methods of native healers began to study this remarkable fruit. Even the United States military, during World War II, studied the usability and benefits of the noni plant, which were included in the Military Field Handbook for Survival. Thousands of Years of History Thousands of years ago, sea-going people journeyed in great outrigger canoes to settle what is now known as French Polynesia. Space in the canoes was precious; they brought only what they needed to survive. Morinda citrifolia (noni) was prized cargo in these canoes because of its healthful properties. Indeed it was considered queen of the 'canoe plants' used to establish the new villages. Nature's Last Eden Tahitian Noni International, the first company to bring noni to the market, harvests noni exclusively in French Polynesia. Tahitian Noni International discovered that noni from French Polynesia is more than 20% richer in vital nutrients and components than fruit grown elsewhere. Rich, volcanic soils give more abundant life to everything in French Polynesia. The nourishing minerals in the earth combine with the pure water and the clean, tropical air of the islands to become the perfect place to grow noni. "Of all the places we researched, French Polynesia proved to produce the highest-quality fruit in the greatest abundance." -Stephen Story, Vice President of Research and Development