What type of toxin can be found in the pong pong fruit?
The kernels/fruit of C. odollam (commonly known as the Suicide tree, Pong-pong, and Othalanga) contain cerberin, a potent alkaloid toxin related to digoxin, a poison found in foxglove. The poison blocks the calcium ion channels in heart muscle, causing disruption of the heart beat. This is most often fatal. Cerbera odollam bears a close resemblance to the Oleander bush, another highly toxic plant from the same family.