The season 3 finale of “The White Lotus” lately aired — with the episode that includes the “pong pong tree,” a plant with fruit so toxic that it’s nicknamed “the suicide tree.”
Whereas viewers might imagine that is only a plot gadget fabricated for dramatic impact, the tree, its fruit and its killer seeds are actual.
Native to Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and components of Australia, Cerbera odollam – often known as the pong pong tree – belongs to the dogbane household, which additionally contains different toxic crops, in keeping with a Nationwide Geographic report.
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The pong pong tree produces white, aromatic flowers in addition to a fruit much like an apple.
On the core of the fruit is a extremely poisonous seed, WebMD famous.
A majority of the poison within the pong pong tree is concentrated within the fruit’s seeds. The “suicide tree” was a plot level featured in “The White Lotus.” (Getty; iStock)
The seed incorporates concentrated quantities of cerberin, a bitter-tasting, toxic substance that may be lethal with out rapid medical care.
Cerberin is a cardiac glycoside, an natural compound that slows down coronary heart operate.
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The tree was concerned in over 500 deaths between 1989 and 1999, in keeping with WebMD.
When ingested, cerberin is absorbed into the bloodstream from the abdomen, the place it may well start to sluggish an individual’s coronary heart price in as little as an hour, Nationwide Geographic said.
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Preliminary signs could embrace nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, escalating to irregular coronary heart rhythms or coronary heart failure.
One doable antidote might be digoxin immune FAB — however in a 2018 examine, three sufferers died even after being given the injection. (iStock)
“It will basically override the polarization within the body that’s required for the heart muscle to contract and relax,” stated Owen McDougal, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Boise State College, within the report.
“Without the impulse and relaxation phases, the heart muscle just stops working.”
He added, “It’s not a desirable way to go.”
The pong pong tree was concerned in over 500 deaths between 1989 and 1999, in keeping with WebMD. (iStock)
Every individual’s response to the toxin will rely upon quite a lot of components, together with age, gender, dimension and different medical circumstances, the report said.
Most exposures will trigger loss of life inside three to 6 hours, WebMD famous, however some instances could also be treatable relying on severity and period of time since ingestion.
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Some research have prompt that getting rapid medical consideration might scale back mortality to 12%, per the above supply.
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“Eating Cerbera odollam seeds is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs,” the WebMD report says.
“If you’re ever in a situation where you accidentally eat these seeds, call the emergency services immediately.”
