Othalanga suicide tree cerberin linked to 537 deaths in Kerala
India
Meet the othalanga, or suicide tree: it looks harmless and grows in coastal environments in Kerala, but its fruit hides a deadly toxin called cerberin.
This compound has been linked to 537 deaths in Kerala between 1989 and 1999.
The real problem? Cerberin is tough to spot in postmortems unless doctors already suspect poisoning, making investigations tricky.
Cerberin disrupts heart function, evades tests
Cerberin messes with how the heart works and can slip past routine tests after death.
According to a 2004 study, unless there's a clear reason to look for it, this toxin can go undetected.
Since the tree resembles nontoxic plants too, the right suspicion and appropriate laboratory methods matter.