The Deadly Fruit From The White Lotus Is Real (And Terrifying)

If the pong pong tree didn't exist, Mike White would have to invent it. It's a perfect plot device for "The White Lotus," White's Emmy-winning satire about beautiful rich people navigating their ennui and insecurities at the titular, fictional luxury hotel chain. In the finale of the Thailand-set third season, prison-bound financier Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) prepares to kill himself and his family (save for his son Lochlan, played by Sam Nivola) by preparing cocktails mixed with the poisonous seeds from the pong pong tree's fruit. 

Whether or not he goes through with it is the source of a great deal of suspense, which we won't spoil for you. But we can tell you that the pong pong tree is a real thing — and it's as deadly and frightening as you might expect from a plant nicknamed "the suicide tree."

The pong pong tree (Cerbera odollam) is not exclusive to Thailand. You will find it elsewhere in South Asia and Oceania, including India, the Philippines, and certain parts of Australia. Heck, in some places, like Hawaii, it was introduced as an ornamental plant. But wherever you find it, you don't want to eat it; the kernel at the center of the fruit is not only incredibly bitter but deathly poisonous.

If you're unfortunate enough to consume the poison from the kernel of a pong pong fruit, you will suffer through nausea, vomiting, and a dangerously low heart rate before likely experiencing full-on heart failure. Although it's not invariably fatal — age, health, and dosage affect survival rate — it more than earns its nickname as "the suicide tree." Historically, the fruit was responsible for thousands of deaths a year.

Many of those deaths were, indeed, suicides as well as homicides. This poison was also used for trials of ordeal in Madagascar, something akin to the European "trial by water" method of discovering witches. If the subject survived the poisoning, they were considered innocent; if they died, they were considered guilty. Needless to say, a lot more people were found guilty than innocent.

The poison has even been sold online as a weight-loss aid, resulting in at least one death. Needless to say, if you'd rather eat something more pleasant and less deadly from Thailand, you have plenty of options, ranging from special Thai coffee to drunken noodles, which aren't actually made with alcohol. Just make sure to use our guide to choose the right spice level for yourself at Thai restaurants.