NONI: The Stinky Fruit that raises more than just eyebrows.

There is no sugar coating it(literally!), noni fruit has an unpleasant flavor and aroma. I would say it’s an acquired taste, however I have been drinking noni for 15 years and I still have a hard time choking it down most days. The world of superfoods and health tonics is no stranger to off-putting acquired tastes: wheatgrass juice, spirulina, apple cider vinegar, and kombucha to name a few. But noni just may be in a league of its own. Some refer to noni fruit as “cheesy fruit”, “stinky fruit” or “vomit fruit”, and these are describing it delicately. Noni fruit smells like someone ate a pizza covered in blue cheese and sweaty gym socks and then vomited it back up. Super foods with super nutrition don’t have to be super delicious or pleasantly fragrant. Where noni lacks in delectability and aromatic character it makes up for (over-compensates for) it in health and longevity. Like many unpleasant flavors in the health food world, once someone begins to associate the taste with incredible health benefits, they usually begin to tolerate and even forgive the offensive flavor. This is certainly the case with noni fruit. Once you begin to associate the libido and mood elevating properties with its abrasive flavor, you’ll discover that it’s worth holding your nose choking it down like a tequila shot.

So what are these amazing health benefits you speak of?

As an all-around super fruit noni is highly anti-inflammatory, analgesic (meaning it has natural plant compounds that make it a natural pain reliever), a powerful antioxidant and has been proven to break sown uric acid crystals which can contribute to arthritis and joint inflammation.

Two of the proven boner nutrients of noni fruit are selenium and nitric oxide. Nitric oxide has taken center stage in multiple health studies. Nitric oxide serves as a secondary neurotransmitter between the brain and the nerve cells within the body. It also doubles as a vasodilator (as I have talked about in previous posts: widening of the artery walls) in the circulatory system.

What I love about nitric oxide is that aside from helping us dudes maintain longer lasting harder erections, it also  helps lowers blood pressure, contributes to healthy brain function, increases energy levels, improves athletic performance and recovery, helps us receive and absorb nutrients more efficiently and decreases oxidation rates in the body.

Selenium has been proven to boost testosterone and improve sperm quality and quantity (see previous posts about brazil nuts and selenium). The combination of nitric oxide and selenium makes the stinky noni fruit a Dick Diet super fruit. As stated earlier the tricky thing is finding a way to enjoy noni without gagging. Unless you live in a tropical climate and you have a noni tree growing in your backyard, fresh noni fruit or juice can be hard to come by. I am currently writing this blog post from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica where noni can be found everywhere along the beach and nearby jungle.

If you do not have access to it fresh, than it can be purchased online or in your local health food store in powder, pill or juice form. Some online companies sell dehydrated noni in the form of fruit leather. It can also be purchased as a tea or as a juice. When purchasing noni juice it is important to look for 100% pure juice with no added sugar, flavors or other fruit juices. When I am living back in Wisconsin, I purchase 100% pure noni juice from my local health food store. It is pasteurized and not as potent as fresh noni, but it still possesses a lot of the health promoting nutrition.

Cheers to better boners!