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Just imagine that you are strolling in a beautiful, lush garden. A shiny green fruit is hanging on the trees - so beautiful to look at that you feel like plucking it and eating it, but as soon as you take the first bite, the body starts getting numb, the heartbeat starts slowing down... and in a few moments your breathing stops forever.
Sounds scary, right? But this is not a film scene, but a truth, which is related to a dangerous fruit - which people also call Suicide Fruit. Recently, this mysterious fruit was shown in the web series The White Lotus Season 3, and since then it has become a topic of discussion on the internet. The real name of this poisonous fruit is Othalanga, which grows on a tree called Cerbera Odollam, which is called Pong Pong Tree in the local language. Let us tell you about it in detail in this article.
Where is this 'suicide tree' found?
The Pong Pong tree is mainly found in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Queensland and some areas of Australia. The fruits of this tree are so poisonous that for years they have been used in cases like suicide and murder. This is why it is also called the "Suicide Tree".
Simple in appearance but deadly
The Othalanga fruit looks like any other fruit - round, green and shiny. However, its seeds contain a deadly poison called Cerberin.
Cerberine is an element that directly affects the heart muscles and stops the heart from beating. After eating it, within a short time the heartbeat first slows down and then suddenly stops.
How does its poison work?
- Cerberine is a cardiac glycoside – a chemical compound that has powerful effects on the heart.
- It enters the body and blocks the polarization process (which helps the heart muscles to contract and expand).
- This causes the heartbeat to become irregular and the person may become unconscious and die.
- “This poison jams the system in the body that keeps the heart beating. When this system shuts down, the heart stops working and death occurs.”
How serious are the symptoms of poisoning?
The symptoms appear within a few hours after eating the Othalanga seeds:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain and diarrhea
- fast or very slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
- Heart block (heart stoppage or irregular heartbeat)
- Fainting and sudden death
The fruit that took thousands of lives
- Even in history, this poison has been used in mysterious and horrifying ways.
- According to a study in Kerala, India, this tree was responsible for 50% of plant deaths between 1989 and 1999.
- An estimated 3,000 deaths each year are caused by this fruit and its relative, the Sea Mango (Cerbera manghas).
- In the 19th century in Madagascar, a "truth test" was conducted by feeding people this fruit to prove witchcraft – if the person survived, he was considered innocent, and if he died, he was considered guilty.
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