{{short description|Species of tree}} {{Speciesbox | image = Cerbera odollam 08718.jpg | image_caption = ''Cerbera odollam'', or the "pong-pong" tree | genus = Cerbera | species = odollam | authority = [[Joseph Gaertner|Gaertn.]] | synonyms = ''Cerbera dilatata'' Markgr. | synonyms_ref = }}
'''''Cerbera odollam''''' is a tree species in the family [[Apocynaceae]] commonly known as the '''suicide tree''' or '''pong-pong'''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wermuth |first1=Mary E. |last2=Vohra |first2=Rais |last3=Bowman |first3=Nena |last4=Furbee |first4=R. Brent |last5=Rusyniak |first5=Daniel E. |title=Cardiac Toxicity from Intentional Ingestion of Pong-Pong Seeds (Cerbera Odollam) |journal=The Journal of Emergency Medicine |date=October 2018 |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=507–511 |doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.05.021 |pmid=29941374 |issn=0736-4679}}</ref> It bears a fruit known as '''othalanga''' whose seeds yield a potent poison called [[cerberin]]. It has historically been used in [[Trial by ordeal|trials by ordeal]], especially in [[Madagascar]], where it has caused thousands of [[Death|deaths]] annually, and continues to be used for [[suicide]], particularly in [[Kerala]], [[India]]. It can cause fatal heart [[Arrhythmia|arrhythmias]] with just one kernel and is responsible for numerous poisonings due to its easily masked [[taste]] and limited testing.
It is native to [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]], [[Pacific Islands]], and [[Queensland]], Australia,<ref>{{Cite POWO|title= Cerbera odollam Gaertn.|id=77913-1|accessdate=9 October 2022}}</ref> growing preferentially along sandy coasts, riverbanks, and by [[mangrove swamps]]. It is also grown in tropical areas such as [[Hawaii]] as an [[ornamental plant|ornamental]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Tropical Botanical Garden {{!}} Cerbera odollam - Plant Detail - Tropical Plants Database |url=https://ntbg.org/database/plants/detail/cerbera-odollam |website=National Tropical Botanical Garden |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> It is a 10–12 meter tall plant with glossy [[Leaf|leaves]], [[white]]-[[yellow]] [[Flower|flowers]], and poisonous seeds encased in a red-ripening [[fruit]] that resembles [[Nerium|oleander]] and produces a milky [[latex]]. Its seeds are used as [[Biopesticide|biopesticides]], [[Insect repellent|insect repellents]], and [[Rodenticide|rat poisons]] due to their toxicity and have also been studied as a non-edible, [[Sustainability|sustainable]] [[Raw material|feedstock]] for [[biodiesel]] production on non-[[arable land]].
== Description == [[File:Cerbera manghas - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-175.jpg|thumb|Diagram of different parts of the ''Cerbera odollam'' plant.]] ''Cerbera odollam'' bears a close resemblance to [[oleander]], another highly toxic plant from the same family. It grows to approximately 10–12 meters in height. Its leaves are glossy and it has white flowers with yellow throats.<ref>{{cite web |title=NParks {{!}} Cerbera odollam |url=https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/8/2800#:~:text=Description%20and%20Ethnobotany&text=A%20medium%2Dsized%20tree%2C%20up,with%20a%20rounded%2C%20bushy%20crown.&text=Often%20knobbly%20and%20buttressed%2C%20with%20rough%20greyish%20bark.&text=Glossy%20green%2C%20narrowly%20obovate%20to,before%20falling%20off%20the%20tree. |website=www.nparks.gov.sg |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> The plant as a whole yields a milky, white latex.{{cn|date=October 2023}}
Its fruit, about 5–10cm in length, starts green and becomes red as it matures.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Tropical Botanical Garden {{!}} Cerbera odollam - Plant Detail - Tropical Plants Database |url=https://ntbg.org/database/plants/detail/cerbera-odollam |website=National Tropical Botanical Garden |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> It has a green fibrous shell enclosing an ovoid kernel measuring approximately 2 cm × 1.5 cm and containing two extremely poisonous seeds. On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown, or black.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref>
== History == === Common names === ''Cerbera odollam'' is known by a number of vernacular names, depending on the region. These include ''othalam'' (ഒതളം) in the [[Malayalam language]] used in Kerala, India; ''kattu arali'' (காட்டரளி) in the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu; ''dabur'' (ডাবুর) in [[Bengali language|Bengali]]; ''famentana'', ''kisopo'', ''samanta'' or ''tangena'' in Madagascar; and ''pong-pong'', ''buta-buta'', ''bintaro'' or ''nyan'' in Southeast Asia.<ref name=GaillardJEth04>Gaillard Y, Krishnamoorthy A, Bevalot F., 2004, "Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India," ''J. Ethnopharmacol.'' '''95'''(2-3):123-126.</ref>
===Use in trials by ordeal=== The poisonous kernel of the ''Cerbera odollam'' fruit was used in trials by ordeal like the [[tangena]] throughout the regions where it grew. In [[Madagascar]] in the 18th and 19th centuries, over 3,000 people died per year from consuming ''Cerbera odollam'' seeds in a trial by ordeal. These trials were intended to determine whether the subject was guilty of a crime, often witchcraft.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Sarah |title=The brutal harvest of India's 'suicide tree' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/08/the-brutal-harvest-of-indias-suicide-tree/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=5 May 2024 |date=25 October 2021}}</ref> In these trials, a dosage of the seed was administered. If the subject lived, they were considered innocent of whatever crime they were accused. If they died, they were considered guilty. These trials relied on the belief that some underlying spirit would distinguish between innocence and guilt.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Robb |first1=George L. |title=The Ordeal Poisons of Madagascar and Africa |journal=Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University |date=1957 |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=265–316 |doi=10.5962/p.168507 |jstor=41762174 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/168507 |access-date=5 May 2024 |issn=0006-8098|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Trials by ordeal using [[cerberin]] were extremely common. In the mid-1800s, leaders attempted to regulate trials by ordeal in Madagascar. For minor crimes, dogs or chickens were used as a substitute for humans. However, it wasn't until the early 1900s that this practice stopped.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Robb |first1=George L. |title=The Ordeal Poisons of Madagascar and Africa |journal=Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University |date=1957 |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=265–316 |doi=10.5962/p.168507 |jstor=41762174 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/168507 |access-date=5 May 2024 |issn=0006-8098|doi-access=free }}</ref>
===Use for suicide=== ''Cerbera odollam'' was also frequently used for [[suicide]] and continues to be used for this purpose in the modern day. For instance, a 2004 study found that it was responsible for about one suicide death per week between 1989 and 1999 in [[Kerala]], India.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref> To commit suicide, people would remove the kernels from the seed and combine it with [[jaggery]] to eat. Death would occur quickly, about 3-6 hours after ingestion.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref>
== Toxicity == [[Cerberin]], the poisonous compound in the kernels of ''Cerbera odollam'', is a [[cardiac glycoside]] and, as such, blocks the heart's sodium and potassium [[ATPase]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Botelho |first1=Ana Flávia M. |last2=Pierezan |first2=Felipe |last3=Soto-Blanco |first3=Benito |last4=Melo |first4=Marília Martins |title=A review of cardiac glycosides: Structure, toxicokinetics, clinical signs, diagnosis and antineoplastic potential |journal=Toxicon |date=February 2019 |volume=158 |pages=63–68 |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.11.429 |pmid=30529380 |doi-access=free }}</ref> One kernel contains a fatal dose of the toxin.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Menezes |first1=Ritesh G. |last2=Usman |first2=Muhammad Shariq |last3=Hussain |first3=Syed Ather |last4=Madadin |first4=Mohammed |last5=Siddiqi |first5=Tariq Jamal |last6=Fatima |first6=Huda |last7=Ram |first7=Pradhum |last8=Pasha |first8=Syed Bilal |last9=Senthilkumaran |first9=S. |last10=Fatima |first10=Tooba Qadir |last11=Luis |first11=Sushil Allen |date=August 2018 |title=Cerbera Odollam Toxicity: A Review |journal=Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine |volume=58 |pages=113–116 |doi=10.1016/j.jflm.2018.05.007 |issn=1878-7487 |pmid=29778924|s2cid=29155448 }}</ref>
===Symptoms=== [[File:Cerbera odollam fruits, flower, and leaves, Dededo, Guam.jpg|thumb|''Cerbera odollam'' fruits, flower, and leaves, Dededo, Guam]] Electrocardiographic abnormalities are common, the most common being [[sinus bradycardia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref> Around half of the patients develop thrombocytopenia. Temporary cardiac pacing has been used in the management, apart from other supportive measures.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Menon|first=M Suraj|year=2016|title=Clinical profile and management of poisoning with suicide tree: An observational study|journal=Heart Views|volume=17|issue=4|pages=136–139|doi=10.4103/1995-705X.201783|pmid=28400936|pmc=5363088 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
Other common symptoms of cerberin poisoning include a burning sensation in the mouth, vomiting, retching, nausea, irregular [[breathing | respiration]], headache, [[coma]], and death.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref> Some cases are asymptomatic.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Menon |first1=MSuraj |last2=Kumar |first2=Prasantha |last3=Jayachandran |first3=Ci |title=Clinical profile and management of poisoning with suicide tree: An observational study |journal=Heart Views |date=2016 |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=136–139 |doi=10.4103/1995-705X.201783 |doi-access=free |pmid=28400936 |pmc=5363088 }}</ref>
===Use as a poison=== ''Cerbera odollam'' is commonly used for poisonings as well as suicides. Its bitter flavor can easily be masked by spicy food, allowing victims to ingest it without noticing.<ref>{{cite web |title='Suicide tree' toxin is 'perfect' murder weapon |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6701-suicide-tree-toxin-is-perfect-murder-weapon/?_ptid=%7Bkpdx%7DAAAAwiVel_zzhAoKcmJhNGYxWmNwZRIQbHZ0bXN5anVscWdud2xieRoMRVg1Q1FOVDBDT0tYIiUxODIzdHU4MGRvLTAwMDAzM3E5NWNzN3Vwa2U2YTl2YmNpNzBjKhtzaG93VGVtcGxhdGVJQ0U3VTgyUko2QUw0ODQwAToMT1RZNkM3MjZBN1EyQg1PVFZMRU42TFJaSUNMUhJ2LYUA8Bl6b2htZHUweDBaDjEyOC4xNTEuMTUwLjI1YgNkbWNo4NPjsQZwGHgE#.VYMMDuv_SOI |website=New Scientist |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> In [[Kerala]], ''C. odollam'' is responsible for about 50% of plant poisoning cases and 10% of all poisonings.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref>
The fatalities from poisonings, particularly from ''C. odollam'', are underestimated due to the lack of testing in most cases.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaillard |first1=Yvan |last2=Krishnamoorthy |first2=Ananthasankaran |last3=Bevalot |first3=Fabien |title=Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=December 2004 |volume=95 |issue=2–3 |pages=123–126 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.004 |pmid=15507323 }}</ref> Poisonings outside the tree's natural range are considered rare.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wermuth |first1=Mary E. |last2=Vohra |first2=Rais |last3=Bowman |first3=Nena |last4=Furbee |first4=R. Brent |last5=Rusyniak |first5=Daniel E. |title=Cardiac Toxicity from Intentional Ingestion of Pong-Pong Seeds (Cerbera Odollam) |journal=The Journal of Emergency Medicine |date=October 2018 |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=507–511 |doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.05.021 |pmid=29941374 }}</ref>
== Modern uses == The seeds of ''C. odollam'' are used as [[biopesticides]], insect repellants, and rat poisons<ref>{{cite web |title=NParks {{!}} Cerbera odollam |url=https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/8/2800#:~:text=Description%20and%20Ethnobotany&text=A%20medium%2Dsized%20tree%2C%20up,with%20a%20rounded%2C%20bushy%20crown.&text=Often%20knobbly%20and%20buttressed%2C%20with%20rough%20greyish%20bark.&text=Glossy%20green%2C%20narrowly%20obovate%20to,before%20falling%20off%20the%20tree. |website=www.nparks.gov.sg |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> due to its toxicity to these animals.
Investigations have also been made into the feasibility of using the seeds as a feedstock in the production of [[biodiesel]]. Oil can be extracted from the seeds and [[transesterification | transesterified]] into fatty acid methyl esters. This is a good alternative to other plants commonly used for biodiesels because unlike these plants, it grows on typically [[arable land|non-arable land]] and therefore does not compete with [[food crops]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kansedo |first1=Jibrail |last2=Lee |first2=Keat Teong |last3=Bhatia |first3=Subhash |title=Cerbera odollam (sea mango) oil as a promising non-edible feedstock for biodiesel production |journal=Fuel |date=June 2009 |volume=88 |issue=6 |pages=1148–1150 |doi=10.1016/j.fuel.2008.12.004 |bibcode=2009Fuel...88.1148K }}</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Pong pong tree 5.jpg|Mature tree File:Cerbera odollam.jpg|Flowers File:Cerbera odollam 07637.JPG|Developing fruits File:Cerbera odollam fruit and seedling. Dededo, Guam.jpg|Fruits and seedling. Dededo, Guam </gallery>
==See also== * [[List of poisonous plants]]
==References== {{Commons}} {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q191514}}
[[Category:Cerbera|odollam]] [[Category:Flora of tropical Asia]] [[Category:Decorative fruits and seeds]] [[Category:Austronesian agriculture]]