Herbarium Sheet Detail
NTBG Plant Name:
Morinda citrifolia
Collector Name:
M. J. Balick
Collection Date:
August 5, 2002
Determiner:
Tim Flynn 2004
Observers:
Tamara Balick, Roberta Lee, Ally Raynor, Elpiana Amor, Bruce John
Island Group:
CAROLINE ISLANDS
Locality:
Mwoakilloa Atoll, Loh ping ping.
Plant Description:
Tree to 6 m, dbh 12 cm, fruits white, odorferaro. N.V. wahn pwul [Pohnpeian]
Ethnobotanical Notes:
Lumber. Used to make the smallest cross-bars of house to hold thatch bars.
Flowers + fruit. Medicine for diabetes. Boil fruit - 3-4 fruits in one cup of water. Drink room temperature.
Flowers + fruit. Cuts. Medicine for open cuts. Take young fruits still with white flowers and chew. Squeeze on open cuts. Use once daily for 2 to 3 days.
Fruit + leaves. Magic. Use for ghost sickness. Take 3 pairs of young leaves, 3 fruits, young ones that still have flowers. Chew, put in coconut oil. Rub on baby that is crying at night and has ghost sickness. Massage, rub in oil from inner elbow down to wrist in single strokes, from sternum (center of chest) to umbilicus, in a circular motion around face and finally in a line around body where baby is sleeping. Use one time daily for three days. Chases ghost away.
Fruit + leaves + flowers. Diabetes. Take 12 fruits (young, still have flowers on them) pound, mix with 6 green leaves and 6 yellow leaves and some flowers of MB4248 and squeeze in cloth into a gallon of water. Drink as much as you can each day -- up to a gallon. Use frequently.
Fruits. Medicine for kidney stones. Take 8 fruits, boil in 1/2 gallon of water. Drink one cup one time daily and keep drinking until pain is gone and stone passes.
Fruits. Diabetes. Medicine for Soumwahu suke. How do you know you have Soumwahu suke? The hospital tells you--local people dont diagnose. Mash 2-3 fruits in 4 cups of water and boil. Drink 3-4 cups daily. Keep drinking for at least one month, then take a break.
Root. Medicine for open cut. Wash root (3-6" piece) pound it. Squeeze juice on open cut to heal it. Also, place crushed root on cut, tie with clean cloth and leave as poultice.
Root. Antiodontalgic. Medicine for toothaches. Take roots of seedlings and scrape off the bark. Put on tooth to relieve pain.
Young leaves. Charm. Soumwahu en eni (Ghost sickness) Symptoms in Children. Crush 6 young leaves (pairs), or can use 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 - must be even number of leaves. Rub juice on childs body in evening for 3 nights. "Casts off" (cures) Ghost.
Young leaves. Wounds. Medicine for wounds. Take 3 pairs of young leaves plus 3 pieces of base of pandanus (meristem white area) and chew both together and mix with coconut oil. Wrap with cloth for 3 days, after 3 days change.
Habitat:
Coconut, Pandanus forest, humus covered with coral, moist, seaside forest.
Date of Record Creation:
July 1, 2020
Date of Last Update:
March 23, 2023
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