Morinda citrifolia L

SPECIFICATION

FRESH MORINDA CITRIFOLIA FRUIT
English names: Indian mulberry, East Indian mulberry, awl tree.
Description: Medium-sized tree, 6-8m. in height Young twigs angular, slightly compressed and grooved. Leaves opposite, stipuliferous; shining green above, pale below; margins undulate. Inflorescence in dense ovoid head, opposite to the leaf; flowers white, then yellow. Fruit ovoid, including many drupelets, yellow when ripe. Seeds numerous, embedded in the pulp.
Flowering period: November - February.
Distribution: Grows wild and is extensively cultivated in the south of Viet Nam.
Parts used: Roots, fruit and leaves. The roots are collected in winter, the fruit in summer and the leaves in spring. They are all used in the dried state.
Chemical composition: The root-bark contains morindon, morindin, morindadiol, soranjidiol, rubichloric acid, alizarin a-methyl ether, and rubiadin l-methyl ether.
Therapeutic uses: The root-bark has a beneficial effect in hypertension, osteodynia and lumbago; it is prescribed in a dose of 10 to 20g daily in the form of a decoction or alcoholic maceration of torrefied material. A decoction of the leaves taken by mouth is effective for fever, dysentery and diarrhoea.