Othalanga

Othalanga or Cerbera odollam, also known commonly as 'suicide tree' grows wild along the coast in many parts of Kerala, India. It is also grown as a hedge between home compounds. It's a potent killer, often used for both suicide and murder.

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The fruit, when still green, looks like a small mango, with a green fibrous shell enclosing an ovoid kernel measuring approximately 2 cm × 1.5 cm and consisting of two cross-matching white fleshy halves. On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown or black. The plant as a whole yields a milky white latex.

For murder, a few kernels of this fruit are mixed with food containing plenty of chillies to cover the bitter taste. Deaths usually occur three to six hours after ingestion. The kernels of Othalanga contain a powerful toxin cerberin, which kills by blocking the calcium ion channels in heart muscles, thus disrupting the heartbeat.

The seeds have a long history as an ordeal poison in Madagascar. The poison ordeal was responsible for the death of 2% of the population (3000 people per year, 50,000 per generation) of the central province of Madagascar. On one occasion over 6000 people died in a single ordeal. The belief in the genuineness and accuracy was so strongly held among all that innocent people suspected of an offence did not hesitate to subject themselves to the poison test; some even showed eagerness to subject themselves to the test. The use of ritual poison in Madagascar was abolished in 1861 by King Radama II^[1] However it is believed that this practice may still be prevalent in remote areas of the island.

The fruit are used for manufacturing bioinsecticides and deodorants.

Cerbera odollam tree is known by a number of vernacular names depending on the region. These are: othalanga maram in the Malayalam language used in Kerala, India; kattu arali in the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu; famentana, kisopo, samanta or tangena in Madagascar; and pong-pong, buta-buta or nyan in southeast Asia.^[2]

References

1. ^ De Maleissye, J., 1991. In: Bourin, F. (Ed.), Histoire du poison. Paris.
2. ^ Gaillard Y, Krishnamoorthy A, Bevalot F. Cerbera odollam: a 'suicide tree' and cause of death in the state of Kerala, India. J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Dec;95(2-3):123-6.