The lethal compound found in the seeds of Cerbera odollam, the suicide tree, is cerberin. It is a cardiac glycoside concentrated in the tree’s poisonous kernels.
Cerbera odollam grows in tropical parts of South and Southeast Asia, including coastal areas, riverbanks, and mangrove habitats. Its fruit contains a fibrous shell surrounding a kernel with two highly toxic seeds. The tree is also known as pong-pong, othalanga, or sea mango in different regions.
Cerberin disrupts the heart’s sodium–potassium ATPase, a mechanism essential for maintaining normal electrical activity in cardiac cells. Poisoning can produce nausea, vomiting, slow heart rate, irregular rhythms, low blood pressure, coma, and death. Because symptoms can resemble other cardiac poisonings and the compound is difficult to detect, cases may be missed.
The name “suicide tree” reflects the plant’s grim history. Cerbera seeds were used in ordeals in Madagascar and have caused intentional and accidental poisonings in Kerala, India. Cerberin is sometimes confused with digoxin or ouabain because all are cardiac glycosides, but those are distinct compounds. The identifying answer for C. odollam is cerberin.